How to hack your wedding photographer
Make your photographer work for you
This is brutally honest advice for potential brides and grooms to make sure you get the most out of your wedding photographer -regardless of how much you care about the photos and what your budget is. As wedding photographers, and as a couple recently married, we know all the tricks and traps from both sides of the fence.
1. Hire a professional.
Not just someone with awards or accreditations (eg. "AIPA accredited"). Someone who is experienced in wedding photography. Someone who has a business, a following, reviews and recommendations (which you should take with a grain of salt). Just a facebook page? Not a good sign. No portfolio? Not a good sign. Busy season up ahead? Good sign. If your friends got married and you were happy with that photographer's work, that's the best sign. Your mate studying photography or your uncle with 3 flash cameras might be able to take the occasional amazing photo- but taking hundreds of great images in a day and accurately representing what went on takes practice. If you can't get a professional photographer within your price range, consider changing the wedding to a weekday or the off season and watch the prices drop.
2. Make sure you get on with them.
You are going to have to spend a whole day with this or these people. That doesn't necessarily mean meeting face to face beforehand, but at the very least get a feel for who they are as a person by looking at their website and emailing them. Meeting up or a skype call is still ideal. If they seem boring and old, they probably are. The more comfortable you are on the day with them, the more comfortable you will look. Also, if you and the photographer have some mutual r-e-s-p-e-c-t going on then the photographer is going to be more invested in your photos and will likely do a better job. So get to know each other a little bit, build rapport.
3. Be realistic.
Remember that what photographers are doing is taking photos of you, your interactions, your friends- your wedding. Sure you will be you in a nice location and they will give you a bit of direction but essentially THEY WILL PHOTOGRAPH YOU HOW YOU LOOK. You are not going to lose weight in photos or have a different coloured jacket on. Even if wedding photographers DID do that level of editing, it destroys the whole love for what we do. We like capturing the real emotions and events that happen, not just making a pretty picture for your wall.
4. Display your emotion/ affection.
The memory of your day should come across in the images, we want you to look at them and be like "Oh man, we love each other so much" or "we are so happy" not just "look how cool my suit was" or "what a lovely waterfall". We will capture the waterfalls, and the suit- but the day is about you, not the stuff. We don't mean you have to fake anything- but dont be reserved if you are not a reserved person. If you want to grab a butt, grab it. If you want to hug your grandma and cry, do it. Don't be so worried about the photos that you stop being you. This is another reason to hire a professional- they'll know the flattering but natural places to put you, and the flattering angles to shoot you from but *most importantly* how to capture the emotional connections that are on display. Capturing these emotions is a team effort. You be the real you, trust the photographer to do you justice in the capturing.
5. See social media for what it is.
The pictures you see on people's websites and social media are a small sample of the images the photographer has taken. At each wedding photographers take thousands and thousands of images, only a fraction of those go to the customer and only a fraction of those go to their website/ social media. Take them with a grain (or 20) of salt. They are marketing materials. But, you can use those images as education for yourself. What do you like about the image? Is it the light? Is it the way the bride is standing? The scenery? Think about the things you can do to take the parts of the image you love into your wedding day. This might mean changing the time of day for your bridal shoot if you like the light, or learning a different body position, or deciding to go to the beach instead of the forest. The idea here is to remove unrealistic expectations about the types of results you will get in comparison to your real life environment, and to take the initiative to change things to be the way you want- rather than expecting photographers to literally be magicians.
6. Communicate (appropriately).
When in doubt, talk to your photographer. If the price is too much: discuss. If you have a question about how to achieve x result: discuss. If you need vendor recommendations: discuss. If you're nervous about the timeline: discuss. They've done this wedding thing a LOT. You probably haven't. However, if you have questions about what to give your dog for dinner, or you feel like messaging your photographer every second day- maybe hold back. If you can, clump your questions together so that it's not lots of little bits of contact (because they've probably got 40 other clients and other jobs as well).
7. Give the photographer creative control
By all means choose the location of your wedding and what you are wearing and how you structure your day. But let the photographer decide what to shoot and how, and consult with them about bridal shoot locations. They know when the best light is, where the sun will set, how much time you're going to want photos for etc. Let them work out the specifics once you're at those locations. With one exception- if a particular spot, or shot, has some particular personal meaning to you- then TELL THE PHOTOGRAPHER. They'll love the significance. If it's the place where you had your first kiss, or the place where you swam as a child, or your favourite grandma, or your family dog- if it means something significant to you, tell them!
