It’s your wedding day and you want everything to run smoothly. You hired the vendors, bought the dress, suits, flowers, and cake. Everything is set, planned and ready. But did you plan a photography friendly timeline?
Wedding photography is so much more than your uncle Bob holding a camera. A good photographer will have it down to a science. Knowing the exact lights, time of day, props and poses to make everything work out in your favor. This is so that you will have the best photos possible when the day is said and done.
Things you can do to build a photography friendly timeline:
Plan around the best light for portraits
If you’re inside, find rooms with big windows that can allow in as much natural light as possible. If you’re outside, aim for portrait photos to be taken around the golden hour. That’s when the sun is rising and setting, and it’s at the lowest point in the sky. Because of this, the shadows are softer and camera angles appear more flattering.
Make sure your day is well lit
Photography is literally the process of capturing light. If you plan for a romantic candlelit reception, you may get the feeling of intimacy you want. Unfortunately, you won’t get the amazing photos you’re paying for. Awesome photographs need awesome sources of light to pull them off. So aim for venues and rooms where you can keep an ample supply of natural light available. Your photographer will thank you, and you’ll thank them when you see the amazing photos they took of your special day.
Add time for photos
Great photos take time, adding extra time for photos is better than not adding enough. Delays on a wedding day can (or most likely will) happen, and that can cause even less time for photographs.
Consider adding more time to the beginning of the day for your wedding photographer to capture images of all the tiny details that you worked so hard to prepare for. Things like a bouquet, rings, shoes, empty venue, veil or the wedding dress laid over a chair. Having these items already in a box or set aside for the photographer helps them to be more efficient with their time as well.
Do a first look photo shoot
The timeline of a traditional wedding ceremonies photos will have you do a majority of the photos after the ceremony is over. This is when your guests are enjoying your reception, and you aren’t even there to socialize! By opting to do a first look photo session you can have more time to spend with your guests at the reception.
A first look photo session starts your day with getting the bridal party photos out of the way. This gives you more time to party with friends after the “I do’s.” It can also get you more candid wedding photos, helping to round out your scrapbook and tell the story of your wedding day.
Feed your photographers before the guests
This one might sound unorthodox and crazy but think about it for a moment. During the reception, toasts are made towards the end of the meal. Traditionally food is served to the new couple, then the guests, and then the vendors (including the photographer.) This leaves photographers with the awkward and difficult decision of either skipping dinner to photograph the toasts, or eating dinner and missing the toasts.
This can easily be avoided by scheduling vendor meals to come out immediately after your own meals. That way they can finish their meals before toasts are made and you don’t risk missing key moments being captured on film.
Hire a second photographer
By having two photographers, it not only helps you to have more variety and amazing photos in the end, but it also helps to make the day run more smoothly and efficiently. One photographer can take the responsibility of photographing details, tables, and cocktail hour while the other can dedicate all of their time and effort into creating the best photos of you two that they can.
Consider an unplugged ceremony
An unplugged wedding can help to prevent guests from destroying your photographs. You’re paying a professional photographer a lot of money to give you high-quality photos to last a lifetime.
And then uncle Bob happens…
There is nothing worse than lining up a perfect shot for the first kiss, only to have uncle bob jump out in front of you with his giant iPad right at the exact moment you kiss. Sure he might get the closer shot, but it won’t compare in quality to your hired wedding photographer. Now you not only have a sloppy picture from your uncle but also have the back of his head in the professional photo.
There’s only one kiss during the ceremony, and you want it covered by a professional.
To help in making an unplugged ceremony, prior to the start of it have an announcement made. Ask everyone to turn off and put away their cellphones, tablets and other electronic devices. This helps your photographer and helps your images to look more timeless.
With proper planning and giving more thought to the minor details like this, you can plan your wedding to have a photography friendly timeline with minimal distruption to the flow of events.
