Wedding Photography Tips From an Industry Insider
Trustworthy advice on finding that special someone to capture your big day.
How can couples ensure their photographers get all the right shots? Does it help to provide a detailed list?
I have strong feelings about “the list.” For formal photos, I supply a general form with a rundown of the group shots I will
take and we can modify that based on the clients’ wishes, family dynamics, etc. This is the only list I want to work from.
While I encourage couples to tell me what’s important to them, when they give me a sheet spelling out everything they want
photographed—the bride with Aunt Martha, the bouquet on the farm table—I’m not seeing the wedding day anymore. Instead, I’m
looking at a piece of paper worrying about checking things off. If clients have someone special they want photographed outside
of their immediate family and wedding party, I ask that they flag me down when they’re with that person. As for the rest,
if you’ve hired a reputable photographer, and you can see yourself in his or her work, chances are you’re going to be happy
with the results. And we will probably photograph the bouquet on the farm table anyway.
Do you recommend taking formal photos before or after the ceremony?
I respect when couples want to have that experience of seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony. But if they’re
open to it, I love to get the formal shots done beforehand. We often set it up so the bride and groom meet first and have
this wonderful, intimate moment that we document. Then everyone else shows up and we do the group photos. The whole shoot
usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. It’s great because once the ceremony is over, there’s nothing left to do except have
fun. When we do pictures post-ceremony, people sometimes get impatient because they’re sacrificing social time and the bride
and groom end up missing the entire cocktail hour.
