Ten Wedding Photography Tips

Ten Wedding Photography Tips - for the bride and groom! on their wedding day.

A short list of ten tips to assist both you and your wedding photographer and help the day pass as smoothly as possible...

Choose a Photographer You Get Along With

Your wedding day is a very important day in your life. Your photographer will be around you all day long. He or she will have seen many weddings before and be a useful source of information and advice. Make sure that we get along with him or her! If you don't get along, it's going to be a very long day indeed!

Too Many Pictures

If you have done your homework and have chosen a reputable and experienced wedding photographer, then it’s very unlikely he will need a two page spread-sheet of every possible combination of friend or family member for portrait or group pictures. Give him a list of special pictures by all means but don’t overdo it!



The Details

Spend a few minutes thinking about the wedding. Decide if there are other important elements which could help tell the story, a spare invitation, order of service, the wedding favours your sister made, your old teddy bear and mascot. All things which make up the day and tell the story - tell your photographer about them and make sure they are accessible to photograph.

The Wedding Day Schedule

Talk to your photographer before finalising all the timing and arrangements for the day - your photographs are your lasting memory of the day and as such need to have some time dedicated to them. Also speak to your photographer about when to set this time aside for your pictures, avoid harsh midday sun and try to use the softer, more flattering, warm light of late afternoon. But don’t leave it so late its dark! Pay attention to the schedule you and your photographer arrange and don't just assume it only takes 10 minutes!

Don't Take It

If there are styles of picture you really don’t like - say so! But let the photographer know before the wedding day. It can really upset the photographer’s creativity if you say it on the day, but a quick word beforehand shouldn’t be a problem. This is where the pre-wedding shoot can be so useful.
Not smiling -- All the Time
Tell your friends and family when walking down the aisle to look up and smile. If they’re too nervous to smile, then at least keep their head up and look forward! This helps to stop the horrible double chin look you get when you look at the floor!

The Studio

Is the person you’re speaking to about the wedding the person who will photograph it? Remember, sometimes you’ll speak to an owner or manager, who may then allocate your wedding to “an associate” or “photographer” who you might not meet until the day of your wedding. Make sure you’re planning your wedding with the right person - insist on meeting the actual photographer! In my case it is me myself ☺.

“Perfect”

Just have fun and be yourself! If you happen to get a little cake on your face or there is some little detail that didn't turn out 100 per cent as you hoped, go with it, have fun, and keep smiling. This is something the British excel at - making the best of a bad job. It must be something to do with our unpredictable weather. (I’ve never yet seen bad weather or rain spoil a wedding in the UK!)

Hire a Professional

Never hire a friend or family member to work at your wedding. There is a clear line between a friend or relative and a professional. Are you able to tell a friend to get back to work, stop drinking or eating? If not then hire a professional. Let the friends and relatives help with the wedding, but never have them do what a professional can do.

Money Matters

Your photographer will more than likely require a deposit or booking fee to hold your wedding date. Price ranges for photographers vary dramatically but as a general rule you get what you pay for. Therefore if you are booking the cheapest photographer you can find don’t expect amazing photographs or at least check what you are paying for (some photographers quote low prices but everything is an optional extra!). When you hire a photographer, you are paying for his or her experience, style, reputation and time (not just on the wedding day itself, it is actually editing end enhancing photos that really takes a lot of time). Select a photographer within your budget whose quality and style of photography are consistent with your tastes.

Adam