5 Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You To Know

As if planning a wedding wasn’t enough work, there are so many platforms out there offering inspiration, information and advice. And while some of it can be extremely helpful, there is also a lot of misinformation out there. When I look back at my own wedding, I could cringe at some of the things I did, or some of the questions that I asked, mainly because I read somewhere that I should do. Like sending my amazing photography a shot list (I’m so sorry Nina!). But the truth is, sometimes it’s hard to know the facts from the “alternative facts”, so I thought I would go out and ask wedding photographers things they want you to know.

5 Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You To Know

I wanted to ask a diverse group of wedding photographers around Europe, so I reached out to the photographers in our own Adventure Wedding Collective as well as the amazing community of photographers from the SNAP Photography Festival. And here is what they said:

Katy from Kate Jackson Photography had some great advice about your timeline:

I highly recommend them to think about timings a bit more. If they want a relaxed wedding then leaving adequate time for each part of the day is key, so they don’t feel hassled or rushed during any part of the day. Classic example is not leaving enough time to get ready, especially when it’s across more than one venue as two things happen here - your photographer misses everyone seeing you in your outfit for the first time and misses that part of the story because they need to head to ceremony and the bride or groom gets hot and worried about getting to where they need to be on time. If they leave enough time, they can have a sit down and chill out for 15 mins if they are ready before they meant to be. That continues throughout the day. Leave extra time for group & couple photos and time to have a drink with your mates before sitting down for food! Basically the more organised they are with a timeline beforehand the more they get to chill on the day!

Kate Jackson Photography Hippie Wedding
Image by Kate Jackson Photography

Gill from Unfurl Photography had this piece of advice about your couple picures:

Extraordinary images require effort from the bride and groom; this means the bride and groom giving time to the photographer to work, explore and area and wait for the best light. In more traditional weddings time constraints often are a barrier to allowing this. But if you plan your day with photography in mind, then allocate time at the time of day the photographer suggests. And if this isn’t possible, consider booking a post wedding shoot!

Image by Unfurl Photography

Laura from Babb Photo has this to say about when she gets asked for all of the images from a wedding day:

When couples ask if they get all the pictures that were taken on a wedding day, the answer is no. It’s not that we’re keeping pictures from you on purpose. It’s more that some of our pictures won’t be usable, usually for these main reasons: 1. We were checking exposure/reading the light; 2. We wanted to try a few different versions of the same image (different exposure/composition etc) to get the perfect shot; 3. You were blinking or worse; and 4. Near identical duplicates – no one needs 8 versions of the same shot.

I probably deliver 1/3 of the images I take on the day of the wedding and the rest are disposed of as part of the editing process. When you are shooting people and moments, there is always a pinnacle of every moment. The best possible capture of the emotion and the story. Everything leading up to that moment and everything after is a lesser version of the same picture and who wants that? Trust your photographer to curate the images they create for you and they will provide you with the best representation of your day.

Adventure Wedding Collective member Delia of Delia Folghera Photography gives some advice for the getting ready photos:

If you want your getting ready photos to look calm and relaxed, it’s really important to keep the area clean and tidy. Move any distracting objects out of the way, and consider taking pictures off the walls for a cleaner and less-cluttered look.

Image by Delia Folghera Photography

And finally, one from me:

Remember that pricing is very subjective. There is no industry standard in how much wedding photography costs, but as in most walks of life, you get what you pay for. There will always be someone who can do it cheaper; family members, photography students and people looking to “expand their portfolio” may help save on costs, but their lack of experience may result in you being disappointed with the end result. A higher price tag usually reflects a higher level of experience and superior quality in the service as well as the final images you’ll receive.

Image by Wild Connections Photography
Editor of We Are The Wanderers Cat Ekkelboom-White at Lake Prags in the Dolomites in Winter

Author: Cat Ekkelboom-White

Cat is the founder of We Are The Wanderers as well as a photographer for Wild Connections Photography and mentor at the Adventure Wedding Academy.