When you’re preparing for your wedding, your to-do list is always very long. Choosing the right photographer is one of the most important tasks on that list, but even once you find one, the job isn’t finished yet.
Before your wedding day, there are things you’ll need to discuss with your photographer, in part because no two weddings are exactly alike. To be sure, if you want your wedding to be personalized to meet your needs and requests, you cannot wait until that day to talk to your photographer about the things you want.
Below are a few things that are crucial to talk to your photographer about before the big day arrives.
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1. The Wedding Theme
Every wedding has a theme and/or a color theme, and the photographer needs to know this to discover the best way to make the photos look extraordinary. Professional photographers use all types of lenses and other tools to get each picture to come out a certain way, and they can’t always bring every single lens with them. If they know your wedding theme, they can make sure the lenses they need are on hand so they can capture the mood and the ambiance of the wedding.
2. The Name of Important People
It’s a good idea to write down the names of the parents, grandparents, and the bridal party, so the photographer feels more in tune with these people. Anyone you consider important to the wedding, including any important vendors, needs to be known to the photographer so they can make sure they get these people photographed at some point throughout the night. If the names are written down, it’ll be easier for the photographer not to miss anyone.
3. Miscellaneous Photos You Consider Important
At some point before the wedding, you should go over the list of shots you want the photographer to get. They may be able to help with this by suggesting certain shots, but you should try to get shots such as up-close photos of bouquets and boutonnieres, party favors, the guests having a good time, and so on. If you have a special item that you’d like to capture, such as a picture of a deceased grandparent, make sure they get that as well.
4. The People in the Main Wedding Picture
Wedding pictures of the bride and groom and their families are always on the list of photos that have to be taken, but you need to get specific with the photographer regarding who needs to be in these pictures. A grandparent, a best friend, or a favorite cousin might be asked to be in one or more of the pictures, and the photographer needs to know that beforehand. Otherwise, there will be too much scrambling around trying to get the right photographs at the last minute.
5. The Wedding Day Schedule
Photographers need to know exactly what’s going to happen on the wedding day, from start to finish, so they don’t have to spend the day confused and wondering where to go next. The entire schedule needs to be written down and discussed with them ahead of time. It might seem that a very detailed schedule would be too much, but in fact, this is the right thing to do because it helps organize the list of events.
6. Your Love Story
It’s a good thing to share with the photographer how you and your future spouse met and what it took for the two of you to get together. This might seem personal, but it lends some ambiance to the photographs they take and helps them get to know you better as a couple. This, in turn, produces more personalized photos that truly capture the entire experience.
7. Wedding Day Expectations
There are certain things the wedding photographer needs to know, including what you expect them to wear to the wedding and if you expect to have intimate bride-and-groom photos captured on that day. You might even consider selecting a contact person who also knows what you expect, including the schedule or timeline, that the photographer can consult with if you’re unavailable. The photographer is an important part of the wedding, but they, too, need to know what’s expected of them.
8. Special Lighting Requirements
Each venue has its share of rules, and they also have lighting that may be very different from other venues. If this is the case, the photographer needs to know this ahead of time. Share with the photographer where the lights are and how they work, as well as any do’s and don’ts that are important to know before the wedding. Some venues, for instance, do not allow alcoholic beverages from the outside, and this is but one of the many rules some of them have that the photographer needs to know.
9. Discuss All Locations
Even though you’ll likely be using only one venue for the wedding, there might be several locations you wish to use for photoshoots, and your photographer needs to know this. If you want a few outside shots in addition to your indoor photos, let the photographer know. In other words, make sure the photographer is aware of all the different locations that you’ll want to use for different pictures. You don’t want to spend the entire day of your wedding pushing the photographer in all different directions to get great shots. Some pre-planning ahead of time eliminates this worry.
10. Parking and Transportation Information
Oftentimes, wedding photographers will leave some of their equipment in their vehicle, but if the parking lot is far away from the venue, they’ll have to know this ahead of time so they can decide how to get that equipment into the venue easily when the time comes. Most venue parking lots are very full when there’s a wedding going on, so the photographers have to know the best way to get from the lot to the venue when they need it.
Kelly Photography Atlanta provides wedding photography, engagement photography, lifestyle photography, and portrait photography services to Atlanta and the Greater Atlanta Area including Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Norcross, Snellville, Alpharetta, Fulton County, and Loganville.
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