Here are my top 12 wedding photography do’s and dont’s. This is the follow-up to the post earlier published in my blog for finding your perfect wedding photographer. I would suggest reading that one first if you have not picked your photographer already. Otherwise, please read on.
Get a second photographer
I will start off with something I have said in the post mentioned above. I feel like repeating myself, but only due to the importance of it. I understand that for most people budget is a major factor but photographs will last your lifetime, besides your memories (which also fades) of the most important day of your life. Accidents do happen, people do get caught up in traffic or fall sick. If you have 2 photographers, you know that you will not have to stress about your wedding photography having done right. God forbid there are no unforeseen situations, and your wedding photography will be more complete with a second photographer. This is so important that I have an entire post in my blog.
Have an engagement session
Your wedding is not just one one day. Its a chapter in the story of your life and your romance. You want to tell that story well. While every day you have had together is special in its own way, an engagement photo session is meant to capture the essence of your romance and be the perfect prelude to your wedding photographs. From another angle, you and photographer get familiar and that goes a long way to make your wedding day photographs so much better.
Discuss your wedding day schedule
Make sure you or your wedding planner discusses wedding day schedule with your photographer. On the day of the wedding, it is important to follow that schedule as a no surprise to the photographer. If you photography coverage needs to happen at multiple locations, it is very important that the photographer(s) are able to work out the logistics upfront to ensure that coverage. A schedule that is not well-thought out or not followed will not help the photographer to provide the quality of service she is going to be proud of. You can also refer to this checklist in my blog, to help you with wedding photography planning.
Introduce your other vendors
Wedding photography does not happen in isolation. Vendors don’t want to get in each other’s way on the wedding day and it is great if they start building a working relationship way before your wedding day. So please share the contacts of DJ’s, florists, photographers, make-up-and-hair-stylists, videographers and other vendors with one another well before your wedding day. It is good for the industry and it is good for your wedding photography.
Don’t worry about getting perfect photographs
Be thrilled, romantic, happy. Don’t worry about how the dress or jewelry or anything else that you spent months picking out is going to look in the photographs. If you expressed any worry about how you would look, I would hope you got some posing tips from your photographer and practiced those so that your formal portraits look better. Even if not, just be relaxed and happy. In my experience chances are you will love your candid shots more than anything else. If anything is needed, the photographer will guide you to stand and sit or pose in a certain way depending on the shot, such as in the formal portraits. So again, don’t worry, be happy. And your photographer will make sure your photographs will be such that you will rave about.
Don’t let your relatives get in the way
You have a professional wedding photographer who needs to be able to do the job. Having an enthusiastic relative – the proverbial ‘Uncle Bob’ – to get more shots of your wedding day is to plan for disaster. If Uncle Bob offers, please respectfully discourage him. Most wedding photographers have a condition in the contract as a safeguard against ‘Uncle Bob’. If you have signed such a contract, its your responsibility to honor that.
Consider ‘First Look’ portraits before the ceremony
Many couples plan the first look and the formal portraits after the ceremony. This is often determined by the schedule for the day. Some couples want to exchange the first look in front of the alter. But there are some things to consider. The “first look” moment is precious and romantic. I think the photographs come out much better when you are alone, just the two of you. Also the photographer can make sure the lighting and background are suitable for the best shots.
Have a plan for formal portraits
Again this is a matter of overall schedule, so its not for me to judge. I can only explain my point of view. If you planned formal portraits after the ceremony, it is sometimes a challenge to get the people together to get the shots you will love. Since the photographer will not know all of those you want in the formal portraits, please designate a family member to gather others together. It takes time to set up the formal portraits, even if you are not into getting shots of every possible combination of your extended family members. Please remember it will take at least 7-8 minutes to set up a group and several takes to make sure no-one blinked. And you do not want to make someone miss any of the cocktail hour that usually follows the ceremony. On the other hand, if you do it before the ceremony, you will find it much less stressful to get everyone together.
Don’t press for a fast turnaround
Good photographers are busy and they are professional and they don’t want to pick favorites. Please remember that art can’t be rushed. Give the time stipulated in the contract before following up for previews and finished edits. In this respect, an extreme example is the so-called ‘Same Day Edit’, which some clients ask for. It’s basically about on-screen projection of images or video of the wedding ceremony shot in the morning, during the reception at the evening. I don’t like the idea simply because I have been hired to take photographs on your wedding day. Unless you want to budget for an assistant to do the edit or feel that is one way you really want to keep your guests entertained at the reception, I would not recommend it.
Don’t supervise the editing
Its the photographer’s job to do the edit. You might have expressed certain style preferences about the finished look in the images and it is ok to hold herself to that. But do not expect her to show you all the photographs and it is most likely in the contract as well. In fact she will not show you most of the photographs. I typically show about 20%. You have done the homework before selecting her, so please don’t try to supervise her in any way during the editing process.
Don’t forbid usage
Your photographer is not there to make money by selling your photographs as stock images. That would require a model release from you. But it is expected that she will have a release clause in the contract to showcase the work in different outlets, such as social media, her website, websites of other partner vendors and other wedding websites. I cannot think of why you would want to question the release clause in the contract. Celebrate your wedding in every way you can, show off why you are so happy!
Provide honest feedback
I hope you selected the right photographer and that you will reasons to rave about her. That being said, honest feedback is necessary, especially if something did not happen as per your expectations. I am not referring to any infraction of the contract. At a minimum, that should never happen. I am referring to the un-written aspects that make the difference. So, if you loved your wedding photographs, please spread the word around. Write reviews in as many places you can.
I hope my Top 12 Wedding Photography do’s and dont’s will help you getting fabulous wedding photographs, even if I am not your wedding photographer. And if I am fortunate to be your wedding photographer, I hope reading this will be an assurance that you made the right choice.
