Are you nervous about your wedding photography? Here are six tips for great wedding photographs. Help us {the photographers}… Help you {the bride and groom} have a great wedding photography experience. For us a great wedding photography experience = beautiful & emotional photographs taken with a relaxed vibe for everyone involved. Sound good? I thought so. So how do you ensure a great wedding photography experience?

Tip # 1: PLEASE BE ON TIME

Leading up to your wedding, we spend a great deal of time working on the photo plan for the day, so don’t let our plan go to waste! The goal of the photo plan is to achieve a pleasant balance between time spent taking photos and time for enjoying the day as it unfolds. If the photo plan and timeline go right out the window in the first ten minutes, we either have to cut the planned photos short or eat up the time you could spend relaxing and socializing. Neither of these options are very appealing, so please be on time.

Tip # 2: PLEASE STICK TO THE PLAN

Once as we arrived to the bride’s suite for getting ready photographs, we were greeted by the MOB and the MOG who promptly hijacked the photo plan we had spent weeks preparing with the bride. They changed the itinerary by circling times and drawing arrows. They savagely scratched photos off the list and haphazardly added new ones. The dizzying attack turned a well laid plan into wedding day chaos. Paired with an extra large bridal party, a greater than normal list of family combinations, and a tight schedule, we were left rushed and disoriented. The photo plan is made weeks before the wedding day while everyone is still sane. Stick to the plan…keep the sanity.

Tip # 3: PLEASE DON’T SECOND GUESS THE LOCATIONS FOR THE FAMILY FORMALS

This is the BIG one guys. A grand monkey wrench thrown into the works, usually by a well meaning relative who doesn’t understand why we aren’t shooting with the “WATER IN THE BACKGROUND.” You’ve chosen your photographer carefully based on what you’ve seen in their portfolio and recommendations from the venue. In the year leading up to the wedding you’ve followed along with your photographer’s blog. You can be confident that your photographer is going to pick the best spot for family formals. The problem is your parents, sister in law, and uncle Joe have not been following along. They are not confident. So they question, they make suggestions and now you aren’t so confident either. Maybe the relatives  just need a little photo 101, the problem is there isn’t time on the wedding day for an explanation on why a certain location was chosen. Therefore, I shall explain it here in three rules to follow with the hope that you will pass on the information to your families- send them a link to this post, please I beg you!

Family Formals Photography 101 with Professor M. Ashley

1. First and Foremost, the photographer chooses the location for family formals based on the quality of the light. Please note: Background is always a secondary consideration to quality of light. So what constitutes a nice quality of light? The answer is: a soft, flat, even consistency. Specifically, there are no harsh shadows or strong highlights on the faces. Some ways to achieve this quality of light on a sunny day are too choose a location with open shade such as a porch or light filtered through a canopy of trees in a garden or wooded setting. One caveat: On a grey day you can pretty much choose any location because the light is already filtered and even from the existing cloud cover.

2. Secondly, the background is considered. With groups of 4 or more, a neutral uncluttered background is preferred. If possible, a dark background is optimal so that the subjects “pop.”  Distracting elements in the background should also be avoided.

3. If a location is chosen that has soft light and a neutral background, the resulting photographs will be flattering. The focus will be on the family rather than the scenery. Remember that sunlight settles as shadow in wrinkles and under eyes. This is the reason that locations with the “water in the background,” often in full sun, do NOT make the best location for family formals.

Tip # 4: PLEASE TRUST US

We may be confident in what we do, but it freaks us out a little when you don’t trust us. Recently one of our brides questioned everything that was happening. We understood that she was just a nervous wreck, but it put a hurt on the flow of the photos, and didn’t seem very fun for her either. If you do not trust, you will stress. You CANNOT hide your stress from the camera no matter how hard you try. Here are some common stress inducing, photo ruining thoughts and our answers to them…

“Are the photographers even taking any photographs?” Trish was on the other side of the camera as the daughter of the bride! After I spent an entire day photographing her mother, the new groom, and the entire family Trish had it in her mind that I had taken 20 photos and they were all bad. In truth. I had taken 2000 and they were pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

“All of these poses feel so formal, are they going to take any candids?” There is a time for candids and a time for posed photos and in between there are a million moments that we are snapping. Our trigger fingers are so fast you aren’t even aware we are taking photos. Relax, the spontaneous photos are the ones we live for, we are waiting patiently at the ready for them to happen.

“Shouldn’t we do a fun bridal party photo?” I already took it, before you were ready for me when you were laughing with your friends. But hey, if you want to throw your bouquet in the air and jump, I’m game. Our request is that when you ask… can we do a fun shot? You follow it up with a specific request, i.e. jumping, running, walking, toasting etc. In other words, “Hey Mariah, can we do a fun shot? Can we have all the groomsmen pick me up?” To which I will answer, “Of course!” Because we aren’t always sure what your idea of fun is,  if we suggest jumping and you think jumping is cheesy we’ve created an awkward moment and nobody wants that.

“Does she know that I don’t like my profile, am self conscious of my back fat, or have a wonky eye that is smaller than the other?” Yes, I know. And it’s okay. I still find you adorable and because I like you as a person too, I am working my hardest to make you look your very best. Don’t worry about the wonky eye today, it’s my job to worry about that. I’d never come right out and say, “Man your eye is wonky!” But rest assured, I will notice it and pose you accordingly.

“Are we going to miss the sunset photo?” Yes, if the groom is in the bathroom, the toasts are happening, or it starts to rain. Otherwise we are watching that bad boy. We’ve got one eye on it waiting for optimal orange.

Tip #5: PLEASE EMBRACE PDA {HA-HA}

Once there was a bride who was uncomfortable with PDA. She scolded her groom when he tried to snuggle her neck.  She turned a cheek when he went in for a kiss. She  halfheartedly patted his back when he tried a hug. She thought he was ruining the photos with his attempts at canoodling but really she was ruining the photos by rejecting his affection. Well, she didn’t ruin them exactly but it did put a hurt on the romance and romance is what you need for romantic photos! Trust me, there can never be to much romance. I know it can be a little awkward, so this may require you stepping out of your comfort zone. Try to pretend we aren’t there!  Oh, and a glass of champagne definitely helps. You don’t have to have a full blown snog fest, here’s a list of subtle moves that spell major romance for the photos.

Bride with her hands on the grooms face, Groom with his hand holding the back of the Bride’s neck, Hands intertwined, His hand on the small of her back, Neck Nibble, Whisper of Sweet Nothings, Cheeks pressed together looking off camera, the Moment right before a Kiss, Foreheads touching, Noses touching

See? Nothing too racy, just a little more romantic than a normal Saturday afternoon!

Tip # 6: PLEASE GET COMFORTABLE WITH SILENCE

We are taking your Bride and Groom Alone Formal Photos and there is silence. You wonder, “Why are they so quiet? Why aren’t they saying anything? Are we doing this all wrong?” Nope, you are perfect just the way you are. If we are not talking that means we are caught up in the moment and magic is happening. It means we are in the zone. The stars have aligned and the photo Gods are smiling down on us all. So join us in the quiet zone and enjoy this little slice of peace in an otherwise hectic day.

Sense a theme here? TRUST, RELAX, ENJOY. You’re in good hands. Hope you enjoyed the six tips for great wedding photographs!