Get Good Pictures of Your Wedding

The photographs of your wedding should provide you with a lifetime of heartfelt memories of your special day. The first step to take in making sure you get the type of photos you want is to choose a photographer whose style matches your desires.

The two main styles of wedding photography today are traditional and documentary with a third style, often called illustrative, growing in popularity.

The traditional or classic style of wedding photography is the one that most people are familiar with. The photographer often works from a 'shot list' prepared according to the bride's requests and takes posed photographs throughout the day to complete the list. Experienced photographers will provide you with all the photos you requested with this type of photography. The poses, composition and lighting should reflect the skills of a good portrait photographer.

The advantage of the traditional style is that you can pretty much predict what your photos will look like. The disadvantage is that the photographer will be directing a good portion of your day.

The documentary or photojournalistic style of wedding photography, which is my primary style, has grown in popularity in the last decade. The photographer is there to document the activities of the day without interference in order to provide you with a series of images that tell the story of the day. Experienced photojournalists will provide you with unique photos that show the events and interactions that took place while depicting the atmosphere and emotions felt throughout the day.

The advantage of the documentary style is that you can pretty much ignore the photographer. In fact, most of them will tell you to do that. The disadvantage is that the results are unpredictable. They depend entirely on the interactions that take place among the people at the wedding and your photographer's ability to capture those interactions.

The illustrative style of wedding photography was inspired by the photography shown in high-end fashion magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue. The pictures are taken with an eye to interesting or unusual backgrounds and lighting and sometimes with extreme camera angles and Photoshop special effects. Some photographers may call this style 'fashion,' 'editorial' or 'contemporary.'

Both traditional and documentary photographers may shoot illustrative style photographs. It's most noticeable in photographs of the bride and groom alone and as a couple where the background, poses and lighting are quite dramatic. Each photographer will have his or her own approach to the style. It's not an easy one to define. One photographer may lean more toward controlled poses and the other may try to get the subjects to interact with each other, which is what I do. Many photographers offer engagement or wedding day couple sessions in this style.

The main reason that the documentary style has become popular in the last ten years is because contemporary couples don't want to spend their wedding day being directed by the photographer and posing for pictures. As a result, most traditional photographers will make a point of letting you know that they also take candid photos. On the other hand, most documentary photographers will tell you it's their primary style even though many also provide traditional or illustrative group, couple or individual portraits that require some degree of posing, which is what I do.

In either case, it's easy enough to see a photographer's preferred style by viewing his website. If he shows mostly posed pictures, he leans toward traditional. If he shows mostly candid pictures, he leans toward documentary.

If you find two or three photographers whose photographs you like, you can ask to view a complete set of wedding photos from one wedding in order to get a good idea of the coverage they provide. Most photographers offer online proof viewing and would be willing to show you at least one wedding. If not, they may be able to show you a proof book. You may also want to ask for the email addresses of previous clients to find out how they liked their photographs and the way the photographer worked.

Before you sign a contract, make sure the person you talk to is the one who will be photographing your wedding and is the one who took the pictures you viewed. Also, let him know about any special requests or concerns you may have and ask that any promises made to you be included in the contract if it's not already there.

Communicate with Your Photographer

Once you have chosen a photographer, you can help him get better pictures of your wedding by letting him know your wishes and about any unusual events or significant circumstances that he should be aware of, such as surprise quests or events at the reception, or family and bridal party members who don't get along.

If your photographer works from a 'shot list,' he should give you a copy to which you can add or subtract entries. Even if you are going with a documentary approach, let the photographer know about any people or encounters that would have special meaning to you.

If you have seen wedding photos that you particularly like, let your photographer know about them. If they are his photos, point them out. If not, show him examples or tell him where he can see some if that's possible. Try to tell your photographer as much as you can about what you hope to see in your wedding photos.

The Formals

The group pictures or 'formals' will go much faster if you can create a list of the number of groups you would like photographed and the people who you want in each group. It's also important to make sure everyone knows that they should stick around for the group shots. Stragglers slow down the group shots more than anything else. You can expect average times of between three and five minutes per group depending on how organized and cooperative everyone is.

It may speed things up if you had a friend who could work as a coordinator to round up people for the photographer for the group shots. It would work best if this person wasn't in the bridal party and he or she knew the people involved.

In addition to the traditional bridal party formals, or instead of, you may want to try a more illustrative approach with the group in unusual or more active poses. Discuss this with your photographer, and let your bridal party know about it before the wedding day. These shots work best if the entire group is on board with it, and the photographer isn't trying to get people to do things they don't want to do. This applies to an illustrative couple session as well. If the bride is all for it but the groom just wants to get it over with it shows in the photos.

You'll have to allow additional time for illustrative group and couple sessions. Twenty to thirty minutes (not counting travel time) would give you enough time to work through a few scenarios for couple sessions, and you should double that time if you also want to include the whole bridal party. In a pinch, though, most creative photographers will come up with something in less time if they have to.

Relax and Trust Your Photographer

One of the best things you can do to get good pictures of your wedding is to relax and have a good time. Something is probably not going to be the way you planned it, ordered it or scheduled it. In fact, your wedding would be the exception if everything went exactly according to plan. It would also be the exception if everything didn't work out just fine in the end. So try not to worry. The stress can show in your pictures.

The day is a celebration of your affirmation of love and commitment to each other. Everything else is incidental. Keep that in mind.

Also, don't forget that it's just as important to your photographer to capture good pictures of your wedding day as it is for you to want them. From a strictly business perspective, wedding photographers get a large percentage of work from referrals and they want a good one from you.

Many wedding photographers, however, don't just look at their photography as a business. It's their craft and their art. They approach your wedding day much like the painter approaches a blank canvas, not just to paint a picture but to create a work of art.

And I think a lot of them feel as I do: that it's an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a special day and to have the opportunity to create that work of art for you.

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