Preparing for Great Photography

Sample Wedding Timeline

The timeline below is an idea of how a typical wedding day will go and is a tried and true formula for great wedding photography. From a photographer's point of view, I am not as concerned about details after the reception starts as I just follow what the coordinator or client has determined for the flow. But, photography before the reception usually requires careful planning and some assistance from me in order to get everything photographed AND to keep the client from feeling rushed and frustrated on their wedding day.

This timeline is based on a 5 PM ceremony at a single venue wedding (getting ready, ceremony, reception at same location or within minutes of each other). These times have to be adjusted for 1) your start time with consideration for available light at the time of the year for your ceremony and 2) weddings where the getting ready, ceremony, and reception locations are spread out and require travel time.

I also like to point out that this timeline is a "sketch" of the day. While there are precise times for everything, most people don't want to feel like they are under a stopwatch on their wedding day. I will always gently remind the client if things start looking critically late, but other than that this guideline is simply meant as a good planning tool. Other than that, I just go with the flow.

2:00 PM		Groom and groomsmen have arrived at getting ready location and are ready to start dressing. CLIENT PLANNING NOTE: It is very important that they have all checked their rental bag to make sure it is complete and that everything fits. We don't want to have clothing emergencies at this point.  Sometimes I will shoot the grooms ties and shoes, cuff links if special, all before he puts them on. Then as the guys are finishing up I will shoot candids of them adjusting ties etc. Bow ties are also becoming more popular. If they are wearing authentic bow ties they need to know how to tie them. There are great YouTube videos on how to do this any I would be happy to share my source. CLIENT PLANNING NOTE: The groom's party and his family (any family who is being photographed at this location) should all have their flowers at this location no later than the start time for this session. We want them to look complete for these photos. Please instruct your florist to deliver them to this location OR have someone pick them up from a central delivery location and transport them. You will also need to arrange for someone to pin their flowers on them. This is usually done by the wedding coordinator or a family member or friend of the groom if a coordinator is not available. It is my experience that the groom and groomsmen are completely unable to do this themselves.
2:20 PM		Groom's portraits alone.
2:30 PM		Photograph groom with groomsmen. Groom with Best Man.
2:45 PM		Groom with parents and groom with parents and siblings if desired. Very important that they are on time for this and also nice if they have any flowers they will have for the day already pinned. I cannot wait on them for this little mini-session as there is a lot of shooting to be done with the bride and that is a priority. If they are not on time for this part of the day and miss it, we will squeeze it in later if asked, but it is so nice to have this more relaxed time before the ceremony for these photographs.
3:00 PM		I will arrive at bride's getting ready location. I will spend the first 15 minutes getting details shots. Details include special jewelry, handkerchiefs, shoes, and other special things. It's nice if all of these can be gathered in one place for when I arrive. I also like to have BOTH rings at this time to do ring shots. I will be taking candids during this time as well. This is a nice time for the bride and her attendants to relax a little before getting dressed. It's nice if the bridesmaids can be dressed before I get there or dress while I am photographing the details, whatever works best depending on privacy availability at the getting ready location. CLIENT PLANNING NOTE: Also, and this is SO IMPORTANT, all hair and makeup should be completed by this time, two hours before the ceremony, and the bride should be at the dressing location. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Late hair and makeup 1) causes the bride to stress 2) can push bridal party portraits so late that we only get one or two rushed poses 3) causes the portrait session to be in view of arriving guests 4) and short changes the time available for nice bride family portraits. In any event, the bride should not be scheduled last for hair and makeup so even if things do run late photographing portraits can start without the bridesmaids and we can get nice bridal portraits. But, please please please clearly communicate your expectations for this timeline with your hair and makeup people. It is always best to get an experienced wedding professional for hair and makeup and a dry run the week or two before can circumvent wedding day hairstyle issues.
3:00 PM		Photographing the dress and details will be the first thing I do. Details include special jewelry, handkerchiefs, shoes, and other special things. It's nice if all of these can be gathered in one place for when I arrive. I also like to have BOTH rings at this time to do ring shots. I will be taking candids during this time as well.
3:15 PM		Dressing. I photograph whatever part of this your modesty allows. For those who wish to include a little "sexy bride" at the beginning we will do that. Some brides like to be photographed with the dress loosely on, slightly revealing. Some do not want any part of this photographed at all other than a zip-up or lace-up.
3:45 PM		Depending on the location, I like to shoot a some bridal portraiture inside near a window. I do not do this in locations where there is no natural light. If they are around, I may include the mother of the bride in some window portraiture sessions.
4:00 PM		Bridal portraiture and bridal party portraiture. Usually outside if weather permits.
4:30 PM		Bride with parents and siblings. This is also the time that I usually get the bride with any ring-bearers or flower girls who are around and dressed.
4:45 PM		Candids of each side as they wait for the ceremony, guests as they arrive, ceremony location details, reception details if reception location is at same location and close. If the couple wants a Reveal, this is when we will shoot that unless time accommodations have been made to start shooting earlier to do a Reveal AND some couple portraiture.
5:00 PM		Ceremony
5:30 PM		Family and wedding party portraits with bride and groom. I recommend twenty minutes maximum for family portraits after the ceremony. My portrait list gives information about how long EACH pose can take and I suggest the bride and groom choose the groups and poses with that in mind. CLIENT PLANNING NOTE: One of the most unfortunate things about wedding photography is that couple portraiture is pretty much last in the order of things (unless the couple has a pre-cereomny First Look) and suffers terribly sometimes from lack of organization and communication needed to get family portraiture done timely. Lack of courtesy and attention from family and members of the wedding party who are needed to complete it is usually the problem. Sometimes it is because they were never told they were needed for this. People are people and sometimes it is really beyond anyone's control. My suggestion is always to appoint a couple of responsible family members (one on each side) as well as someone in your wedding party to take charge of this part of the day. Email them the lineup for portraits and communicate this to the family as well. This point person can be responsible for keeping their charges corralled and ready to be photographed and move on.
5:50 PM		Couple portraiture. I allotted 40 minutes here. 25 to 40 minutes is the typical range. Adjust to taste. Keep in mind that if the service runs longer or family portraiture bogs down, it's nice to have a little room so that this very important part of your wedding photography portfolio isn't slighted. I always suggest that if couple portraiture is very important to you and you want to take your time, a cocktail/hors d'oeuvre hour is good to entertain the guests while we complete the photography.
6:30 PM		Enter Reception
		Sunset (varies) - This can be a nice time for beautiful light!
10:00 PM		Contractual Coverage Ends for typical 8 hour coverage package

