Wedding Photography checklist….yay or nay?

Wanna get all the photos you want from your wedding photographer? I’ll let you into a few secrets….

Awesome moment at Willow Grange Farm for Hannah and Vince’s rain soaked but absolutely awesome wedding!

Let me guess…..the wedding planning is all going swimmingly, things are falling into place, you’re nearly there. But you just want to tick the boxes, dot the i’s and cross the t’s and one of the things you need to do is make sure your photographer knows what you want from your wedding photos. Another hassle I know, but you don’t have to worry. You’re wedding photographer has got your back!

I know you will have checked Google a million times for the “101 Wedding Photos you MUST have” or if noy, scrolled through thousands of Instagram images or Pinterest boards to get some kind of inspo, and I get that. I absolutely do.

But if you have done your due diligence, hopefully…..and I really do hope….your photographer should have done a few of these weddings by now and knows what they are doing! That’s not a slight on you! Absolutely not! But, as any good manager should do, they need to trust their staff as sometimes, their staff might actually know a little better than them.

If you have already made a list of loads and loads of images, might want to hold back on giving this over to your wedding photographer. Doing this could result in a couple of things…..one, it might make them wonder what they are supposed to do it in the time they have and think you’re some kind of pushy nutcase, or two, that list will distract them in a big way, making them focus on that rather than doing what they are good at and actually making them miss a lot of the images you actually want.

Neither is really a good scenario is it? haha!

But we have a shot list….what do we do with it as we do want some of those shots….sob sob, sniff sniff…..

Who doesn’t love a good pout? I love it when guest play up to the camera occasionally, especially like this at Georgina and Jake’s wedding at the Bedford Swan Hotel

Firstly DON’T PANIC!!! Your photographer isn’t going to say to you “nope, not going to do any of them. You can’t interfere with the artistic process daaahhhling….”. But they will probably say “talk to me”. And hopefully in that process, you will hopefully put your trust in your wedding photographer. They know what they are doing. They hopefully have experience, an eye for a shot, got a bit of a talent for it and they can smile, laugh, cry, mess about or be serious with the best of them!

Why did you pick them? BECAUSE of these qualities. Now it’s time to let those qualities shine and let go a little. Of COURSE if you have photos you have in mind that mean a lot to you…..I dunno, you have some jewellery that is important to you and you want that photographed (I’m not usually a detail man, but I am happy to shoot them if you want them) or you haven’t seen Aunt Maude in 15 years and you want the mantlepiece shot for her….that kind of thing. Then YES! Tell your photographer. Absolutely. They will make a note of it, it will be put on their list of “must do” shots that most photographers have anyway as part of what they do and it will get done.

As for the rest of the stuff us wedding photographers do, then especially ones like me will be on the lookout for the fun, the falling over, the silly faces, the laughs, the tears, the deep conversations, the dancing and all the rest of the good stuff that makes up a brilliant wedding.

So if you’re happy to let go and let them do their thing…..congratulations! That’s a huge step! Awesome! You’re doing the right thing!

BUT I can’t let go! I am really worried that my photographer won’t get what I want

What a truly EPIC location for a wedding? Provenance Kitchen (also Brix and Mortar) in Whittlesford near Cambridge is one of the best venues I have shot at. What a vibe!

Ok, let’s stop and take a step back here shall we? So…..you don’t trust them? Hmmmm….ok, let’s reframe this for you.

When I started out in wedding photography way way back now, I promise you….I did exactly the same as you did. I scoured Google, I combed Facebook (Instagram was in it’s infancy, Pinterest didn’t even exist I don’t think!) and I checked out HUNDREDS of other wedding photographers portfolios to see what I needed to achieve. I also worked closely in real life with loads of AWESOME wedding photographers who were established and had shot well over 100 weddings to get an idea of how weddings worked for a photographer, what was required as a person, how to interact, how to get certain shots etc etc.

And when I finally thought I was ready to go it alone, I did the same as you. Listed a million photos that I thought I should/could/would shoot. Then have the panic of wondering if I could actually do all of this. I quickly realised that I should have noticed that NONE of the photographers I worked with or studied did this at all…..but they had in the past when THEY started out and realised as quickly as me it was kind of pointless….and so on.

