The Photographer’s View and Tips for Planning

Proper planning is the key to a successful wedding. It will not only give you peace of mind, more and better photographs, but it might also save you money. This article provides tips for planning from the point of view of a professional photographer. It’s our job to make sure that your wedding photographs come out absolutely perfect and poor planning can get in the way. Not all wedding planners consider aspects that are so important to a photographer. Ideally we should all work together to achieve perfect results. Weddings can take from a few hours up to an entire day. You might think the longer the wedding, the more can be achieved. This is not entirely true. More hours simply means more opportunities. With proper planning great results can be achieved no matter how long the celebration lasts. Let’s start planning! Budget 30-60 minutes for dressing room time. The photographer does not always need to be present for the entire time the ladies are dressing. The bridesmaids should have their makeup and hair done first. The photographer can come in time for the bride’s hair, makeup, and putting the dress on.

Let the photographer ride with you. If you have a limo or any other special transportation, make sure there is a place for the photographer. If you have to travel from one venue to another, which in some cases can take a while, let the photographer take advantage of all that time to document the interaction between you and your wedding party. This can be tons of fun!

Plan around the sun. A lot of ceremonies take place outdoors. On sunny days it is best when the ceremony or reception takes place in a shady area. When shade is not available and full sunlight is the only option, it is best to situate the ceremony so that the sun is shining from the side, rather than from the back or front. Under direct sun it is difficult to avoid glare. While some planned glare may make a photograph interesting, most pictures look washed out and pale. When shooting opposite of the sun, faces are in the shade, and the photographer needs to use the flash making it necessary to change the setting every time the focus turns to the other direction. Direct sun also causes everybody to sweat and squint, eyes to water, and makeup to run.

Slow down! You’ve waited for this for many months and it’s finally here. Take your time and enjoy it. It’s very important to take a slower pace. The entire procession should move slowly down the aisle, one at a time, with heads held high and looking ahead. This way each can be photographed individually, allowing the photographer to capture emotions. Sometimes putting the rings on and the first kiss fly by at a blink of an eye. Allow the photographer enough time to capture the moment.

Appoint someone to organize group shots. In order to get the most out of your time and not to forget anyone, prepare a list of group shots that you would like. It is best to appoint a friend or a family member to organize guests for the group shots. This person will make sure that everyone participating is gathered at the picture site and is waiting for their name to be called out for the next photograph. This approach takes the burden off of the couple, saves a lot of time, and allows the photographer to concentrate on posing groups and taking the photographs.

Budget time for wonderful romantic shots. Dedicate some time in the schedule to capture the romance. It can be 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the length of the wedding, amount of romantic shots desired, and locations chosen. You should be willing to spend time with the photographer – not just doing boring posed shots. Spend some time in a secluded location where you can relax, talk, be silly, playful or romantic and allow the photographer to take unforced, full-of-life romantic photographs.

Plan for the sunset. The warm glow, eyes sparkling . . . The most romantic, most special pictures are shot in the golden rosy light of sunset. Most couples want it and most couples miss it. Find out when the sun sets and set aside about 15 minutes around that time. Be ready well in advance. My brides say and I quote: “The sunset pictures are spectacular!” It’s great when time for sunset photographs is written into the schedule. Scheduling it will help you avoid being pulled away from dinner, dancing, or missing it all together.

Put the money dance at the end. If you plan to have a money dance – the very popular tradition that can collect quite a bit of cash for the honeymoon – schedule it at the end of the photographer’s time. There is no need to take more than a few pictures of the money dance, unless you want to have pictures with all 200 guests. Planning it at the end will also save you money.

Keep vendors in sync. Many couples are very nice and offer vendors a meal. Unfortunately, as soon as the bride and groom and most guests are done eating and are ready to socialize, vendors are served dinner at the precise moment they must get back to work. It is best to offer vendors a meal at the same time as the bride and groom are eating, so that they can be ready when you are!

~ Regina Zaslavets

Assolux Photography
(310) 204-5992