Wedding Photography Tips for Engaged Couples
Wedding Photography Tips For Engaged Couples
When it comes to wedding photography tips probably the best bit of advice the experts at My Bridal Pix can give you is this. Your wedding day is going to be one of the most spectacular, magical and I hate to say it, super hectic days of your life! The day will go by in a flash and as the years go by, it will appear even more faint in your memory. It’s sad but true, however, the best way to keep your wedding memories alive for years to come is investing in a professional photographer with wedding experience. Don’t make the mistake of having just a friend or relative take your photos. You want confidence in someone with experience who can retell your story perfectly as the day unfolds. Having a professional photographer to capture all those memories for you is truly a priceless investment.
Wedding Photography Prices and What to Budget
We know that most couples have budget restrictions. Try to invest in the best wedding photographer your budget can afford. Consider having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday or even mid week or save money on expensive packages and opt to make your own prints and albums. Typically couples will spend 15% of their over all wedding budget for wedding photography. Sometimes more depending how much they value photography. Follow this advise along with the following wedding photography tips and we’re confident you will make the right choice in a photographer. For more detailed information please see our post on Wedding Photographer Prices.
Communicate With Your Photographer Early On
The more you can tell your photographer about yourselves the better. When you communicate, the photographer will be able to incorporate your personalities into the images and understand the style that you prefer. If distance is not a problem, meet with them in person and discuss just what you want for your wedding day. Perhaps show them some favorite images you found online. Please don’t bombard them with a collection of Pinterest pins asking them to recreate the images for you. Use Pinterest for inspiration but don’t expect your photographer, who happens to be a very creative individual, to copy the exact layout of the image. Your photos should be your own and not copies of someone else’s wedding or a stylized shoot that took hours to set up. Consider these 4 important factors in getting what you want:
- Make a checklist so that you have a list of all poses and groupings that are important to you.
- Discuss style – Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. If you don’t like traditional, then say so. The only way your photographer can create the images you want is if you give them some direction.
- Mention any special circumstances. If you have divorced parents or a relative who means something special to you, be sure to mention these things to your photographer. They won’t know what family groupings matter or need to be handled carefully if you don’t tell them.
- Assign a person to roundup the bridal party and family members for formal shots. This will save the photographer a lot of aggravation and time.
The more you can communicate with your wedding photographer, the better. If you have any special requests, like a photo with your dog or a picture of your spectacular Jimmy Choo shoes, be sure to ask for them upfront. It’s best to write down all of these requests or important details before your wedding day. Chances are, you will be so busy, nervous, and excited that you will forget something. However, if you put the information in the hands of the photographer in advance, you won’t have to worry about remembering and you can relax and enjoy your day.
Photo by James Bold on Unsplash
Talk To Your Photographer About the Venue
When you hire a wedding photographer, tell them as soon as possible about the venue. Many professionals will actually scout out the location if they have never shot there before. Also be sure to tell them if the ceremony and the wedding will be held at the same location or separately. There are things they need to be aware of, like:
- Lighting
- Any distracting elements they need to avoid
- Colors
- Backgrounds
- Church wedding photography limitations
- Distance between the ceremony and venue
Always make sure the photographer is familiar with your wedding and reception venues. They need to be prepared for your locations specifically.
Looking for More Wedding Photography Tips?
The most important thing to remember is communication. This is your day. It only happens once. You are paying for that photographer. Don’t be timid if you have specific requests. Additionally, don’t put them at a disadvantage by not providing any information about your style preference and your personality. Your wedding day will go by in a blur, and you need pictures you’ll fall in love with. So we leave you with one last wedding photographer tip: Speak up and communicate to get the most out of your photographer.
There are a lot of good points in this article and definitely some things that your photographer should be preemptively discussing with you during the planning process. One thing I want to comment on though, factor 1 and 2.
Factor 1: Checklist
I am not a fan of the checklist, and I think I speak for other photographers when I say that. As I kind of touch on below, regarding style, there needs to be a level of trust between the couple and the photographer. We need to be trusted to do our job properly and document your day, and that’s absolutely what we will do. If my face is buried in my phone/piece of paper reading a list, I am bound to miss an important moment or photograph, as things are constantly happening throughout the day. There are some other blog posts out there that go into detail about this, so I will keep it short: trust us and you won’t regret it.
Factor 2: Style
I would strongly urge new brides to select the photographer they want based on style first. That’s the beauty of the sheer quantity of available photographers out there. Discussing style after you have hired a photographer is going in backwards order and could create issues on the wedding day. If you have specific concerns or requests, we definitely talk about those things during the planning process, but once you have picked the photographer and you like their style; you should be able to trust them to deliver the images you are hoping for based on their previous work. If you don’t want traditional style portraits, or you do, (for example) you should definitely speak with the photographer before hiring them or visit their website to find out more about their style before paying a deposit.
Once the expectations are set: the photographer should be trusted to do their job, and the bride should be able to be confident in their ability to deliver the style the photographer has worked so hard to develop, so they can relax and enjoy their special day!
Happy planning everyone!
Thanks for your comments Brandy..some good points for our engaged couples to consider! I understand that you are not a fan of a checklist, as most experienced photographers are not. The more experience a photographer has shooting weddings, the more the couple can relax knowing that they are in capable hands. We always opt to include this, however, for those brides working with a limited budget and less experienced photographers who might require more direction. Your point on “Style” is key. Couples should know what style appeals to them upfront before they hire a photographer and review portfolios carefully to make sure the photographer can deliver the style they like.
I REALLY want my couples to provide me with a check list for the family formals prior to the wedding. In some cases they had so many formals requested that it would have a huge impact on their tight timeline. On my wedding planning guide, I ask the couple to provide me with image requests that are out of the ordinary. It might be a sparkler shot or perhaps visiting the grave site of a deceased relative. Good communication is paramount between the photographer and the couple.
I would agree! In the end, it comes down to good communication and time management. Having that checklist upfront would allow you to calculate time needed to get the shots your couples really want and keep the day on track. We have a great Wedding Day Checklist on our site for download. You can find it here.
Honestly if a photographer needs this checklist you are suggesting they have absolutely no business shooting a wedding. List of family formals, sure. Checklist, no. Too bad that piece of “advice” is the one downloadable portion of this article.