7 Ways to Get the Most out of your Wedding Photography
If you’re here because you’re looking for ways to get the most out of your wedding photography, firstly let me say congratulations!! And you’re in the right place…
Your wedding is by far one of the biggest and most important days of your life. Whether it’s a micro wedding in a registry office or a large elaborate affair in a stunning wedding venue - it’s super important. It’s not just an investment of money, you’re. investing your heart in another person. So make no mistake, it’s definitely one of the biggest and most important days of your life!
When you hire a photographer, you’ll want your memories to be captured well. So there are a few things you can do to help make sure that happens for you, so that when you look back over your photos, the brilliant memories of your day all come flooding back to you!
So here are 5 Ways to Get the Most out of your Wedding Photography
#1 Planning your Wedding with your Photographer
They say it’s all in the planning and preparation if you want anything to succeed! Having a planning meeting with your photographer is essential. You’ll get to meet your photographer - it’s good to have a great rapport and relationship with your wedding photographer because you’re sharing an important part of your life with them who, before your wedding planning, was a complete stranger.
This meeting gives your photographer the opportunity to carefully plan out the timings of everything. And often, because us wedding photographers have attended so many weddings and understand what does and doesn’t work on the day, there might be logistics that you may not have given any thought to that need your attention.
You definitely want everything to work (as much as reasonably possible) for your photographer because we are the one wedding supplier to capture all wedding suppliers. So don’t skip the planning.
#2 Get the Venue set up Early
You will have invested in the look of your wedding venue, with beautiful flowers and table settings; and chairs with tie-backs and crisp white tablecloths. Getting photos of these before the room is occupied is stunning. So it’s a great idea to get your venue to have the area set up early. Many venues wait until during the ceremony to have this completed; and with the busyness of a wedding, the opportunity might be lost to capture your amazing tables and room set up.
This also applies to your cake supplier, getting them to deliver the cake early rather than during the ceremony is an enormous help for your photographer to capture the room as complete. This may not seem important during the wedding planning, but this fine detail all forms part of your memories of your wedding day.
#3 Keep your Preparation Areas Clutter Free
Preparation time is a wonderful element of wedding photography. The couple are usually quite nervous, and there can be a lot of banter and laughter to be captured too. So that your photos are focussed on you and your wedding party, getting your key people to get things out of the way will help your photography to look professional rather than a mess with the odd supermarket shopping bag, make-up and general clutter lying around.
#4 Get into your Wedding Dress/Suits in Plenty of Time
Beautiful portraits can be taken once you’re dressed and ready for your wedding. These are images where you’re natural and vulnerable, and they are images that you’re intended won’t see or expect until after the wedding when you receive your photos. So be sure to get into your wedding clothes with plenty of time to spare before the ceremony. These can be some of the best of your wedding photos!
#5 Have your Newlywed Portraits
The bubble of anticipation has now burst and you’re no longer as nervous as you were. You’re married and now you want to get the group shots over and done with and get on with our celebrations. The newlywed portraits are not ones to be missed! This is just the two of you and your photographer - no guests or mobile phone cameras. These are your exclusive shots, the ones you’d put in a frame, the ones parents and loved ones would love to have too.
The newlywed portraits is when you go off and natural, intimate portraits are taken. This will be the first (and probably only) time you’ll have to yourselves at your wedding post ceremony. It’s a wonderful time and these photos show the height of your love for each other.
#6 Encourage your Guests to the Dance Floor
You definitely don’t want a flat and lack lustre dance floor, so encourage your guests to be on it! A good way to do that is to take advantage of the tail end of your first dance, because everyone is around the dance floor when you have your first dance. It’s a good idea to get your DJ to ask everyone to join you on the dance floor towards the end of your dance so that it’s nice and full for your photographer to capture that party spirit memory for you.
#7 Sunset Waits for No-one!
By the time sunset arrives, you’ll no doubt be in full party mode and possibly had enough of all the photos. If a sunset shot is planned into your wedding photography as perhaps a closing hot, go for it!
The sunset time as you know is specific, and your photographer will come to you to go outside in plenty of time. Us wedding photographers build in enough time to get you outside, not underestimating the time it takes to get through all your guests and then outside.
If the sunset is at say 7.58pm, it won’t wait for you. Once it’s gone it’s gone, so be sure to get outside when your photographer is ushering you out. If there is a sunset to be had, that short window just before the sun sets (‘golden hour’) can be really beautiful shots, so don’t miss out.
Dee xx
I hope you’ve found this blog post useful.
If you’re getting married and you’re looking for a natural and relaxed wedding photographer, I’m right here for you! Be in touch with me, I’d love to chat about your special day with you. Or may be pop into my wedding gallery on The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells - there’s a glass of bubbles waiting for you!
Email me at denise@deeaireyphotography.co.uk or call 01892 346367.