Don't do these things:
1. Don't think that you'll get your photos next week.
Post production- it takes time. Especially if the photographer is in high demand. Under a third of the time a photographer spends on you is the actual wedding day. You don't want them to rush. Really, you just want a great result, and to get that, you'll want the photographer to take their time making your images perfect. If you push them, you may get an inferior product. The wait times vary from photographer to photographer but I've heard of photographers taking 6 months! Just ask, they'll tell you the turnaround time. Some photographers also offer an earlier sample gallery.
2. Don't let people stand in the aisles, take their own photos during the ceremony.
This is a sure way to ruin the first kiss, registry signing or even walking down the aisle. So many times at weddings a guest will stand up or get into the middle of the aisle and start filming or taking photos- completely ruining the shot the photographer has lined up. Unless you like photos of peoples bums or close ups of the back of their heads we recommend telling the celebrant to inform everyone to just not take photos. Consider a dedicated time where people can snap away if you want that but you hired the photographer for a reason. However: it's your day, do what you want. If you want everyone taking photos that's fine but it will affect the result- there will be lots of photos of people taking photos.
3. Don't stress.
By the time your day comes around it's too late to change anything much anyway, so just enjoy it. Get a good night's sleep (if you can!). You gotta have faith! Wedding photographers shoot SO MANY weddings a year- we've seen a lot. Fainting people? Yes. Abusive family members? Yes. Dead bodies being fished out in the background of photos? Yes. Rings being lost? Yes. Dresses ripping? Yes. Birds pooping on outfits? Yes. And yet... we got amazing wedding photos. Even if things go wrong, we do our job to a high standard. The same thing goes with the other vendors. Spend more time and consideration choosing them, so that once your decision is made, you can TRUST and RELAX. This goes for your actual marriage too- you spent so much time and effort investing in this relationship- enjoy marriage with your favourite other person.
4. Don't think everyone has the same taste.
Photographers are all different people and like different things. Choosing a photographer is like choosing your new favorite band. Some might be technically skilled, some might be a bit quirky, some will be plain cheesey. None of that really matters. It's not important what your friends think or which photographer got your attention first. None of that really matters. The most important thing is that YOU LIKE IT. Don't expect a photographer to alter their style for you- you don't expect that from a band either. Instead choose the one that already fits with you stylistically and inter-personally.
5. Don't get really drunk (too soon)
You would think this goes without saying, but I have been at weddings where they literally had to delay the ceremony for hours because you are not allowed to sign a legal document when drunk! The groom had to sober up (he was really really drunk). A glass of champagne in the morning, or a glass of whiskey or a couple of beers is one thing. But don't get shit faced. a) You'll look drunk in your photos b) You may not have a very good memory of the day and c) You'll be harder to pose, more easily distracted and less organised with your time. By all means, if you want to end your night passed out in a paddock do so. But do the majority of your drinking at an appropriate time of the day!
6. Don't change yourself drastically for your photos.
You're going to look great - and you're probably not a model. The photos should look like you- of course, a beautiful version- but your normal smile, hair colour, skin colour! You do not want to look like an oompa loompa drowning in a white marshmallow. You want to look like yourself. Don't try and hide or cover up imperfections beyond what you would normally do. That birthmark you have? It's rad, it's unique. That curly hair? No one would recognise you without it! I guess the main thing is the things you see as "flaws" everyone else, including your future spouse, sees as a part of you- and they love you. If people are going to be focusing on flaws, it'll be their own. Instead of overly worrying about how you look, focus on being comfortable. A conventionally beautiful bride looking uncomfortable makes for a worse photo than a less conventionally beautiful bride who is loving every minute of her day.
7. Don't put more work and effort into your wedding than your relationship
Give yourself the best chance you can- no one sets out to fail, but many end up failing. One of the hardest things that wedding photographers see are those times when the stress, financial burdens and expectations of a big wedding start tearing apart the relationship it's meant to be celebrating. If your wedding is more important than your relationship, don't get married. If your relationship is more important than your wedding, then make sure you prioritise it. This is a long term endurance race not a sprint, and how you start influences the way you will continue. So start right, start tight- put your relationship, not your wedding, first. You're going to look great - and you're probably not a model. The photos should look like you- of course, a beautiful version- but your normal smile, hair colour, skin colour! You do not want to look like an oompa loompa drowning in a white marshmallow. You want to look like yourself. Don't try and hide or cover up imperfections beyond what you would normally do. That birthmark you have? It's rad, it's unique. That curly hair? No one would recognise you without it! What you see as "flaws" everyone else, including your future spouse, sees as a part of you- and they love you. If people are going to be focusing on flaws, it'll be their own. Instead of overly worrying about how you look, focus on being comfortable. A conventionally beautiful bride looking uncomfortable makes for a worse photo than a less conventionally beautiful bride who is loving every minute of her day.
