What kind of wedding photos work for you?
Over the years of shooting people I have identified three different approaches people have to getting their photo taken. Here are three different types of attitudes to having your photo taken. Which one are you?
The Paparazzi Crew
You enjoy having your photo taken?
You have a few poses that you know look good?
You post photos often on social media of you and your friends and family looking great?
You are the type of person who embraces having your photo taken. You enjoy sharing snippets of your life with people online and like to look at photos of other people. From the photos of your wedding day you'd like some shots of your wedding that make the day look stylish, fun and exciting that you can share online and with your friends and family.
It's great fun being with people who like having their photo taken and I'm always up for new ideas when it comes to couples and group shots.
Why not make photography a big part of your day with a backdrop or other stagey photography opportunities? This is a great way to make sure that you get pictures with everyone and make it fun at the same time.
Traditional
You sometimes take pictures of your friends and family?
You not mind having your photo taken but rarely share these pictures online?
You think you generally look OK in pictures, or don't really care about how you look?
This might be more of a traditional type of approach to wedding photography. You'll probably want some pictures but not too many. You'll want some posed shots so that you can have a record of everyone that came looking good in their besets gear. But you won't want too many as you'll be wanting to get on with your day and celebrate.
Most weddings are a combination of posed shots and natural shots. Everyone has made a big effort to turn out in their best clothes so its nice to have a few traditional posed type shots of different groups as those could well be the pictures that end up on the wall, or in pictures frames around the house. I'll work with you to get these shots done as quickly and painlessly as possible so that you can get on with the rest of your day.
Why not consider limiting your posed shots to a few carefully selected groups? That way things will flow quicker and you'll be able to spend more time celebrating with your guests.
Camera Shy
Do you hate having your photo taken?
Do you think you are unphotogenic and always freeze up in front of the camera?
Do you want pictures of the day to reme
Many couples are camera shy. You want pictures to capture the story of the day, but you aren't bothered about stagey, posy shots. You want a photographer who is discreet and blends in with your guests to capture some candid moments of you all looking natural and unposed
I've shot many weddings where the couple are requesting no real formal shots. I have been described as the photographic ninja, lurking around looking for photographable moments and catching people when they are off guard with natural big smiles and true moments and making sure everyone feels comfortable and happy!
Why not, consider keeping your options open? Many couples feel much more relaxed after a couple of drinks and find themselves more up for posed shots than they thought!
Personally I'm a real mixture of all the above! I love sharing stories and posts on social media, but I rarely include myself in the post as I think I'm unphotogenic. At my wedding the shots I loved the best were the traditional posey type shots, because I liked looking at everyone in their best gear! As a photographer I'm always looking for those moments of true connections. So even in the staged shots there are moments between the poses when people let their guards down and I can grab a few natural shots.
Everyone is different and each approach is personal to you. Before you book a wedding photographer you need to think about, and be clear to yourself, what your expectations are of the photos from the day. Be honest with yourself. Perhaps you like the idea of having some staged shots but also are camera shy. Once you've clarified what you want, hopefully it will be easier to find a wedding photographer that fits your requirements. Look at their portfolio, do they show the type of photos that you like? What do they say in their bio? Taking a little time to shop around and find someone who you think can deliver the type of photos you like is key. Its a big day in your life so you deserve the pictures that you want to retell the story of your day.
