Photography details

On your wedding day you want to be able to leave the photographer to it. Therefore some details need to be worked-out in advance. As soon as possible your photographer will need information about timings, venues and any restrictions. Some venues, particularly religious buildings and historic houses, do not allow photography everywhere and may restrict flash photography, especially during the wedding ceremony. If you are hiring a grand venue do not assume you have free and easy access within or around it. So if you have a location for a photograph in mind, ensure you ask if you will have access to it on the the day.

The time of the year will also have some bearing on what is and is not possible. People really love the idea of the romance of a winter wedding. You can get some fantastically atmospheric shots. But if the service is late in the afternoon just know that you are not going to have any daylight shots at all. If you are planning a winter wedding, lack of natural light will be your photographer's main challenge and they will need to be well-versed in low-level lightning. Therefore ensure you have seen winter weddings represented in his or her portfolio. The conditions can be quite harsh to work around for the natural shots of the couple. So discuss this with your photographer in case you decide you want some daylight time, even if it is just enough to get the guests arriving. But you can also consider having some fun with guests by setting-up a photo corner with some studio lights.

Bright sunshine also brings problems. It can bleach-out a white wedding gown, you and guests could be perspiring, eyes can be squinting and wide-brimmed hats will cast a shadow on their wearer's faces. Softer light is far maore flattering than full sunshine. So if your photographer seems happier to wait for a cloud to come overhead, he knows what he or she is doing!If you are marrying in a hot climate the light can be too strong early in the day. Also the guests get hot and sweaty, so don't marry in the heat of the midday sun!

Have a wet weather contingency plan if you are hoping to save some formal photography outside, and discuss this in advance with your photographer. They will want to see the locations when visiting the venue (which a good photographer will allways want to do if they do not already know it). A good photographer will also get the best out of the conditions whatever they are.

When you have a schedule for the big day's events, let your photographer have it. Discuss when and where you'd like to set aside some time for formal and family shots. Usually after the ceremony is a good time, or at the drinks reception. Also look for the best backdrop for that symbolic shot, that will be passed-down through the generations, of you and your new husband on your wedding day. For your formal family portaits, your photographer will be able to offer an opinion as to the best location.Normally, the only time a photographer takes control during the wedding day is for the formal pictures. It is not necessary to spend a long time on these pictures; everyone has come to enjoy the celebration, not to wait and watch you having your photograph taken. Just twenty minutes or so it should normally take.

It is also possible to get the groups pictures whitout the formal poses when the photographer just follows the bride and groom around ad takes some shots.Sometime photograhers also ask people to put their heads together and take a very informal shot with them all looking into the camera.

Also build into your day some informal time with your photographer. Documentary style photography, whilst it will produce lots of natural shots, it might not produce the volume of romantic images that you are looking for. So set-aside five or ten minutes to wander hand-in-hand around the venue and let the photographer document it. That is a reall good way to get some great shots of you together.

For your formal shots avoid giving your photographer a long shot list as that makes the wedding uncreative. A list of faceless names will mean nothing to him or her. Many photographers just ask to be told in advance who is important so that they know they have got them in the pictures. They mostly want to tune into the day rather than dictate how it will be photographed. Nevertheless, you do need to satisfy family, parents and grandparents. It is the one opportunity where you have family members together. It doesn't have to be outside the church either. Indeed it is better to find a good backdrop at the reception when everyone has had a chance to say hello and relax with a drink. Just draw the family together in a group, let them look directly inthe camara, and get something that is glamorous and stylish.

Also tell your photographer if there are any family dynamics that might affect how people behave on the day. The photographer needs to know if anything has happened recently, like a death in the family, or if aparent is not there for some reason, whether they are divorced parents who have remarried, children and stepchildren. The formal photographes can sometimes be a bit of an ordeal for some family members. Photographers don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. So just set aside the right amount of time and decide who, where and when , together with you photographer. Also tell your photographer anything you think he or shee needs to know about you. Even the sad stories that are part of your life and that have brought you here. It is really important for a photographer to understand the people they are photographing. That is why meetings are so crucial.