Planning Professional Wedding Photography

Thank you for taking the time to check out our "Planning Professional Wedding Photography". To help ensure you receive the best wedding photography possible, here is a list of items to keep in mind.

The more time you provide your photographers, the more photography you will receive. You may schedule photography to start three, four or even more hours before the Ceremony to help ensure a lot more and better photography when you provide your photographers a reasonable and adequate amount of time for photography. This also usually means less time after the Ceremony for photography so everyone may go to the reception sooner. THERE ARE NO EXTRA CHARGES FOR THE EXTRA AND BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS YOU WILL RECEIVE WHEN YOU PROVIDE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME.

A family member from the bride's side of the family and one from the groom's side of the family should be appointed IN ADVANCE to gather various family groups while the photographer is photographing each group. Once a group has been photographed, the next group which is ready may step into position and the photographer assistant will adjust and pose the group. The appointed family member(s) will be getting the next group gathered together for their turn. This is generally faster than a wedding coordinator or other stranger since family members know one another and the relationships between different people. Groups being ready when it's their turn will greatly expedite the formal portrait session.

MAKE SURE THE FLORIST delivers all the flowers needed before it is time for pictures.

The rooms the bride and groom will be preparing in MUST be clean and organized. Shopping bags, clothes hangers, etc., laying out in view of the photographers cameras will be a distraction in your photographs.

ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AT THE VENUE: It is probably necessary to make sure someone knows how to control the venue lighting - especially strong spot lights aimed at the location where portraits are expected to be shot. If the photographer is required to shoot at locations around the venue where there is strong spot lights shining down, the color in your photographs WILL suffer and lights shining down high from above can cast strong shadows under noses, darken eye sockets and more.

PLACEMENT OF RUNNER: A runner should not be pinned down to the carpet when it is to be run all the way to the alter area where formal group portraits are to be shot. Two main reasons. Your photographer will need to be positioned in front of the group to shoot and this will put the photographer on top of the runner and if the runner has also been pinned down, this can mess up the runner OR cause us to lose valuable time as we have to unpin the runner from the carpet. Also the runner will be stepped all over by people as they move in and out of position for formal group poses. So please make sure when a runner is to be used, it is simply not placed where formal group shots are to be. It may be placed and even pinned down elsewhere down the aisle, but just not all the way up to the point where the groups are to be photographed.

For outdoor weddings, it is much more pleasing (to many people) to see flower petals down the aisle. Often times when a paper runner is used outdoors, the wind will blow it out of position anyway and sometimes this will trip the wedding party and any other people trying to walk on it. The flower petals also helps impart a more outdoors look and feel to an outdoor wedding. Flower petals are very appropriate as a natural runner for the outdoors and looks much better in photographs (sometimes just downright beautiful) than a paper runner which has become crinkled, blown over and covered with dirty shoe prints.

There are many more items to think about. The above are a few of the most important ones. We will provide you our four-page brochure during your 2nd consultation with us usually about 30 days before your wedding date. We just want to help make sure your wedding photography and Wedding Day will be wonderful.

Wedding Photographics CONTACT US | 423-468-9621 | EMAIL