You made it to the end! If you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it you're half asleep by now, but if you feel like doing more reading you can check out our Copyright page. It's pretty fun.
1. Hire a professional.
Not just someone with awards or accreditations (eg. "AIPA accredited"). Someone who is experienced in wedding photography. Someone who has a business, a following, reviews and recommendations (which you should take with a grain of salt). Just a facebook page? Not a good sign. No portfolio? Not a good sign. Busy season up ahead? Good sign. If your friends got married and you were happy with that photographer's work, that's the best sign. Your mate studying photography or your uncle with 3 flash cameras might be able to take the occasional amazing photo- but taking hundreds of great images in a day and accurately representing what went on takes practice. If you can't get a professional photographer within your price range, consider changing the wedding to a weekday or the off season and watch the prices drop.
2. Make sure you get on with them.
You are going to have to spend a whole day with this or these people. That doesn't necessarily mean meeting face to face beforehand, but at the very least get a feel for who they are as a person by looking at their website and emailing them. Meeting up or a skype call is still ideal. If they seem boring and old, they probably are. The more comfortable you are on the day with them, the more comfortable you will look. Also, if you and the photographer have some mutual r-e-s-p-e-c-t going on then the photographer is going to be more invested in your photos and will likely do a better job. So get to know each other a little bit, build rapport.
3. Be realistic.
Remember that what photographers are doing is taking photos of you, your interactions, your friends- your wedding. Sure you will be you in a nice location and they will give you a bit of direction but essentially THEY WILL PHOTOGRAPH YOU HOW YOU LOOK. You are not going to lose weight in photos or have a different coloured jacket on. Even if wedding photographers DID do that level of editing, it destroys the whole love for what we do. We like capturing the real emotions and events that happen, not just making a pretty picture for your wall.
4. Display your emotion/ affection.
The memory of your day should come across in the images, we want you to look at them and be like "Oh man, we love each other so much" or "we are so happy" not just "look how cool my suit was" or "what a lovely waterfall". We will capture the waterfalls, and the suit- but the day is about you, not the stuff. We don't mean you have to fake anything- but dont be reserved if you are not a reserved person. If you want to grab a butt, grab it. If you want to hug your grandma and cry, do it. Don't be so worried about the photos that you stop being you. This is another reason to hire a professional- they'll know the flattering but natural places to put you, and the flattering angles to shoot you from but *most importantly* how to capture the emotional connections that are on display. Capturing these emotions is a team effort. You be the real you, trust the photographer to do you justice in the capturing.
5. See social media for what it is.
The pictures you see on people's websites and social media are a small sample of the images the photographer has taken. At each wedding photographers take thousands and thousands of images, only a fraction of those go to the customer and only a fraction of those go to their website/ social media. Take them with a grain (or 20) of salt. They are marketing materials. But, you can use those images as education for yourself. What do you like about the image? Is it the light? Is it the way the bride is standing? The scenery? Think about the things you can do to take the parts of the image you love into your wedding day. This might mean changing the time of day for your bridal shoot if you like the light, or learning a different body position, or deciding to go to the beach instead of the forest. The idea here is to remove unrealistic expectations about the types of results you will get in comparison to your real life environment, and to take the initiative to change things to be the way you want- rather than expecting photographers to literally be magicians.
6. Communicate (appropriately).
When in doubt, talk to your photographer. If the price is too much: discuss. If you have a question about how to achieve x result: discuss. If you need vendor recommendations: discuss. If you're nervous about the timeline: discuss. They've done this wedding thing a LOT. You probably haven't. However, if you have questions about what to give your dog for dinner, or you feel like messaging your photographer every second day- maybe hold back. If you can, clump your questions together so that it's not lots of little bits of contact (because they've probably got 40 other clients and other jobs as well).
7. Give the photographer creative control
By all means choose the location of your wedding and what you are wearing and how you structure your day. But let the photographer decide what to shoot and how, and consult with them about bridal shoot locations. They know when the best light is, where the sun will set, how much time you're going to want photos for etc. Let them work out the specifics once you're at those locations. With one exception- if a particular spot, or shot, has some particular personal meaning to you- then TELL THE PHOTOGRAPHER. They'll love the significance. If it's the place where you had your first kiss, or the place where you swam as a child, or your favourite grandma, or your family dog- if it means something significant to you, tell them!
Don't do these things:
1. Don't think that you'll get your photos next week.
Post production- it takes time. Especially if the photographer is in high demand. Under a third of the time a photographer spends on you is the actual wedding day. You don't want them to rush. Really, you just want a great result, and to get that, you'll want the photographer to take their time making your images perfect. If you push them, you may get an inferior product. The wait times vary from photographer to photographer but I've heard of photographers taking 6 months! Just ask, they'll tell you the turnaround time. Some photographers also offer an earlier sample gallery.
