Get the Most Out of Your Wedding Photos
Over the years I have amassed a lot of information to help you have the best experience being photographed on your wedding day. From how to pose, to successful mindsets, below is a free resource I send to each of my potential clients to get a better understanding of how to get the most of of working with us on your wedding day!
Point of Contact!
We are always looking for people to physically touch one another, be it holding hands, putting a hand on a lower back, or throwing hands over shoulders, experiment with one another and we will help guide you if anything looks out of place or isn't working in the moment!
Dancing!
Not everyone is up for this but if you are comfortable dancing together, either twirling one another, doing the chicken dance, whatever gets you two laughing and having a good time. It also gives us a lot of opportunity to find different angles or use movement in an interesting way to create a dynamic photograph of the two of you!
Walking Together!
I think over posing tends to lead to stiff looking pictures, and while posing is sometimes necessary, I like to keep my couples in motion as it tends to let people loosen up and be their natural selves. Walking while holding hands, holding a bride's dress, or arm in arm are all great ways to keep things in motion while still having a point of contact. And don't forget to both look up at the camera but even more importantly, each other!
Down the Aisle
This part of the ceremony often brings forward a lot of emotion, let it come through, don't hold back! This is your wedding day and being as present as you possibly can be is the key to getting the best photographs of your wedding day as possible. It only happens once after all!
Vows, Rings, and Speakers
During the ceremony there will be multiple events going on throughout. Following my original suggestion, try to be in the moment as much as you can. Look at one another, not always the speaker or officiant, especially during vows! For rings, take a second and look both down at the hand you are placing the ring on, but also each other as that gives variety and additional opportunities for us to capture your natural emotions in the moment!
Symmetry and Lighting
This one is a little harder to dictate but if you are having an outdoor ceremony and can get a sense of where the light will be the day of your wedding, you either want to both be in shade or sun. Having one of you in the sun and the other in the shade will be limiting in options for us, though we will always make it happen no matter what! Please also ask your officiant to make sure you are centered up on the aisle as it is more advantageous for us to have symmetry with your aisle, the chairs, or any arbors or archways you may have behind you during the ceremony.
Scheduling your Photos
A lot of my couples are doing a first look followed by family and wedding party photos so after the ceremony they can get back to their guests after the ceremony. If you do not want to see each other before your ceremony, no problem! I am happy to make group photos happen during cocktail hour in an efficient way to still hopefully get you back to part of cocktail hour before it's over!
Communication
For all the people you want to have group photos with, let them know before hand where and when they will need to be to get these done in the most efficient manor. We can discuss this further as you are putting your wedding schedule together, but communication is always important in getting the flow of group photos together so we aren't taking too much time finding guests you want a formal photo with!
Laughing through it
I will prompt you to laugh through either laughing myself, asking you to bring joy to your face, or generally bringing attention to the moment with a sarcastic joke. I do not typically "tell jokes" but try to create an environment where everyone can bring joy forward in the moment and laugh together as I find this makes even the formal group photos a little lighter and authentic to everyone in the picture!
What do I do with my hands?
I often get asked from couples, family members, and guests, what do I do with my hands during formal photos? There's really only a few options, and all of them are valid! Hands hanging down at your side is completely valid, hands in pockets (bonus if your dress has pockets) for a more relaxed look, or if you are in a group photo putting one around the person next to you and letting one hand hang down always works as well! I don't typically recommend putting both arms around the people next to you but if you are all very close in the photo I will run with that as well!
Toasts and Speeches
Cake Cutting
Announced or unannounced,
Be on the Dancefloor
If you are hoping to have a good amount of your wedding guests on the dancefloor with you, be on it as much as possible, especially towards the beginning of the night! Your guests want to be where you are, and getting out there with everyone is the best way to move the party in the direction you are hoping for!
