What Photographers want Brides to Know before they start planning.
Sometimes as a photographer we come up against situations that are tricky that could have been avoided if the bride and groom only knew before they started planning, how to plan to get the best results for everything.
I’m sure most wedding DJ’s would say the same thing, like “Don’t have a guest who loves alcohol to be your MC”.
Well here are my top tips for brides and grooms and wedding planners to be able to get the most of their wedding, and of course their photographic memories that are going to last a lifetime.
1) If you base your choice of photographer on the cheapest option, you’re always going to find somebody cheaper, and you won’t get the best results. Imagine if you went looking for the cheapest wedding dress possible? But didn’t pay any attention to whether or not it was beautiful, how it clung to your body, or the quality of the fabric. A photographer is no different but even more important because your dress is probably going to end up in a cupboard for life, but your photographs and video are what you’re going to treasure forever to relive the moment. If anything is going to be budget cut, it should not be the photography or video.
2) Photography is an art form, and whether or not you like the artist is going to contribute to your memories of your wedding day.
3) Engagement shoots are important! It’s a great opportunity for your wedding photographer to suss out if there’s anything they need to be careful of. For example my mother used to pull her neck in like a slinky when she smiled, laughed, or was being photographed. The woman was tiny but when a camera came out she would pull her chin in like a turtle retracting into a shell. Maybe you have a compulsion to lick your lips excessively, or perhaps the groom really hates being photographed from his left side and prefers his right. The engagement shoot is a great way to not only figure out all of these things before the wedding day to help achieve the best results, but also a great way for you to get to know your photographer so that you have less nerves and jitters on the wedding day. It’s a win win. You end up with beautiful portraits in regularly clothes that you can share with friends or use as your save the date or signing frame, and all your inhibitions get taken care of before the big day.
4) If you don’t trust a photographer or videographer don’t hire them. It’s not good for either the bride and groom, or the wedding supplier if you hire them but then second guess everything they do. Don’t hire a cake business and then ask them every day ‘are you sure I’m going to like the cake?’ and don’t hire a photographer and constantly ask ‘do you really know how to make me look good’. If you love their work and trust them from the feel you get when meeting with them, then book them. If something doesn’t sit right with you, then don’t.
5) I think a personal relationship with between photographer and bride and groom is really important. Your photographs last beyond your lifetime, and when your photographer is trying to get to know you, they’re doing so to be able to create the best memories of you and show you at your most beautiful.
6) A great photographer doesn’t treat photography as a job, they live, breathe and eat photography. A great photographer has a goal to treat your wedding as the most important thing they have EVER done!
7) Ask questions. Don’t assume something because it hasn’t been said. If you don’t know, ask!
8) If you’re getting married outdoors there are a few things you need to know. Pure shade is the best for photographs. Have a look at wedding photographs taken in full shade, and at wedding photographs taken in full sun. People squint, your nose will have the sun shining down onto it, while your eyes are squinting in shadow. The hardest outdoor weddings however are when the bridal party is half in the sun and half in the shade, or where the sun is creating a dalmatian effect on the bridal party through trees.
Of course I’m not saying you can’t have your beautiful beach wedding, but keep in mind you may be squinting in photographs. As for mottled light or half in the shade, be sure to check out your ceremony location at the same time of day that you want to have your ceremony, and if you can, around the same time of year to avoid these hard scenarios. Planning is the key to the greatest results.
9) Let the photographer be the photographer.
I personally invite my brides and grooms to save as many Pinterest photographs as they want so that I know what their favourite types of images are. But you don’t need to give me a list of basic images like ‘bride, bride with groom, wedding rings, photo of cake’. Most photographers have shot hundreds of weddings and it’s second nature for us to know what we’re doing.
10) Time flies. Brides always ask me “why do you need 90 minutes to photograph the bridal prep?” Well of course I need to take photographs of the dress hanging up, your shoes, the rings, the ends of the makeup, candid shots, scope the area for the best locations, get you into your dress, shoe shots, veil shots, bridal party shots, your parents crying when they see you, and you want these things to flow naturally and not have somebody telling you “oh no we’re far behind!” 90 minutes is not a long time at all. It’s better to have your photographer waiting for the next thing than running around like a headless chicken because there wasn’t enough time.
11) Allow your photographer time to do things. Perhaps your bridal car arrived at the ceremony 5 minutes early. Don’t jump out and get ready to walk down the aisle. Wait for the prompts you’ve been given as the photographs really are forever.
12) Understand that your photographers prices are very fair and don’t have unrealistic expectations of how much wedding photography should be. Most wedding photographers shoot between 20-30 weddings per year. A wedding photographer will usually be carrying over $20,000 of equipment with them to your wedding, and once they factor in hard drives, camera and computer upgrades and repairs, advertising, vehicle, memberships, insurances, most wedding photographers are spending $20-30,000 per year just to stay in business. That means every wedding costs them $1000 before they’ve left the house. 12 hours of shooting on the wedding day, a 2 hour appointment when you meet them, 1 hour planning session, 1 hour engagement, 20 hours of editing and 2 hours of emailing over the year and your wedding has taken 38 hours. An amazing wedding doesn’t just happen. It has to be well planned and so does your wedding photography. Also most wedding photographers and videographers work an 8-15 hour day without a break. They don’t leave your wedding to go and get Mcdonalds, so it’s really important and respectful to make sure they have food and water at he reception, as well as a chair to sit between events.
13) Groom preparation is important too! If he hadn’t popped the question, you wouldn’t even be here!
14) If you don’t have somewhere gorgeous to get ready that isn’t cluttered, maybe think about possibly hiring a hotel room or getting ready at a friends house. You don’t need a mansion, but you don’t want o be crashing into your Aunts boxes of clutter while you’re putting on your lingerie! A gorgeous coat hanger is great for hanging your dress on too.
15) Wedding photographs take time to edit, and your photographer has a right to have 2 days off per week just like everybody else. Sometimes you might be inclined to call your photographer at midnight to ask about lighting in a certain location, and other times you might be annoyed because your photographer just took a week long vacation the month after your wedding. Photographers are people too, and just because you’re waiting on your photographs it doesn’t mean they should be working 20 hour days until they’re delivered. Be patient with your photographer and let them deliver the most amazing results to you! You’ll feel so glad that you did!
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