Photography Before the Wedding Ceremony

admin | Oct 26, 2009 | Comments View Comments

The bride and her family are preoccupied with endless details, everyone is running around working on last minute preparations, the scene is emotionally charged and nerves can be high strung, and you’re the photographer hired to shoot all this mess! You’re a wedding photographer. This is crunch time. This is where you roll up the sleeves, take charge, and earn your paycheck.

There are many strategies based on business and past experience for the wedding day coverage. Some photographers are with their clients all day while others show up shortly before the wedding. This isn’t an argument for either, rather it’s an example of how one might cover a wedding day ceremony as a photographer.

During some of your earlier meetings or appointments with your client you should agree upon the time when you’ll be starting your coverage and where to meet up with the clients in question. This will help ensure that the flowers will be ready when you arrive and that most everyone will be ready for taking pictures at that hour. Many photographers feel that arriving two to three hours before the bride is to leave for the wedding ceremony is ample time.

Your first task is to scout the location as soon as you arrive. Find an area where you can take bridal and family portraits. Look for something that isn’t too busy for a background. Look for an area that has great natural lighting as well.

If the light isn’t quite right in any area of the house choose an open space where you can set up some strobes if that’s how you roll. Look for exposed staircases, easy chairs, bookcases, mirrors, and other items or areas that will help create dynamic scenery.

It’ll probably be fairly busy with people running around trying get everything in order. Don’t be too pushy, but feel free to take charge of the situation and create a nice set up. If you’re strictly documentary look for ample opportunity to open windows or move things around. This isn’t “real photo-journalism”. You can move things around. Get that fast food wrapper in the trash if it’s ruining an otherwise beautiful image.

While you’re getting things set up it’s probably a good time to enlist the aid of someone who will become your assistant for the day. The maid (or matron) of honor usually works well. She typically knows most of the people involved with the wedding and can help you with names and relationships. The bride is super distracted and really doesn’t need you to add to her preoccupation unless it’s absolutely necessary. The maid of honor can help you organize the people for the pre-ceremony pictures and help keep track of the veil, flowers, and other necessary items.

Most photographers will start shooting a minimum two hours before the service begins. This gives you an hour to shoot the pre-ceremony pictures while leaving the wedding party an hour after you finish to make any final preparations. Any less time could result in rushed shots and possibly poor pictures. This is about giving your subjects enough time to relax and look more natural in their poses. Allow yourself time to shoot, pack your gear, and get to the church to do some shots of the groom, his ushers, and his family and friends.

The order of shooting depends on who’s ready once you’re set up. Since the bride is your key subject try to arrange her to be ready first. This should be discussed in pre-wedding day meetings. It’s a good idea to get some shots of the ring bearer and flower girl early on as children may become restless if they have to wait around for pictures.

Your rapport with the bride and groom, as well as their families, in this early stage of the wedding service will greatly affect the relationship you have with the wedding party for the rest of the day. It’s important to get things going on a positive note.

There are photographers who will blunder around the house barking orders. I strongly urge you not to do this. Don’t live up to people’s worst expectations, treat them with care, and they’ll probably return the favor. If you can’t do that, you may want to re-consider your “calling” as a wedding photographer.

If all is in chaos and confusion when you arrive try not to get too stressed out about it. At the very least, get some shots of the bride getting ready and a few pictures of her and her close family. You just never know what you’re going to walk into on the actual day of the wedding. If you miss something try to get after the ceremony if you can. Don’t put off shots for later when people are ready, make the most of those opportunities and try to get the “main shots” out of the way when you can.

There are many ways to tackle this important element of shooting a wedding. This is just one way to go about it. Is there as tip or trick you could add? Use the comments below to share some of your best secrets for pre-ceremony success.

Photo Film star quality bride by Stina Stockholm

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