How Do You Get Great Wedding Photos?
Wedding Day Timelines, Shot Lists, Pinterest Boards and Managing Expectations
Planning for great Wedding Photos can be very stressful for engaged couples. As a New York Wedding Photographer, one of my major jobs (other than the photography, of course) is managing expectations and facilitating a good experience on the Wedding Day for my clients. We also think with the end goal of delivering a fabulous Wedding Album to remember the best day of our clients’ lives. Good communication with my couples makes a huge difference in the outcome of both the day and the wedding photos. So what does planning for great wedding photos entail when we work with our couples? Glad you asked.
Wedding Day Timelines:
One of the first discussions we have revolves around the Wedding Day Timeline. You simply cannot skip this step when planning for great wedding photos.
I like to talk about this as soon as possible so we are able to plan enough time to get all the wedding photos the couple needs. It is important to do this before other portions of the day are locked in leaving us with not enough time.
One example is that many times the client, as well as some other wedding vendors, do not understand how long something like Family Formals really takes. I have also found that couples often hugely underestimate how long travel between different locations like the getting ready area and the ceremony location and reception area will take.
One thing I have learned over years of photographing weddings is that not enough time equals a totally stressed out Bride and Groom. Getting ahead with a good Wedding Day Timeline really pays off in the end.
Shot Lists:
While I do not need a shot list for every single wedding photo to be created on the day of the event, I have found that a shot list of which people are needed for family formals is a wonderful item to have.
I personally feel that any Wedding Photographer who needs the Checklist from Bride’s Magazine with items like “Bride Alone,” Bride with Bridesmaids,” etc. is not a professional Wedding Photographer.
However, a family formal shot list is great for making sure every family member is present and accounted for and we don’t miss any important people. That is why I always request my couples make a list of important people for family photos.
Pinterest Boards/Mood Boards Help Planning For Great Wedding Photos:
I am the first to admit that I personally love going on Pinterest. I find it inspiring and fun.
Mood Boards can also cause a few problems. I want to see what general look my couples are attracted to. I do not, however, want to replicate hundreds (or even thousands) of images sourced on the internet.
Over the years, I have had couples send me boards with images that have literally nothing to do with their weddings. As in a series of images taken on the beach in Florida splashing in the waves and their wedding will be in the Adirondack Mountains in the Winter. I am a good Wedding Photographer, but I can’t summon the sea, complete with waves, in the Dead of Winter. I can’t make it dark enough for a Sparkler Exit if your wedding ends at 3 PM on a sunny, Summer day. I wish I were that powerful and magical–I truly do.
What I want to do is work with you to create YOUR wedding photos–not line for line recreate images from some random couple’s wedding. Let’s make images together that inspire others instead of trying to copy or force something that simply isn’t authentic to you. You will be happier in the end anyway.
Planning for Great Wedding Photos Includes The Wedding Album
Finally, we want all of our clients to be able to create and display an outstanding Wedding Album. To do that, we need to make sure all of the above are in place, for sure. We also make sure we offer really great quality products. We carry some of the finest albums available, and all of our albums are made right here in the USA.
There we have it–Planning for Great Wedding Photos. A little proper planning really does go a long way.
Did you enjoy this post? You might also enjoy this post on Wedding Day Timelines.
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