Get the best from your wedding photographer

How to get the best from your wedding photographer

A good wedding photographer will be working quietly in the background most of the time, but there are a few things you can do to get the absolute best from them.

Be a likeable client!

Just as you need to like your photographer, it helps if they like you. A professional will deliver good results whether you are a pleasure to work with or a bridezilla, but there’s no doubt that a bride who is friendly and appreciative will get the very best results.

For example, ask the venue to prepare a ‘supplier meal’ for the photographer. This will be a simple meal, much less expensive than a guest meal, but will ensure your photographer maintains their energy levels through the day.

Involve your photographer in the planning

Take the time to consult your photographer on your plans for the day. For example, things like timings for the wedding breakfast. If you only allow half an hour between the end of the ceremony and people sitting down to eat, most of that time will be taken up with your guests congratulating you, leaving little time for beautiful bridal portraits. Your photographer will generally suggest at least an hour’s gap to allow time for relaxed portraits in the lovely setting you’ve paid for while your guests enjoy drinks and canapés.

The light may be better at particular times of the day, and there may be a lovely river or park just ten minutes away. By consulting your photographer before you fix the timings, you’ll be able to get the most from the venue.

Let the registrar know you want ceremony photos

Most couples these days want photographs taken during the ceremony. These can be some of the most romantic shots. The majority of registrars appreciate this, and allow the official photographer to shoot (without flash) during the ceremony, but there are some old-fashioned ones who don’t. It’s usually possible to request a registrar who is ok with this. If you leave it until the day, you may be disappointed.

Help with ‘artistic licence’

While you probably want mostly photojournalistic coverage – photographing things naturally, as they happen – the very best wedding photography is only about 90% photojournalistic. For example, when you are getting ready, your shoes are probably sat wrapped in tissue-paper in a box – not a very pleasing photo. A photographer who combines photojournalism with a bit of artistic licence will carefully remove the shoes from the box and find somewhere arty to position them.

It’s likely that your photographer will want to do this with your dress, your shoes, your rings and your bouquet. You can help them by having these things to hand, and your photographer will always appreciate a bridesmaid or family member helping them hang the dress somewhere pretty so they don’t have the nerve-wracking business of doing this on their own!

Allow the photographer to gently direct you for the portraits

Finally, many brides don’t realise that some of the natural-looking bridal portraits they’ve seen in other wedding albums were in fact gently directed by the photographer.

Nobody wants to be told to ‘turn ten degrees to your right and lift your arm 5 centimetres’, but if you allow a photographer to suggest things like ‘walk hand-in-hand to the tree over there and embrace’, then you’ll get the best of both worlds. Natural-looking photos with a touch of the fashion photography glamour!

You can visit Ben Lovejoy’s website at www.beautifullytold.com