A funny thing happens when a wedding photographer walks into a room with a camera and points it at someone…they transition into someone else! Not literally, of course, but many brides and grooms do tend to have the notion that wedding images should look a certain way. Because of that, they attempt to re-create the poses, expressions, settings, etc. that they’ve seen in other’s wedding images. That’s a huge mistake because doing so is unnatural, which will make your wedding images look unnatural. You don’t want that, do you? Then take a minute to think look over these tips for making sure that you look like yourselves, and not an awkward version of yourselves, on your wedding day:
Show & Tell – For most couples, wedding photography is the third most important part of the wedding planning—right behind the wedding attire and the sites for the ceremony / reception. And just like the attire and locations, brides and grooms always prefer specific types of wedding images because they’ve seen images that they liked. That’s fine. Tell your photographer the type of mood or feeling that you want your wedding images to convey based on what you’ve seen; show examples if you have them. BUT, do keep in mind that the photographer cannot (and should not) promise to literally re-create what you show or tell them. Every wedding is unique so doing so would not be feasible.
Relax – On your wedding day, focus on enjoying the event and those who’ve come to celebrate with you. That means you’ll have to relax and forget that the photographer is even there. Don’t worry about sitting “just right,†making sure the backdrop is perfect, or keeping a plastic smile on your face. Just be yourself…and let the wedding photographer do the rest.
Trust – The final key to making sure you get phenomenal wedding images is to trust your wedding photographer. Remember: You chose him or her for a reason. You know what kind of work he or she does and you’ve communicated what you want. That means that by the wedding day, your job is done. Trust that your wedding photographer will keep all that you’ve requested in mind as he or she shoots your wedding. They’ll certainly attempt to capture the types of images that you want but will definitely get many more that you couldn’t have imagined.
Wedding images should never be identical to what you’ve seen. Otherwise, you’d essentially be re-creating someone else’s wedding! Your wedding images should capture your wedding in motion, your experiences. If you keep that in mind, promise to be yourself, and trust in your photographer, you’ll end up with images that truly represent you and your entire wedding day beautifully.