 

Wedding Portrait Checklist

I do require this form be filled out and returned to me. I would prefer to have it two weeks before the wedding but no later than 5 days before the wedding is acceptable. Once I receive the form from you I will review it and then schedule a time to go over it either via phone conference or studio appointment.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be judicious in your selection of these posing groups, especially those done with family AFTER the ceremony. While family portraiture is important, your wedding day couple portraiture is what you will cherish most as years go by. Failure to allot sufficient time after the ceremony for a RELAXED couple portraiture session is the number one regret of past clients. A minimum of 25 minutes is needed for couple portraiture when planning for your day.

Most people choose around 10 family groupings which, if everything goes smoothly, will take about 25 minutes to complete ONCE WE START the session. Some couples take 5-10 minutes for hugs and kisses with their guests and family immediately after the ceremony while I am setting up. So, when determining your scheduling needs for post ceremony photography, please consider all of these time factors as well as travel time if your reception venue requires travel from the ceremony venue.

For weddings where there is a bride and a groom the link to the form is here Wedding Portrait Checklist. For LGBT weddings the form is here LGBT Wedding Portrait Checklist.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you have Adobe Acrobat 8 or higher installed on your computer in order to complete this form and save it to your computer. If not, the checks and notes you make on it will not save. If you do not wish to update your reader to Acrobat 8 or newer, you will need to print and mail it to me, or simply call me (540-3112-8460) and I will update the form here and discuss it with you. To update your free Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version go to this link Update Acrobat Reader.

Tips for e Session Dress and Posing

DRESS

It really is up to the individual client as to how they want to dress for the session and you can have as many as three outfits during the session. I will make no secret of the fact that my preference is a dressed down look for these sessions and you can never go wrong with jeans and a casual top. If you are going to have a dressy outfit please let me know ahead of time so I can plan for the location accordingly. Some of my urban locations are "grittier" than an appropriate backdrop for dressier clothing and most of the more natural environments are not well suited for a dressy look. So, more than likely we will do the less casual session first and then dress down or more casually for the remainder of the shoot.

Keep in mind that unless it is wet out, you will be sitting in grass, on loading docks and steps, and other places that may not be entirely tidy. I will make every effort to keep you as clean as possible.

