Being a good photographer is actually not that difficult. Yeah, I said it and it is entirely true. With modern cameras, available online resources, workshop and BTS videos available; a lot of people can pick ups camera and capture some great images. But…what separates a “good photographer” from an “amazing photographer.” I would say that the difference between the two has to do with many different things, to include skills behind the camera, being able to capture images with interesting framing/cropping and using lighting creatively. Once all of those things are mastered, what else separates you from the pack? For me, I feel it is the ability to capture important moments, fun and candid moments and images that capture the essence of a wedding day. With that said, what are some of the must-have photos that should be captured on a wedding day.
WEDDING DAY PREP PHOTOS
I can’t stress enough to wedding couples, the importance of capturing these moments. Capturing them in an intimate and candid way, with your closest loved ones is my goal on a wedding day. When a bride is surrounded by her bridesmaids, mother, grandmother and soon to be, mother in-law. These types of images help capture the day and storyline and at times, end up being some of the most important images from their wedding day.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS
Some couples tell me that capturing all of the details is not that important to them and ask that I focus on the candid stuff and bridal portraits instead. I certainly cater my photography to the requests of my couples, but I always spend some time capturing details because I know how important they can be. It allows for great album spreads, allows family heirlooms to be captured and documents the style and personality of the wedding couple. I have had wedding couples tell me that the detail shots are some of their favorite images from their wedding day.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE GROOM’S GEAR
SILLY MOMENTS
And the unplanned and never to repeated moments, like the dock going down with the family of the bride and groom on it. I was caught between helping people off the dock and capturing the moment, but I promise that a few seconds before the first image taken, there was a good 15 people on the dock in water up to their knees.
MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
The challenge for a wedding photographer is creating images in not so pretty locations. Or making the not so interesting or commonly used locations something amazing. In the case of the image above, I turned this empty parking garage into an epic image location.
CAPTURING EMOTION
The single most important thing to capture is those special moments. The raw emotion and fleeting moments that can never be replicated. Being able to capture true love between a couple and do so in as unobtrusive fashion as possible. My goal is always to be a fly on the wall, on the outside looking in. I want couples to be present with one another and to forget that I am even there. That can be challenging at times, depending on the type of couple I have and how much of a rapport I have built with them. The more natural and unscripted these moments can be, the better the images will be.
HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL
Being flexible, willing and experimental when working. with couples is so important. Getting on a boat with a couple, climbing a mountain. climbing a ladder or going places that no other photographer has gone is what sets some photographers apart from one another. Being afraid of damaging gear, falling in the water or getting wet would never allow me to capture these fun moments with my couples.
PARTY TIME
Capturing first and last dances is so important and sometimes, I like to create intimacy and moments at the end of the night. For this example above, I asked the venue and DJ to turn down the dance floor and house lights and the guests to get out their cell phones. I turned off my photography lighting and captured this fun couples final song in a creative and fun way.
SEND OFFS
Capturing the final moments of a wedding day has become a very popular tradition at weddings. Wedding couples have also showed their individuality and creativeness with these fancy exits. I love capturing these moments and capturing the excitement and joy on the faces and couples faces’s. These images are fun to capture and add to the wedding gallery for couples. I always look forward to capturing send off’s and love to see what the next
CAPTURE THE ENVIRONMENT
Far too often I see weddings take place at epic locations produce less than desirable wedding images. Unfortunately, some photographers are not capable or able to capture certain wedding venues to show the true beauty of the property. This is either the result of photographer lack of skills, equipment or creativeness to produce such an image. The challenge of creating memorable, lasting and impactful images is always my goal and I approach each and every wedding.
If you are a wedding photographer, I hope this blog post inspired and motivated you to capture some amazing images. Step outside your comfort zone every now and then and try new things. If you are a bride or groom, I hope this post gave you ideas and helped you see the importance of prioritizing photography on your wedding day. If you are interested in my photography services, feel free to reach out to me here and we can chat about your wedding day. Thanks for checking out this post.
