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Finding and hiring a professional photographer to document your
wedding day is a sizable investment, in not only money, but time
as well. By doing your research and hiring a professional that
suits your style, you can rest assured that he or she is going
to capture your day exactly how you want. But achieving the best
possible results doesn’t end with the signing of the contract.
Below are a few simple things you can do as a client before
and on your wedding day to help you and your photographer capture
the photographs of your dreams.
- Develop a personal relationship with your photographer. Hopefully
you have selected a photographer whose personality meshes well
with yours, besides your fiancé, they are the person
you will be spending the most amount of time with on your wedding
day. By the time your wedding day arrives, you should consider
your photographer a friend, not just another vendor. This can
seem like a difficult task to accomplish, considering how busy
and hectic the months leading up to the big day can be, but
it can be done. Most photographers understand the importance
of this dynamic and will take the initiative, but it does take
a little bit of effort from you as well. You must make yourself
available. Though most beneficial, it doesn’t necessarily
have to take place in person. Phone calls, emails, any form
of conversation will work. And it most certainly doesn’t
need to pertain to the business of your wedding. The stronger
this sense of friendship is between you and the photographer,
not only will you feel more comfortable and relaxed around him
or her, the rest of the wedding party will as well. As soon
as the guard comes down, the photographic magic happens.
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- Be yourself. This may seem like common sense, but it can
be more difficult than you might think. Most people aren’t
used to having a photographer document their every move, especially
with intimidating looking professional equipment. Though they
may not realize it, people tend to carry themselves and act
differently as soon as a camera is pointed at them, which looks
stiff and unnatural in photographs. Others just freeze up altogether.
Unless your photographer is giving you specific direction, the
best thing you can do is relax, be yourself, and act as if the
photographer wasn’t even there. Pay special attention
to your hands, they are a good indication of how tense you really
are. Relax your hands and the rest of you will follow. No need
to put on an act, simply be yourself.
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- Don’t rush your wedding day. When planning the schedule
of the day, allot a realistic amount of time for each separate
event. Planning a shorter, more casual wedding is one thing,
but attempting to pack an eight-hour event into four makes everything
feel rushed, like you’re trying to run a race. Not only
does it make it difficult for everyone involved to enjoy the
day, it makes it more difficult to capture natural looking photographs
when you’re sprinting from one thing to the next. Pace
your day and cherish every moment, it is, after all, a once
in a lifetime experience (hopefully).
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- Look through magazines, on-line, and, of course, through
your photographer’s portfolio for specific examples of
images, scenes, and body positions that appeal to you and share
these ideas with your photographer before hand. It will give
both you and the photographer a better sense of direction when
working together. Also, if you internalize these ideas and are
able to carry and position yourself in a similar way without
having to be completely directed by the photographer, the photographs
will look much more natural. The more the photographer must
direct, the more awkward you will feel and it will show in the
images.
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- Communicate with your fiancé about the photography.
Often photography is of much greater importance to one half
of the couple, typically the bride, but occasionally the groom.
Sometimes the photographer wont even meet the groom until the
day of the wedding, as everything related to photography was
arranged and booked by the bride. This usually translates to
the groom and groomsmen standing around in complete disinterest,
with a ‘this is her deal’ attitude. If you communicate
openly with your fiancé, and, even better, the core wedding
party, beforehand about the photography, it will make it much
easier and enjoyable to achieve your desired results.
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- Enjoy your wedding day. Again, this may seem like common
sense, but with the anticipation and stress involved in planning
the perfect day, it can be difficult to actually enjoy it. While
there is certainly no way to eliminate the stress and worry
completely, you can minimize it. If you don’t have a professional
day-of coordinator, appoint someone you trust to handle the
logistics of the day and let them worry about the details. You
have been planning this day for months, even years, once it
finally arrives, relax and enjoy it. You certainly deserve to
and doing so will translate to more natural looking, joyous
images.
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