Tips For Getting The Best Wedding Photographs
So you’re getting married, you’ve got the venue booked and you find a photographer whose work you love and that you trust to capture your wedding. On the day your photographer will try to capture everything they can, but did you know there are a few things that you as a couple can do to help them get the best images possible???
In this post we want to outline a few thoughts/tips/ideas that all couples should remember to help their photographer get the best wedding photographs from their day…
01. Be yourselves
Number one on our list is ‘be yourselves’. This might sound strange but for some couples a wedding can sometimes start to feel more like a performance or a big show with costumes, make-up an audience etc. We always try to challenge couples not to let that happen.
The key is to ‘be yourselves’. Don’t listen to other voices, plan your wedding your way. Don’t copy other weddings you’ve seen because you think that’s the way is has to be done. There are no rules. Sack off traditions that mean nothing to you, introduce new ones. You are two unique people, with a unique story, celebrate in a way that suits you both.
A good way to think on your wedding day is less about the importance of the day, and more about a celebration of your journey so far and a party to kick off your future lives together.
When a couple can truly be themselves on their wedding day… they are relaxed, comfortable, happy, in the moment, not worried about anything ‘going wrong’. And the more a couple feel like themselves, the more they will look like themselves in their photographs.
02. Have fun
We’ve seen it before where couples forget to have fun. They’re maybe too wrapped up in the wedding day planning or timeline and forget to actually enjoy it. Sometimes couples are nervous and are dreading a certain part of the day… maybe it’s the speeches, or ceremony, or first dance. One option is to ditch these traditions altogether, another is to change them to suit you, a third option is to simply change how you approach them.
When it’s your wedding day, no one is going to tell you off for having too much fun so be silly, crack a smile, tell a joke. Wedding guests always take their lead from the couple getting married, so if you are incredibly serious, it’s more than likely there’ll be zero craic at your wedding. None of your guests are the type to judge you (if they are uninvite them) they are all on your side. They want to have fun and see you having fun.
You know who else want to see you having fun, your photographer! Couple who make an effort to truly enjoy every second of their wedding day are the easiest to photograph.
03. Comfort is key
Nothing is more irritating on a wedding day for a couple than wearing something uncomfortable… not even the rain.
This might be a little controversial for some but we think that when choosing what you’re going to wear on a wedding day, always choose comfort over style. A pair of shoes that rub, a veil that constantly gets caught, a shirt that scratches are horrible things to deal with on a normal day. You shouldn’t have to put up with it on what’s meant to be the best of your life.
When you are uncomfortable, it shows on your face. Even when you think you’re hiding it well, it shows. When something about your outfit is annoying you, it’s all you can think about and it can stop you from relaxing and enjoying your day. When your comfortable you don’t even think about your appearance, you’re able to be in the moment, relaxed and enjoying the party.
04. Ditch Traditions
We’ve already covered this one a little but it’s something we believe in. We are not against following tradition - we are against people following tradition for the wrong reason. Let us explain…
Weddings have developed over many many years to include lots of wedding day traditions. Some come from religion, others come from families or culture or even TV/Movies. Something we advise all couples to do before planning their own wedding is to sit down and dissect a wedding day. Talk about the traditions, which ones they like and why - which ones they don’t and why. If you don’t identify with a tradition or you cannot see the meaning behind it, why would you waste your time on your wedding day doing it?
We promise you won’t regret ditching the traditions that mean nothing to you. You think ‘cutting the cake’ is silly… don’t do it! You cringe at the idea of a ‘first dance’… gone!
It goes back to the idea of being yourselves. If you spend your wedding day performing meaningless traditions, it will pull you out of the reason you’re there. Make your wedding day your own, not what has been done before or what other people expect.
Most good wedding photographers will thank you for ditching your meaningless traditions. It means more time can be spent capturing the parts of the wedding day that are unique, personal and important to you!
05. Be flexible
Planning out a timeline of your day is a good thing to do, but try to plan it in a way that you leave lots of wriggle room. There are a whole load of unexpected things that can happen on your wedding day… and that’s fine. If you leave a bit of wriggle room in the timeline, those things can be accounted for.
Living and working in Ireland, we’ve learned that being flexible is one of the most important skills a wedding photographer and videographer can have. You just never know when the weather might take turn for the worse, or better. It could be an overcast day all day but suddenly the sun could blast out from behind a cloud for an incredible sunset.
Sometimes right before the family photographs a family member might be hard to find. A simple “let’s get that one later” usually works fine. Couples who are flexible and trust their photographer with their timeline, definitely get the best results!
