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Y’all know we love us some photography around these parts. We’re passionate about sharing beautiful images because we know that these photographs are the witness to the beginning of your life together, and that they will become some of the most treasured possessions you’ll ever own, something to be shared with your children and your grandchildren and their children. Y’all, that is something special!
You put so much time and thought into choosing the perfect photographer; it only makes sense that you’d want to have the best working relationship with him or her possible. Today, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite tips and suggestions to help you do just that.
1. Consider an engagement session. A pre-wedding session will help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera (I know this was definitely true for my husband!). And, it will prepare your photographer for your wedding day by allowing her to see how you two interact, and get a feel for your best features.
2. Plan your morning carefully. I am a huge proponent of this tip. Choose a room with abundant natural light to get ready in. If possible, choose a room with neutral colors, and try to keep things neat and tidy throughout the morning. This will help your photos stay cohesive and clean-looking. If details are important to you, have everything you’d like photographed laid out and waiting for your photographer — a full invitation set, special jewelry, a vintage handkerchief, etc.
Jen Huang
3. Share your morning. This is a tip from BRV member Caroline Joy: “Specifically invite your closest loved ones to be with you when you’re getting ready for your wedding. And encourage them to get totally ready beforehand, because most people like photos of themselves more when they look their best. It could be your mom, dad, a special relative, or simply your closest friends, but I love the idea of intentionally making them feel special by sharing those moments with them.” This is a wonderful way to create an opportunity for those spontaneous, sweet, intimate moments to happen — the ones we want captured on our wedding day, but can’t really plan for.
4. Create a generous timeline. I spoke about this a bit here, but if photographs are important to you, build in as much time as possible for them. Generally speaking, the more time your photographer has with you, the better the photos she/he will be able to produce. If you’re not sure how much time you’ll need for portraits, check with your photographer.
Jemma Keech
5. Consider doing a first look. I completely respect those who want to see their significant other for the first time at the end of the aisle, but if you and your fiance are ambivalent, I’d definitely consider doing a first look. That way, you can take care of the majority, if not all, of the formal family groupings pre-ceremony, leaving extra time for bride and groom portraits or to attend cocktail hour post-ceremony.
6. Do not create a ridiculous shot list. Please, for the love of sweet tea, do not create a shot list with specific poses or moments. (You know the ones I’m talking about: they include things like “Dad whispering last minute advice to groom” and “bride’s parents whispering to each other during dinner.”) Remember why you hired your photographer, trust him, and give him room to let his creativity shine. Asking him to recreate something he or someone else has already done before will not give him the time or space to create something amazing for your special day. Instead, try showing your photographer some of your favorites from his portfolio, which will help him understand the work you’re attracted to.
Kate Murphy via Ann Street Studio
7. DO create a formal shot list. On the other hand, it’s important to think carefully about the formal groupings that you’d like captured either pre- or post-ceremony. Try to keep the list to ten or fewer combinations (i.e. bride and groom with bride’s parents, bride and groom with all siblings) to avoid impatience and stress. When you give the list to your photographer, be sure to include names — this will help her direct the portrait session smoothly and kindly!
8. Communicate with the VIPs. Once you’ve got that great shot list, be sure to share it with all the people involved. Email them a copy in advance, print out more copies for the day of – whatever it takes! Make sure they know where to be, when to be there, and what they should be wearing so you’re not scrambling after everyone on the big day.
The Nichols via Snippet & Ink
9. Plan for capturing the details. In addition to gorgeous portraits, many of y’all want your photographers to capture the details you’ve worked so hard on. This requires communication, too! If possible, work with your planner/venue/special helpers to set up the reception space as early as possible, so that your photographer can snap the details either pre-ceremony or during cocktail hour, before guests have entered the space and ideally while there’s still natural light outside.
10. Ask questions. Our last tip for working with your photographer? Ask them! “Is there anything I can do to help you do your job better?” Photographers, like all wedding vendors, try their hardest to be flexible, and they’ll do the best they can under whatever circumstances they find themselves in. But, if you do what you can to provide the optimal environment, they’ll probably produce their optimal results. And THAT is what we call a win-win :)
Sweet Little Photographs
What do you think, ladies? Anything you’d add to our list? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Caroline Joy is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
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Pam Parker, April 23, 2013 9:28 am reply Wonderful list! After planning weddings for over 17 years I can say the best images seem to happen when the couple and the photographer have a great and realistic relationship. Should be a must read for every bride and groom!
Lisa, April 23, 2013 9:36 am reply Saving and passing this post along immediately! So much great advice.
Melissa Tuck, April 23, 2013 10:08 am reply SO much good advice! Thank you for posting!!!
Jennifer Nichols, April 23, 2013 10:20 am reply As a wedding photographer, I'm so thankful for this post! Great advice! (And what a nice surprise to see one of our photos included!)
Lauren, April 23, 2013 10:30 am reply I love this list. I really like the "don't create a ridiculous shot list" I never thought about it that way. The photographer is the expert, not me - it's like telling someone how to do their job.
Katie O'Keefe, April 23, 2013 11:01 am reply Love this - I wish I had considered a "first look" shot. While the moment we met eyes down the aisle will always be a special moment I treasure, we only have a handful of images that are just us. Perhaps, I can convince him to get back into a tux and do a anniversary shoot. :-)
tea olive photography featured on southern weddings magazine and style me pretty! » tea olive photography, April 23, 2013 11:20 am reply [...] southern weddings also has ten great tips for working with your wedding photographer that are definitely worth taking a gander! you can conduct your research here. [...]