As for styling your clothing, think of the both of you together as an outfit. So, DO NOT wear clashing hues and tones of the same color. Reds are very unforgiving in this area ie: Wine/burgundy with bright orange red. Greens can be as well ie: Kelly green and sage. You can get away with a lot when it comes to blues and earth tones. But, as long as the two of you don't clash everything should be fine.

Matching top colors can be very nice, however I always suggest to change the style or texture of the top a bit. Blues, blacks, browns, and whites are hard to beat. Reds and greens can require careful consideration. Also, a general rule of thumb is whites and lighter colors add weight and darker colors can be slimming.

If one of you wants to wear a really bold outfit......then it needs to be her....and he needs to dress in solids or very subtle design.

For the most part don't stress too much about your clothing. I have had very few unflattering clothing choices over the years, mostly because they wore clashing colors.

POSING

Posing tips for eSession photography are pretty simple and I should stress that most of all JUST RELAX! I will guide each of you through posing so don't feel like you have to memorize this, it's just to give you a little heads up. A few tips are:

• Don't let your arms hang straight by your sides.
• Guys, I think it looks best to have a hand in your pocket or your thumb hooked in your pocket for many of the shots. Most of the time it will be the arm farthest from the camera. Also, don't let the other arm hang to the side, keep it on her lower arm or hip depending on the shot. For close-ups I will tell you to put your arm closer to her face. For shots further back, usually forearm or hip is best.
• For some poses I will ask the guy to caress her face or hair. Generally this makes for a very intimate and natural looking pose.
• When kissing, and I will do a few of those, the girls nose should be on the side closest to the camera.
• In almost every pose you should not have either of your bodies facing the camera dead on, but again, I will pose you.
• Conversation is ok, but don't forget to take some pauses with it and just look at each other. It can be hard to get good shots with a constant stream of talk.
• Hold hands. Smile. Goof it up. Be playful. Have fun!

Tips for Wedding Portrait Posing

The main thing about posing for your wedding photography is DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! I will be there every step of the way to help you both with relaxed portraiture posing. Most of the time people do very well just to pose naturally. Occasionally, I will need to give a little instruction to help you look your very best.

These are my posing tips that you can review before your eSession and/or wedding. Don't stress out if you don't understand it or feel awkward. That's normal. But, some of these tips can be very helpful when it comes time for the rush of your wedding day and you already have a little comfort level with what you are doing.

• Men and women, keep your arms slightly bent when hanging at your side and avoid having your arms “hug” the side of your body.
• In couples photography, it is not often that having your arms hang by your sides will look natural and comfortable. Practice posing facing each other while gently holding hands or cupping her forearm. Also, I like to pose couples gently touching faces as I think this is a very natural intimate pose.
• For the bride during bridal portraiture try to remember not to press your arms against your sides. Hold your flowers ever so slightly away from you and keep your elbows bent. Same thing for your legs-if you're sitting, cross your legs at your ankles. If they're crossed at the knees your calves might look wider than they actually are.
• Turn your head so you are facing towards the camera while your body is standing facing away from the camera. Having your hips and shoulders square to the photographer is generally unflattering and a sure fire way to add weight that isn't even there. Posing with your body turned away from the camera will make your waist look thinner and you will have a bustier profile.
• Women, move your shoulders back and chest out, standing up straight with a pronounced “s” curve in your back. This will make you look thinner and add very graceful lines to your body.
• Shift your weight to one leg OR the other. Don’t stand parallel to the camera, but switch things up by putting one leg back and placing all your weight on your back leg while crossing the front leg in front of the back leg. It’ll make the front leg look more graceful and your body shape will flow better.
• Keep your chin slightly out. If you’re uncomfortable, you’ve gone too far; your chin should stay away from your neck but not out like a bird. This can help make the chin less full.
• If you think your face is feeling too tense or your smile too fake, take a minute and shake it out. Just the
  thought of shaking your face should make you smile naturally again.
• For bridal portraiture we will do a variety of poses and some with big smiles and some with what I call a "pleasant look". The pleasant look is not a "no smile" and it is close to, but not exactly a pensive look. Sometimes I liken the look to that which you get when a pleasant thought crosses your mind. So, be prepared to have pleasant thoughts!
• Take some time and practice posing in a mirror, especially with flowers. This will help you gain confidence in front of the camera. Also, look at flattering images in bridal magazines and wedding blogs. You’re not trying to achieve the high-fashion look, just a more sophisticated or confident natural look.