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You have the ring. The reception site is booked, and you're shopping for the perfect gown. Now is the ideal time to start working on your relationship. With your photographer, that is.
The eyes and ears of your day, your photographer will be responsible for capturing the experience for you to treasure for years, even generations, to come.
“My job as a photographer is to be both an artist and a family historian,” observes Stuart Thurlkill of Eyes 2 See Photography. “Getting to know the bride and groom is the most important part of my business. It is so critical to hear how a couple fell in love and why they are starting a life together.”
Getting to know your photography team on a personal level, and sharing your personalities and goals with your photographer are absolutely essential prior to your wedding day. Do you desire a coffee table book of traditional portraits, are candid party shots important to you? It's vital to know your style and convey your feelings to your chosen professional ahead of time.
A couple should feel comfortable with their photography team. After all,
you will spend more time with your photographer than anyone else on your wedding day.
And we all want the bride to be comfortable--because you know your photographs will reflect exactly how you were feeling.
Harrison Hurwitz agrees the pre-wedding relationship with a photographer makes a tremendous difference in your happiness with the finished products. “The relationship matters because a photographer will do his best work if he likes and cares about the couple.”
One way to develop that bond with your wedding photographer is through an engagement photo session. These sessions yield great pictures of you and your sweetie, of course, but they have the added value of cementing your relationship with your photographer. Some couples choose to highlight a favorite hobby, such as horseback riding or golf during these sessions, offering a window into their personalities.
“For brides and grooms who have not had experience with a professional photographer, engagements photoshoots mostly help the couple build their confidence,” reports Andrea Reeves of Artisan Photography. “On their wedding day, it is one less item for them to stress about.”
“Photography has a lot to do with trust,” agrees Sergio. “a photographer will ultimately work better if he has gained the trust of his clients and clients have decided to give it to him or her.”
Ben Quillinan concurs. “When your wedding day finally comes, you need to be excited for me to get there and start shooting. This relationship is more than that one day.”
The photographers we've spoken with stress the importance of having a schedule for your day, as well as a list of "shots" you have your heart set on. This includes the friends and relatives you'd like included in your wedding photography. Enlisting help for those group shots you will want in your album in a good idea.
“If the couple would appoint someone in the wedding party as the ‘herder’ to round up the people in the group photos, this will make the process go faster,” advises Hurwitz. “The photographer or even the wedding planner will not know who all the relatives are.” Good point.
Your wedding coordinator and photographer can help quite a bit in establishing a schedule that takes into account your photography goals and your desire to have fun on your wedding day.
Katrina Wallace of Sedona Bride adds: “We find that having extended family during the reception helps break up time spans so there is more time to enjoy the day and get more opportunities for candid images. I don't think I've known any bride that said they want to pose for an hour of family pictures.”
A schedule will ensure that there is adequate time to get images of all the friends and relatives who've come to celebrate with you, but don't forget to schedule some time for the two of you as a couple. Many a couple has remarked that their wedding day went by like a blur, and that they spent very little time together.
Newlyweds will treasure a few minutes of alone time to reflect on their commitment to each other.
Most wedding professionals will agree, however, if you don't schedule it, it won't happen. One of our photographer friends once told us that weddings are like a train, and once they get going it is hard to stop and go backward. This is definitely the case with wedding photographs. You can't go back and get the images you wish you had, so confidence in your photographer is truly key.
Newlyweds will treasure a few minutes of alone time to reflect on their commitment.
Many couples slip out between the ceremony and the reception, when the guests are enjoying some libations, to have some photographs taken together and maybe steal a kiss. Says Sergio, “Wedding photography is a lot more about people than it is about photography. Couples have to find the photographer whose work shows connection, passion and talent.”
And speaking of connections, you'll want to have a discussion about whether or not you will want to see your intended prior to the ceremony. Some traditions deem it “bad luck” to see each other prior to the wedding, but change may be afoot on this very personal issue. More and more couples are choosing to take a little "together time" prior to their exchange of vows and their photographers are more than happy to be a part of those heartwarming moments. Newlyweds report these private moments help fend off pre-ceremony butterflies.
Thurlkill offers this on the “flip side” of the discussion: “Some people desire a very traditional moment at the altar where the bride and groom meet for the first time. We want to honor that (if that is their decision) and caputure images that reflect their wishes.”
Reeves says that the timing of the first meeting is irrelevant as long as all goes according to plan. “We feel it is important to let the couple have their wedding day happen as they dreamed about it. They'll be happy and we get great photos when the bride and groom are happy.”
“I leave this up to each couple,” reflects Ben Quillinan. "That is such an emotional moment for me to capture. I do enjoy having a ‘first sight’ before the wedding for a few reasons. It’s one of the few times in the day, if not the only time when you 'll have a minute alone. Cry, kiss, look at each other and relax. The setting is staged, but the results are the truest pictures anyone could produce.”
“Whether it is before the ceremony or after, be sure to invest some time together so your photographer can get some really beautiful and genuine moments together,” advise Andrew Mejia and Katrina Wallace of Sedona Bride.
ontracts will ensure that couples get the most of their time and budgetary resources. Always be sure to be clear of your expectations, and put your thoughts in writing. It's nearly impossible to compare photographer packages from a financial perspective, as their products and areas of expertise vary so widely.
Hurwitz cautions, “Since photography is one of the only things that lasts forever from your wedding, don't gamble on it.” Interviews are key, as is looking at a photographer’s work beyond that shown on his or her website.
Quillinan agrees. “Match your visual and personality style with the photographer you're looking to hire. Be absolutely clear about what you want and like from the very beginning. Budget and package details are secondary to that match.”
You can always go back and purchase additional photographs or albums after your wedding, but you can’t return to that day and choose a different photographer. Like the aforementioned train, by the time you say ‘I do,’ that one has left the station. If the photographs you want aren’t there, you can't purchase them.
And this takes us back to the relationship. Thurlkill sums it up very well when he says, “Make sure you make an investment in a photographer that has great talent, but that is also a professional in dealing with you and your fiance. You want to find someone who will put your guests at ease and will keep things fun while sticking to the schedule and staying out of the way.”
And so it goes with your wedding day. Make an investment in choosing your partner and then have a great celebration.
“Have fun...and be in love,” encourages Quillinan. “It's a great day, so just relax and enjoy yourselves. Hold hands, kiss a lot, show your affection. Trust me, all of this shows in your pictures.”
Photography:
Sedona Bride
Michael Fragale Photography |