Becky, April 23, 2013 11:45 am reply Great suggestions and beautiful images!
Beth DeCaluwe, April 23, 2013 12:14 pm reply Absolutely love this! It connects with real, natural brides in a way that most lists dont. I love that it's practical but not stiff and "must do" - it meshes so well with the lifestyle photographer!!
Joelle, April 23, 2013 12:44 pm reply Fantastic tips! As a planner, I'm in charge of creating the wedding day timeline, but the time needed for getting ready photos and portraits varies so much depending on the photographer and the priorities of the bride and groom. It's essential that you have a conversation with your photographer to figure out exactly how much time you should allocate to everything. And if you want to feel really comfortable with your photog, an engagement session is essential!
Emma S., April 23, 2013 1:17 pm reply Great advice. Thanks!
Rebecca Long, April 23, 2013 1:48 pm reply What perfect pieces of advice! I really credit a wonderful wedding day to so many of those thoughts - especially having an engagement session, a fabulous timeline, and a first look! My most favorite might be: do not create a ridiculous shot list. I really think it creates unrealistic expectations for the bride. It's HER wedding and I want to capture that - not someone else's pinterest version. Thank you for your great notes! I loved sharing this with my fan page : )
Julia Manchik, April 23, 2013 2:57 pm reply Finally, a wedding magazine offering good photography advice instead of a crazy shot list! Will be sharing this with our couples. Thanks.
Lucy Taylor, April 23, 2013 3:04 pm reply YES! This is such a helpful, timely post. Thank you ladies for sharing!!
Caitlin Alexander, April 23, 2013 3:44 pm reply As a wedding photographer, I appreciate this more than y'all will ever know! THANK YOU for communication with such grace and sweet charm what I want all of my clients to know. You guys are just wonderful!
St Augustine wedding photographer, April 23, 2013 5:33 pm reply Great tips, especially number 4! I'm going to share this link with my brides.
Kathryn, April 23, 2013 5:41 pm reply In my bridesmaid experiences, I think it would be great to have a short formal shot list and let everyone know. Sometimes that takes way too long. Setting out the details for photos is also a good idea, as I've heard friends say they regret not getting photos of those details. I'm really enjoying the shots you chose for this post; that last picture is beautiful!
gabby, April 23, 2013 8:54 pm reply I am a photographer and I LOVE this article. Couldn't agree more!
Michelle S Hanks, April 23, 2013 9:09 pm reply Great suggestions and perfect advice for tides and their moms.
Ken Tan, April 23, 2013 11:43 pm reply Great tips for future brides! Appreciate this post, especially from a photographer :)
10 tips for the wedding couple to connect with their photographer! | Lanie Louise Photography, April 24, 2013 12:41 am reply [...] helpful blog post by Southern Weddings offers advice to brides and grooms about wedding day photo bliss. [...]
Denver Wedding Videographer, April 24, 2013 12:46 am reply Planning generous time is a great tip for great photography and videography both.
Jamie Day Fleck, April 24, 2013 8:49 am reply I am a photographer and this is great advice! If the brides followed these, they would have great photos and generally less stress on the day of!
Katie Lamb, April 24, 2013 11:15 am reply coming from a photographer, this is PERFECT! Well done Southern Weddings! :)
Stephanie, April 25, 2013 12:01 pm reply BRAVO Southern Weddings. Bravo. Love. Love. LOVE all these tips. It's all true and amazing.
Sweet Little Photographs, April 25, 2013 12:30 pm reply Thanks so much for including one of our images in this post!! -Tim & Merrill (Sweet Little Photographs)
abbey, April 25, 2013 3:33 pm reply such a great list!!! as a photographer, its so refreshing...and I totally adored it! one thing I would add...make sure you feed us! we love to eat too...and work so hard during your wedding day...please feed us during dinner, have a place for us to sit, and it possible, have somewhere where we can get water throughout the day:). we love brides that think of us...and help us do our job better<3 part of that is staying fed and hydrated<3 xoxo
Jen, April 25, 2013 4:00 pm reply Thank you so much for this! You just made a lot of wedding photographers really, REALLY happy today.
Voyteck, April 25, 2013 4:16 pm reply great advice! a must read for every bride and groom!
10 tips for working with your Wedding Photographer | Très Chic Southern Weddings, April 27, 2013 2:48 pm reply [...] To see the entire post check out: Southern Expert: Ten Tips for Working With Your Photographer « Southern Weddings Magazine [...]
Wyatt, April 27, 2013 9:01 pm reply These are truly great pieces of advice. Being a wedding photographer myself I would love if I could have more time with the clients to get the creative juices flowing. Most of the time in my experiences it is the family photos that last to long and eat into the couple photos.
Expert Advice . Ten Tips for Working with Your Wedding Photographer | Jackson Hole Weddings - I DO! Jackson Hole, April 30, 2013 12:03 pm reply [...] advice on working with your wedding photographer from the ladies over at Southern [...]
Jen Smith, April 30, 2013 12:33 pm reply Thank you for this! As a photographer, I often cringe at "helpful" posts and articles that brides cling to and recite back to me. This is actually helpful and echoes some of my advice. Skip the checklist that includes "dress hanging," "me hugging BFF," "dad looking lovingly at mom" and share the specific details you spent time creating. Light, moments, genuine love - that's the stuff!
Rebekah Gregg, May 2, 2013 6:34 pm reply Oh my gosh! These are the best tips EVER!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you from this photographer! Can't wait to pin this and show it to clients!