Now, I know exactly what’s going on. I have the techniques, I have the ideas, I can see what is happening, I can anticipate what MIGHT happen to be ready for when it does, I know what is not worth shooting (just as important). And I am very aware that this needs to be communicated to my couples. Hence we chat before, make sure you know how I work, what I do, how I do it and so on.

Got a favourite person at your wedding (don’t worry I won’t tell anyone)? Then I will make sure I get extra photos of that person for you if that is what you want. Got a cake made by an aunt that you love (or she loves more like)? I’ll sort it and make it look extra special.

But what is THE most important part in all of this is that your wedding photographer understands what is important to YOU. If you communicate with us, we communicate with you and we are managing each others expectations, then we are good to go! We have an awesome relationship and that will come out in the photos! 100%

Ok, I get all of that. So what do YOU recommend we get photos of?

I mean…..just can’t get the staff nowadays can you? Shocking behaviour. Good job we had been throwing the banter all day :-) Another example of photographer/guest interaction that is just fun and relaxed at Lindsay and Ian’s awesome wedding at the gorgeous Holmewood Hall near Peterborough

Well, in some ways that’s still very much up to you, but the wedding photographer you choose will very much dictate the kinds of images they will shoot and what they will suggest (or how they suggest it) for the big day.

When you’re searching for your wedding photographer, make sure they have a style you connect with. Are they romantic? Is that you? Are they fun and vibrant and is this you? Are they more documentary with little to no posed images or are they a shoot all things but will do the nice, couple-y shots as well? What suits you and what you want from your day?

But also…..do you have a connection with them? What do you enjoy? What floats your boat and do you have anything in common with your photographer? Doesn’t have to be much. You can find out a lot about your wedding photographer by their “About” page on their website and the images they produce on their portfolio. And don’t be afraid to ask if you think they might work for you. Get in touch, ask questions, dive deep. Bring up the connection you might have.

I for one have a big interest in music and I have a lot of couples who contact me because we have similar music tastes (usually quite loud and a bit older lol). I have had one couple notice I love red wine, so much so as a thank you after the wedding they bought me a couple of really lovely bottles because they knew their wine too.

But with these things in mind, you might love them but not their work. Or vice versa. It has to be both.

Every wedding photographer works in different ways, obviously will have different interests and loves and will shoot very differently to others.

But honestly, as you can see from a LOT of my reviews in and around t’internet, that connection on all levels is crucial and happily the feedback I get isn’t just about the quality of the work I do, but also me as a person (which is highly flattering and lovely and humbling and I am always grateful).

But what’s wrong with an Instagram list or pinterest board?

Now, I definitely don’t think you can get photos like this if you don’t have a good relationship with your photographer! Charlotte and “Cakes” absolutely went for it at the stunning outdoor venue Bellows Mill near Dunstable

Well…..let me explain. I can promise you that if you Google anything like “wedding photo inspo” and so on, you will be absolutely bombarded with hundreds and hundreds of awesome images. So….my suggestion would be to save every single one of them and send the files to your wedding photographer.

NOT!!!!!

I jest, but ask your photographer. Do they want to see what you have saved? Some might love it and get involved with creating everything you want on the day. I would also suggest there would be just as many (and likely to be a lot more) who would just like to get on with what they do best and not have to work to a list.

You can make both approaches work for you and them, but first and foremost, communicate this. If they want the ideas, they will let you know. If they don’t, they will explain why politely and try and hopefully let you understand they will be able to do a better job if they just have their own ideas on the day. It’s the way I work, I know many others the same way. But no harm in asking!

Ok, that all sounds cool. I feel much better. Can’t wait for the big day!

Absolutely!!!! That’s what it’s about. I personally want you to be you, enjoy your day with as little distraction from me as possible. You have to plan your day for you, nobody else. It’s YOUR day. Fun, different, unique, whacky, themed, whatever. You! But then once you have a direction, with all the advice above, with the kinds of people you are and what you want, go out and find the wedding photographer that fits you. Once you have that sorted, all the rest will just simply come together. Leave it in your photographers hands, hire them and just communicate what is important to you and find out how they work and see if you gel.

And if you do……..you’re sorted. You’re going to have THE most amazing day!!!