2. Don't let people stand in the aisles, take their own photos during the ceremony.
This is a sure way to ruin the first kiss, registry signing or even walking down the aisle. So many times at weddings a guest will stand up or get into the middle of the aisle and start filming or taking photos- completely ruining the shot the photographer has lined up. Unless you like photos of peoples bums or close ups of the back of their heads we recommend telling the celebrant to inform everyone to just not take photos. Consider a dedicated time where people can snap away if you want that but you hired the photographer for a reason. However: it's your day, do what you want. If you want everyone taking photos that's fine but it will affect the result- there will be lots of photos of people taking photos.
3. Don't stress.
By the time your day comes around it's too late to change anything much anyway, so just enjoy it. Get a good night's sleep (if you can!). You gotta have faith! Wedding photographers shoot SO MANY weddings a year- we've seen a lot. Fainting people? Yes. Abusive family members? Yes. Dead bodies being fished out in the background of photos? Yes. Rings being lost? Yes. Dresses ripping? Yes. Birds pooping on outfits? Yes. And yet... we got amazing wedding photos. Even if things go wrong, we do our job to a high standard. The same thing goes with the other vendors. Spend more time and consideration choosing them, so that once your decision is made, you can TRUST and RELAX. This goes for your actual marriage too- you spent so much time and effort investing in this relationship- enjoy marriage with your favourite other person.
4. Don't think everyone has the same taste.
Photographers are all different people and like different things. Choosing a photographer is like choosing your new favorite band. Some might be technically skilled, some might be a bit quirky, some will be plain cheesey. None of that really matters. It's not important what your friends think or which photographer got your attention first. None of that really matters. The most important thing is that YOU LIKE IT. Don't expect a photographer to alter their style for you- you don't expect that from a band either. Instead choose the one that already fits with you stylistically and inter-personally.
5. Don't get really drunk (too soon)
You would think this goes without saying, but I have been at weddings where they literally had to delay the ceremony for hours because you are not allowed to sign a legal document when drunk! The groom had to sober up (he was really really drunk). A glass of champagne in the morning, or a glass of whiskey or a couple of beers is one thing. But don't get shit faced. a) You'll look drunk in your photos b) You may not have a very good memory of the day and c) You'll be harder to pose, more easily distracted and less organised with your time. By all means, if you want to end your night passed out in a paddock do so. But do the majority of your drinking at an appropriate time of the day!
6. Don't change yourself drastically for your photos.
You're going to look great - and you're probably not a model. The photos should look like you- of course, a beautiful version- but your normal smile, hair colour, skin colour! You do not want to look like an oompa loompa drowning in a white marshmallow. You want to look like yourself. Don't try and hide or cover up imperfections beyond what you would normally do. That birthmark you have? It's rad, it's unique. That curly hair? No one would recognise you without it! I guess the main thing is the things you see as "flaws" everyone else, including your future spouse, sees as a part of you- and they love you. If people are going to be focusing on flaws, it'll be their own. Instead of overly worrying about how you look, focus on being comfortable. A conventionally beautiful bride looking uncomfortable makes for a worse photo than a less conventionally beautiful bride who is loving every minute of her day.
7. Don't put more work and effort into your wedding than your relationship
Give yourself the best chance you can- no one sets out to fail, but many end up failing. One of the hardest things that wedding photographers see are those times when the stress, financial burdens and expectations of a big wedding start tearing apart the relationship it's meant to be celebrating. If your wedding is more important than your relationship, don't get married. If your relationship is more important than your wedding, then make sure you prioritise it. This is a long term endurance race not a sprint, and how you start influences the way you will continue. So start right, start tight- put your relationship, not your wedding, first. You're going to look great - and you're probably not a model. The photos should look like you- of course, a beautiful version- but your normal smile, hair colour, skin colour! You do not want to look like an oompa loompa drowning in a white marshmallow. You want to look like yourself. Don't try and hide or cover up imperfections beyond what you would normally do. That birthmark you have? It's rad, it's unique. That curly hair? No one would recognise you without it! What you see as "flaws" everyone else, including your future spouse, sees as a part of you- and they love you. If people are going to be focusing on flaws, it'll be their own. Instead of overly worrying about how you look, focus on being comfortable. A conventionally beautiful bride looking uncomfortable makes for a worse photo than a less conventionally beautiful bride who is loving every minute of her day.
You made it to the end! If you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it you're half asleep by now, but if you feel like doing more reading you can check out our Copyright page. It's pretty fun.