After all these years of taking photos of couples, newlyweds or family, I have come across one question which I have been asked many times – Where is a good place to take photos?
And in fact, I never have an answer for it. …And the reason I don’t have an answer for it is quite simple. We all are so different and have a specific taste/personality.
So for that reason, I always love to meet the couple before to make sure that I get to know them and their personalities. It might look like a waste of time, but let me tell you this; it’s one of the most parts of preparing for the wedding day.
Why does the Wedding Photographer need to meet the Couple before the wedding day?
Well, in fact, this should be a must for all the wedding photographers. In fact, I think this should become one of the main requirements and the reason behind it is quite simple – How comfortable do you feel when someone you do not know taking the most important photos of you? Well, we all are different but in fact, even myself; I do not feel free and comfortable when there is someone new in the room or taking photos of me, I do not know of. So step number one – Meet your clients before and see if you match. I think this is another important step. Because what if you as a couple you are not comfortable with the photographer `s energy, mindset or you are just not matching.
Second, I have noticed how some of the couples have no idea what kind of photos they would like to have.
So it is important to explain to them, ask what kind of taste they have, what kind of theme the wedding will be and this will give a great overview for both sides. For example: You like a vintage look or you prefer brighter colours. Or you are getting married in the castle or maybe in the forest/outdoor wedding. All these small things matter and as we know, attention to detail brings the best results.
And then again there are couples who know exactly what they want, how they want. So it is important to discuss this beforehand to see if the photographer is able to deliver the results.
Third, discuss about the wedding guests. As you do not want to miss out the best moments and people… For example, you have bridesmaids and you would like to have a fun photo collection of this. But if you do not discuss this beforehand, and it is not in the schedule, the photographer might only take the photos of during the ceremony and you will not have any photos of all of you together. So… once again, have a clear idea who is attending the wedding, what is the wedding structure and make plans according to this.
Tip: if you happen to have a chance to visit the location beforehand then do it. This will give a great idea and inspiration, before the big day.
Next – Ask about the wedding – the plan of the day, ceremony, and etc.
You do not want to end up in a wedding where you have no idea what comes next. You will miss out on a lot of important moments. So in order to make sure that everything will go as planned, ask the schedule of the day, make notes and send it back to the wedding couple. Like this, you both will have a clear overview of when and how. The very simple trick will help save time and stress. And believe me, weddings are stressful enough.
Some wedding are having family traditions and in order to know them helps to get wonderful details and moments.
As I said, every wedding and couple are different. Take a time to know about it.
What if the weather is bad?
The worst nightmare of the wedding day is a bad weather – raining heavily or the biggest storm of the history. Turn this as an advantage for yourself as a photographer and assure your wedding couple that everything is fine.
We can`t be in charge of the wedding day weather, but we can be in charge of the photos. So be creative if it is pouring heavily, then find places and locations which can give this atmosphere in a beautiful way. The stormy sky can be a good option for it. Or if it is raining heavily, get them under some roof and still have beautiful pictures with rain. Like I always say to my clients, it is good that we have weather like this, as there are tons and tons of pictures out there of gorgeous sunny day but not so many stormy or rainy moments, let`s make it memorable.
So do not let the couple to think that rainy or bad weather is ruining their wedding day.
Here are just a few tips I recommend, do you have some tips or tricks?
Or something you feel you would like to share, leave a comment below.
