Advice, Relationships Working with your wedding photographer during every step of the way will ensure your satisfaction with the outcome.
You’ll have to spend some time on preliminary planning and clarifying the concept.
Preparation during the wedding day itself will also contribute to memorable pictures you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Start planning the perfect wedding photo session?
The following preparation checklist will simplify the task and give you the wedding photography results that you have always been dreaming of.
1. The Days before the Wedding
Most of the preliminary work will have to be done in the days prior to the wedding. Once you choose a photographer, begin discussing all aspects of the photo-shoots. Have you clarified the theme and the photo style? If you’re interested in reportage wedding photography, you’ll need to follow a certain routine. Traditional wedding photography will necessitate a completely different approach.
Talk about the types of pictures you’d like to get, the number of photographs and the specifics of the venue. A photographer will need all of this information in advance. With a backup plan for poor weather and other unexpected circumstances. The types of shots and the involvement of the photographer during every moment of the ceremony and the reception. You also agree about pre-ceremony and post-ceremony couple shots. Many newlyweds like to have these included in their album. If you’re looking forward to the opportunity, you’ll need to inform your photographer about it.
2. Be Prepared For The Love Shoot/Engagement Shoot
Before your big day you can choose to get comfortable in front of the camera and get to know your photographer. Though, this is completely optional but it will give you a great opportunity of getting some extra shots apart from the ones that were shot on your wedding day.
Also, there is a ritual where many people don’t get to see their fiance before the wedding ceremony, but by scheduling an engagement shoot you will get to know your partner. Since the pictures will last for a lifetime, you should make sure that they come out really good and everytime you see them, you get to relive the moments.
3. Before and during the Ceremony
As a bride, you may want to have your wedding preparations captured on film. Discussed the prospect with your photographer and come up with an arrangement for a pre-ceremony reportage wedding photography shoot. Next, get ready for the ceremony. Capturing all details may be technically-challenging for your photographer.
Make sure this professional has enough time to set up equipment and sufficient room at the venue to move around and capture your “I dos” from every angle. You may want to come up with a storyline together.You’d like to have shots of yourselves, your parents, the bridesmaids, the best friends, etc. Wide shots revealing the venue’s interior will add to the complexity of the album.
4. Individual and Group Photos
Checklist the bride and the groom are the wedding photography focus. Still, talk to your photographer about the ratio between individual and group photos. Group photos are essential but they could quickly get boring and repetitive. Is there a way to spice things up and make the pictures more dynamic and less staged?
Perhaps the newlyweds and their best friends could be photographed on the dance floor. Family pictures will be a bit more challenging to execute but if you tell your photographer what you want in advance, you will get the best outcome.
5. Focus on the Details
Finally, think about some nice details you’d like to have captured. Reportage wedding photography is all about painting a complete picture and professionals that have experience in the field will know how to make it happen.
Children playing, floral arrangements, the cake topper, the exquisite shoes of the bride, and even architectural details could take your pictures to the next level. Give your photographer some ideas and ask for additional professional input.
You have to work together as a team. Don’t assume your photographer knows what you’re thinking; walk through each phase of the photo-shoots together. The more you talk about it, the more the outcome will look like your ideal album. Bear in mind that a professional reportage Wedding Photographer in Surrey will be working “behind the scenes” allowing you to get on with enjoying your special day. Check this for more details.
6. Consider The Timeline
To ensure that your pictures come out really well, you need to schedule the shoot sessions based on sunlight and sunsets. If you want the colors and background to come out very well, consider getting pictures shot during daylight. If looking for a dusky appearance in your images, you can schedule the shoot during sunset. This will give your pictures a beautiful golden glow and best natural light.
7. Plan For An Unplugged Ceremony
If your guests keep taking pictures and post them on their social media then it may be disturbing for the photographer to capture images. To avoid such a situation, you can choose to ask your guest to keep their phones away, so that the photographer can capture all important moments without interruptions.
8. Communicate
Communication is the key. You should make sure that you communicate everything that you have planned for your big day and everything that you have planned. This way they will understand your requirements very well and will also be able to cater to all your specific needs. Trust your photographer to full extent.
They are doing this for years and are aware of what works and what does not. Don’t be afraid to communicate all your must-have moments before your big day. Professional photographers are seasoned in the industry and they will guide you happily throughout the day.
9. Prepare a Worksheet
Prepare a worksheet that will help you keep track of the things that you have to do and the ones that are done. The best time to get started with building a sheet is almost six weeks in advance. Then you can choose to feed the inputs in the sheet almost three weeks in advance. This will give you some time for discussions, clarifications, or modifications of all kinds.
Planning and preparations are one of the best ways of ensuring that things go as planned and intended. This will help you make sure that the photography session of your wedding day goes flawless. You will have to juggle between a lot of tasks on your wedding day and hence when you have things planned in advance, you will not skip anything important.
Final Word
We hope by now you are aware of the points you need to keep in mind for your wedding photography preparation. So discussing your ideas and wishes in advance is always the best strategy.
Author: Surrey is an award-winning professional photographer and considered one of the best reportage wedding photographers in Surrey.
Creating “story-telling” photographs since 2007, he specializes in documentary (reportage) wedding photography.
