If you missed Part One of this series start there!
Tip Number 6 – Designate a Liaison
If you are having formal group portraits taken, having a liaison to communicate between the guests and photographer is extremely important and often overlooked. On a practical level, it really helps if you can have someone help to lovingly round up relatives for the group photos and also to point out your close family members and anyone else you would like portraits of. It may not be obvious to your photographer who grandma is otherwise!
Tip Number 7 – Portrait Pictures
Put aside 45 minutes at some point in your day so your photographer can get some gorgeous and natural semi-posed shots of you both together. You can chat, joke around and just relax a little while your photographer takes photos, giving you a little direction or inspiration now and again to try to get the best shot. These shots usually look best in outdoor locations as you should feel free to walk around, do as you please and have fun while the shots are being taken. It’s always best to get these shots before nightfall if possible – this will give us the most options visually.
Always communicate with your photographer if you have specific ideas or locations you want to shoot around beforehand.
Tip Number 8 – Formals/Group Pictures
Frankly, from the viewpoint of the photographer, these are usually not the most creative or interesting shots from your wedding day – though for most couples they are absolutely necessary. Vera’s advice is to try to get them done as quickly as possible so that you can continue enjoying yourselves. You can easily waste an hour looking for stray relatives or members of the bridal party while trying to get the formal photos completed. Keep the number of these shots to a minimum and to include only your close family and members of the bridal party. This will give you the chance to have fun while you pose, and will help avoid a tense, stiff look.
It’s best to do group shots outside during the day whenever possible. Keep in mind that each group shot will take an average of five minutes to do, so if you choose to do more than three or four formals then you can easily spend half an hour or more doing these shots instead of schmoozing, eating and dancing at the reception!
Tip Number 9 – Ceremony
Try have someone to user the guests closer to the front seats, you don’t want to see a lot of empty seats in your wedding photos. I know that you will probably be feeling (understandably) nervous but try your best to walk slowly during the procession and recession, and ask the bridal party to do the same, and make sure there is plenty of space for all of them as they walk down the aisle. The last thing we want is someone having to awkwardly side-step or stall – in that way the aisle holds the force of a domino effect.
Finally, if you are getting married in a Church, Synagogue et cetera. please ask the celebrant in advance whether there are any restrictions on photography that you should be aware of – there’s nothing worse than losing precious moments of your wedding because you didn’t ask the right questions. The beautiful moment when you say “I do” should be yours to hold onto forever.
Tip Number 10 – Communication Between the Venue Coordinator and DJ with the Photographer
The DJ and/or venue coordinator should know to communicate when they’re about to announce important moments such as the ‘walk in’ to the reception, the first dance, cake cutting et cetera. A little warning from them will allow me to get into the best position and have the right lens ready to capture these moments. A wedding photographer’s job isn’t easy, and little things like this allow them to stay unnoticeable as they continue to take the stunning photos you will look at for the rest of your life.
It’s also important during full day weddings that the venue provide the photographer with a meal at the same time that your guests are eating, as this is generally the only time during the day when there aren’t interesting shots for them to take (people really don’t want to be photographed while they are eating in Vera’s experience).
BONUS: Tip Number 11 – Watch Out for the Video Guy!
If you are having a video made there can sometimes be problems with the videographer getting in between the photographer and the action. Sometimes video people will get quite close to the couple during the ceremony and stay there for extended periods of time, thus ruining what would otherwise be unforgettable photos. At Vera’s studio (La V image), they provide video as well as photo coverage and she states “I know that video is a lot more forgiving – you can use camera movement, music and all the tricks of the edit studio to get a great result. However, with photography it really does require the photographer to be in exactly the right place at the right time in order to capture the moment and get the shot.”
Videographers can be very competitive and many photographers have problems with them refusing to move in order for the photographer to get a good angle. Video is a great memorial of your day, it’s great for capturing speeches, dances and other moments; but it’s the photos of the day which will be looked at and examined by you and your loved ones the most. Remember to tell the video person that the photographer’s requirements should be priority, or you may find yourself dissatisfied with the result.
Never forget that all of this is for you, and your wedding. Your photographer is on your team, they’re there to make you and your loved ones look beautiful and capture authentic moments that you can go back to for the rest of your life.