Our goal for your wedding day related photography is to have an unique engagement session, a bridal portrait session with meaning, and fun filled day of wedding photographs. Let’s talk about the approach to maximizing your Wedding related photography sessions.
Engagements are up first because I think they are the building blocks to a successful wedding day. A good engagement session will not only produce fantastic photos of you and your soon to be spouse but will also accomplish the task of building a working relationship with your photographer. The importance of the working relationship can not be overstated because communication of ideas is at the root of successful wedding day photos. Our conversation really starts with the pre-session interview where we find out more about your hobbies and interests as a couple. We take those ideas and spin them into themes for your engagement session so they are more than just “pretty couple in a field” type photographs.
3 more guidelines to help plan your engagement session
– Allot 45 minutes to 1 hour per location/outfit change
– Start formal in appearance and work towards casualness
– Beware of “Death by Pinterest”. Pinterest is great for setting the mood and inspiration but don’t overwhelm your photographer with a Pinterest Greatest Hits.
We love shooting bridal portraits outside of the wedding day for several reasons. First, they allow the wedding day to be less stressful. Second, bridal portraits are a great time to give your hair & makeup and florals a photographic test before the wedding day. And thirdly, we can do them in a place that has meaning to you to create a timeless treasure. A Bridal portrait session is also a great chance for your maid of honor or bridal party to help out with your dress and bouquet and support you.
And for the grand finale let’s talk through ways to maximize your photographic time on Your Wedding Day. First, include the photographer in the wedding day timeline discussion. We might need more or less time for certain shots and can give you suggestions when planning the day. This is a great example of where the working relationship with the photographer plays a huge role! Second, Stay in the Moment on your wedding day. Never feel like you have to pose or smile for the camera. Let everything come naturally and we will get the natural smiles and reactions of the day. Lastly, for family portraits, whittle down the list to your top ten combinations. That let’s us know which ones are most important and we will get them done first. We usually have time for more but it’s a great starting point for family portraits.
Bonus Tip: Emote through your eyes during the first dance and reduce talking. It will lead to amazing photographs without you looking like a guppy.
So that’s it! The AzulOx way to making your Wedding Photography sessions the best they can be!
