Photography is one of the most important pieces of your wedding day {in my humble opinion}. When your wedding is over, there isn’t much left to remember it by except the photos. You can absolutely preserve your bouquet and you’ll have your guestbook, but pictures will decorate your walls for the next decades to come. You want them done well and done correctly.
How to help your Photographer with Time & Efficiency…
This may sound like a post about hiring the correct, talented photographer… it isn’t. You have already hired your photographer by this point and they’re going to do an awesome job for you, which is why you picked him or her. This post is about how you can do an awesome job for the sake of your photography!
Photographers have it down. They are talented people who know how to be creative and get the shots you want. You likely chose them because you liked their style and personality when you met them. Remember that. Remember that it is their creativity that you’re hiring, and not those of the hundreds of different photographers you probably pinned over the last year. #endrant
With that said, I bet your photographer can do an even more awesome job for you if you do a little pre-game planning and do an awesome job for them. Chances are you only get them for a set amount of hours and every minute counts for creative clicking.
With a little preparation and forethought into your Big Day photography, you can save time, promote efficiency and give your photographer even more time for creativity. Imagine all the more minutes you can give them, which gives you all the more clicks!
Detail Shots
Your photographer will undoubtedly have a standard shot list they work off of for details they always get, the dress, the shoes, the rings, etc. If you can, talk to your photographer about that list, see what they have on it and then have those items READY for them to take and photographer while you’re getting ready. They can be efficient, take everything at once before it is on your body and bring it back to you. They will not have to keep popping in and out of your Ready Room to get the cute stuff.
Know where your rings are for a quick hand off.
Remember the Sentimental Pieces. Know what you want photos of that might not be on the photographers’ list because they are more important or sentimental than usual. Such as:
Grandmother’s garter
Something borrowed, old, blue, new
Anything given to you at rehearsal
Bring all items that are on the photography list such as:
The Invitation Suite
Wedding rings to the dressing room {so they don’t have to hunt down who has them}
Cross OFF any items you don’t need/want or want the photographer to spend time taking. I really didn’t need a picture of my dress hanging up out in a tree… so I told them not to take it.
Put everything in a P28 Bag/Box, which is left right by the Dressing Room door so that when the photographer arrives they can quickly do that first. You’ll save them time and get them back quickly to start taking pictures of you!
*If you need any special props for your P0 Photo list remember to bring those too!
Props: You may obtain specific props JUST for pictures. Like a parasol for the first look to hide behind, a glass box for the rings, special things that are bought JUST for better picture taking are ingredients for P28. First Look props are a popular one.
Family Photography
At some point in the meetings with your photographer you will likely go through a shot list along the lines of: B&G with Bride’s Parents, B&G with Groom’s Parents, B &G with Siblings….. eeeeerrrrch…
Here is where we have potential for a hang up on time…. These shot lists are designed to be templates and you can increase efficiency {and save awkward moments} by elaborating on these shot list items.
When the photographer shouts out, “Okay I need B&G with Siblings!” this may happen…
Who all jumps in the picture? Your siblings and their spouses? No?… now someone’s offended.
“You get out, but you stay in…. now you get out and I want you in pictures, but not you because you’re not really in the family long enough to be considered a step-sibling”
…Oh the awkward chaos…
Plus,
“Where is John?! I need my adopted teenage step-brother who clearly doesn’t know he is considered my sibling! Get him away from the bar!”
…. Now we’re all twiddling our thumbs while we wait here in the hot sun for the picture with John, who didn’t know he was in pictures and our guests are starving…
You get the point… and the potential catastrophe of a vague shot list.
YES, absolutely do that shot list for your photographer, it’s their system, but increase your efficiency and do an awesome job-saving everyone time so you can get back to the party faster by creating a ROSTER.
Use your Photographer provided list to organize the family photos into a “Roster” like a baseball batting order. You’ll want it to read so that a system can run: Who is UP, Who is ON DECK and who is IN THE HOLE. The key is to make sure that nobody repeats the batting order… All their pictures are taken of them when they are UP so that they can leave and be done.
USE NAMES: Your Photographer/Liaison then calls out the specific names of who is in the exact picture so there is no confusion and no awkward wondering.
Bonus: TELL everyone who has their name on the P28 Roster that they can’t disappear after the wedding. They will be needed for pictures… watch those teenage siblings!
KEYS to Success– Make sure all grandparents are either first, if taken AFTER the ceremony, or last if taking them prior {so they can arrive as close to ceremony time as possible or get back to dinner and sitting quickly after}. This is also applicable for children.
P28 Liaison
Even if your photographer brings and assistant he/she will likely prep the people “On Deck” while the photographer is posing those who are “UP”. {Remember we’re going with the baseball theme here} That is of course if the Assistant isn’t holding a lighting screen or also taking pictures. Elect a person to be your Liaison for Family Photography. This person runs down all of those next people who are “In the Hole” if they are spread out around the reception.
Who makes a great P28 Liaison?
This person should know your family well. I can be your P28 Liaison, but when my list says, “Aunt Suzie”, I won’t know what she looks like. You may want to elect TWO Liaisons, one for each side.
This person should be someone who is NOT in pictures or is perhaps only in the first one, like a cousin.
This person may NOT be a parent or wedding party member. They have enough to do and hunting down people for pictures is not one of them.
This person(s) should be outgoing and verbally confident {not to be confused with obtrusive}. They may need to interrupt cocktail hour conversations to drag someone over for pictures.
This person should understand the professional respect and space of the photographer and not impose, or misrepresent the company name of the photographer to family while retrieving them. They should be polite and certainly not take charge of the photography or attempt to coach people while in the pictures. They are not a photographer’s assistant, but a helper of the Roster list. *very important distinction
Time to Eat
Sustenance is a big factor in making your Photographer successful. They’ve been working hard in the hot sun, some going above and beyond with their bodies {mine laid on top of his car for the perfect shot} to get you awesome pictures. After the Cocktail hour, people will begin eating, you’ll eat and your photographer might get some table shots… Since nobody really likes to stop eating and smile, or more so have a picture taken of them while eating, this is the perfect time for your photographer to eat too!
And you know what… let them go through the line earlier rather than later. Yes they are “hired help”, but they’re people and they need to eat to keep fueled for you! Remember we’re talking about time and efficiency here… with regard to increasing awesomness. Nobody wants a tired and sluggish photographer… fuel them up! And feed them good! They shouldn’t be last through the buffet line and just get the scraps. Nor should they be eating at the tail end of that “time” in the timeline. Everyone else is done eating and you’re about to start speeches. You’ll want pictures of that! Same goes for videographers. You don’t want them shoving food, trying to hurry because they’re now finally eating when the speeches start. Help them out, and do an awesome job at helping them do an awesome job, and everybody wins!
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Photography is one of the most important pieces of your wedding day {in my humble opinion}. When your wedding is over, there isn’t much left to remember it by except the photos. You can absolutely preserve your bouquet and you’ll have your guestbook, but pictures will decorate your walls for the next decades to come. You want them done well and done correctly.
The I’m Engaged ECourse | Our famous FREE ECourse
The Project Block System | The GEG Trademark
So far I have packed Jewelry, shoes, invitation, program, rings, thank you & Mr. & Mrs. Banner.