Everyone looks forward to a beautiful gallery from your wedding photographer. While photos shouldn’t be the main focus of the day, you want them to be right. The perfect wedding gallery is the one that encapsulates your love for each other and documents the day in a way that transports you back every time you look through it. Picking a great photographer that matches your style is key, but there are some things you can do to get photos back that you absolutely love. As a wedding photographer myself, here are some of my tips to help you work with your photographer to keep the day seamless and the photos stunning.
Mae Murphy Photography
Create a Shots List:
This is so important to making sure that you get every photo you want, especially when it comes to family pictures. Now, if you are booking an experienced photographer, they’ll know that they need to photograph the bridal party, the venue, certain moments, etc. But they won’t know that there’s a special feature of the venue that sold you on it. They might not know that you want to recreate a childhood picture with some of your bridesmaids. There are so many fun moments to capture, you want to communicate those to your photographer beforehand so that you don’t have to worry about remembering all those specific shots the day of.
So work with your photographer and create a shots list before your wedding day. Ask if they have an outline or template, and then add on personal shots from there. This not only ensures you get all of the pictures you want, but it also helps out the photographer a ton and gives them a guide for the day. If you want to get started, head here for some do’s and don’ts: https://www.marthastewartweddings.com/631876/wedding-photography-shot-list-dos-donts
Create a Pinterest Board:
A Pinterest board can be really helpful for communicating your vision with your photographer. When shopping for a photographer, you should be looking through their work and making sure that their style matches yours. Do you want dark & moody or light & playful portraits with your partner? Goofy or elegant pictures with your bridal party? But along with that, putting together a Pinterest board can be a really easy way to show the photographer what you want instead of trying to tell them. Find poses you like, editing you love, and share that with them so they have a better idea of what you want. You can also make boards collaborative so multiple people can add ideas! Here is an example: https://pin.it/5jqygafphykukc
Create a Timeline:
A simple timeline is key to having a relatively stress free day. Of course, it’s unlikely that the whole day will go by flawlessly, and that’s okay. But making a timeline provides a plan, and makes sure that nothing gets forgotten. Just another way to alleviate some stress the day of. A timeline is also important for your photographer, so that they know where to be and when they need to be there. Some photographers offer help creating a timeline as part of their service, but there are plenty of resources online to help you along the way if that’s not an option. The Knot is a fantastic site, and I’ve attached their timeline guide below to get you started: https://www.theknot.com/wedding-timeline/start
Communicate Your Questions and Concerns:
Open communication is very necessary to get the shots you want. Making sure your photographer knows what you want will ensure you get pictures you love. Heard a wedding horror story from a friend? Tell the photographer your concerns! The more they know, the better they can serve you. Confused about how the day will go? Or maybe you don’t want photos to be a big part of your day and are worried that you’ll be hearing that camera clicking all day long. That’s okay, this is your day But make sure you let your photographer know.
A good photographer will work with you, not against you. But we aren’t mind readers! As photographers, we love being apart of your day, but we know that we aren’t the star of the show. We are here to serve you, and to capture your day so that you can look back on those memories for years to came. Tell us what you need, and we’ll do our best to make it happen.
Mae Murphy Photography
BONUS: Collect Personalized Items for Ring Shots
As part of the coverage for the day, I normally take photos of the wedding party getting ready, which includes photos of the rings. Normally I’ll take the rings, the invitation, and some other fabrics/items to accessorize. But by putting a little extra prep and thought into these shots, they can be made so much more special. Maybe you want flowers from your bouquet, or the perfume you are wearing for the day. Little items that are unique to you can turn these photos into visual time capsules that remind you of the little things from your wedding.