My Day as a Wedding Photographer

Everyone knows a photographer is supposed to take photos, but there’s much more to it when it comes to someone’s special day. I like to take precautions and plan what I expect to do to take on a beast of an event. My day as a wedding photographer generally starts the day before the wedding. The night before someone’s big day, I will check to make sure all my gear is packed and batteries are charged so I’ll be able to shoot all day without any problems. I’ll like to bring extra props, typically fake rose petals, so we can make at least one epic photo.

The Details

What are the details? Details are all the additional items the bride and groom wear and a little more. This includes the wedding invitation, gown, wedding dress, heels, garter, and any accessories worn. When I get to the venue this is the first thing I ask for. Most of the time everyone is still getting ready, so I sort everything out and get to shooting

First Look/First Touch

Call me traditional but, I am not a fan of the first look. I think their is something special when the groom is finding out what his soon to be wife looks like in her wedding dress on the altar. I will try to recommend a first touch instead, but if the couple really wants to do a first look who am I to stop them.

Formal Photos

After the ceremony, I typically take all the pictures with the newlywed and their families. This takes longer than people would expect just because of the number of people involved. When we finish up with family photos we get to the fun part where the bridal party and the bride and groom get their portraits taken. I like to have fun with the bridal party after we take the staple photos.

Getting Ready

Once the bride is all glammed up we get ready for photos. I personally like to take candid shots, but every once in a while if there’s a shot I want I’ll direct them on what to do. Once all the getting-ready pictures are done with the ladies I let them get dressed and move on to the men. For the most part, men are simple and don’t like photos, so I’ll pose them and get out of their hair. When the girls are all dressed, I come back and get some final shots before getting ready for the ceremony.

The Ceremony

Sometimes photos are not allowed because of church restrictions. This is not a problem if you’re worried about missing the first kiss. I will simply ask the couple to re-enact the first kiss after the ceremony is over. The ceremony portion is generally straightforward I’ll shoot mostly candids and make sure to nail the first kiss and get creative with the shots.

Reception

After the ceremony the second half of the wedding takes place. During the reception, we have the grand entrance, the first dance, toast and speeches, and the party. Once I get to the reception venue I’ll set up my lights to make sure we get the shots for the grand entrance and the rest of the following events. After the first dance, father-daughter dance, mom-son dance, cake cutting, speeches, bouquet toss, garter toss, everyone gets to party and dance.