Wedding photography success tips: Communication, Cooperation and Time Management mega post

This was originally intended for four smaller posts, but as I began typing, new ideas crept into my head and the end result is a somewhat abridged guide to working with your photographer to improve your wedding photography session.

These are just 'touching down' points and by no means a complete guide to all things wedding phortography related and we encourage having strong communication with your wedding photographer on an individual basis to ensure maximum efficiency for your photography session.

Part I: Communicating with your wedding photographer

If I had only one suggestion to give to ensure the best experience from your wedding photography session, it would have to be to employ good communication practices and building a solid rapport with your photographer.

The relationship between a photographer and client is much different than that of other wedding vendors, in that your photographer will be working very closely with you from start to finish on your wedding day and it's crucial to the success of your photography session to have a strong line of communication with your photographer.

Successful wedding photography is built on a strong foundation of trust, admiration and mutual respect. That trust and respect shows in every photo we take and transforms a snapshot into a portrait and allows us to overcome any environmental (weather) or technical (everything else) issue that may arise during your wedding photography session.

As we enter a new decade, the one area of our lives that have changed dramatically is photography. Digital photography was a very new thing in 1999 and the digital cameras were really quite terrible. Fast forward ten years and we now have digital cameras in everything from our phones to our keychains and it's easy to look at professional photography in the same light as point and shoot cameras - take the picture, let the camer figure out the settings and Photoshop whatever goes wrong.

In actuality, the way that a photographer works remains unchanged. While the rest of the world has moved on from archaic methods and have moved into the age of facial recognition and automatic everything point and shoots, most professional photographers still shoot exactly the way they did twenty years ago - manual focus, manual flash power, manual aperture, manual ISO, manual shutter speeds to achieve our ideal exposure. The professional photographer's eye and experience will trump that of even the most sofisticated professional camera. The only difference is that most of us reluctantly made the switch to digital.

This of course presents a problem with the newer crowd in that it's difficult to understand the fiddling and test shots that a professional photographer makes, or the obstacles that a 'camera everywhere' society creates. I've compiled a list of quick tips as a sort of guide to common issues that arise in the fast paced world of 2010, along with suggestions for overcoming them.

• Book as far in advance as possible. Reserving well in advance gives you plenty of time to get to know your photographer on a personal level and discuss strategy and share ideas. By the time your wedding date arrives, you and your wedding photographer will be like old friend reuniting and you'll both know what to expect and have a friendly, open communication. It also ensures that the photographer you select will be available on your wedding date! Photographers are often booked several months and occasionally even a year in advance.
• Have your photography itinerary planned. Plans are made to be broken and there will almost always be an unexpected delay that will alter an itinerary, but having a rough guide of the locations we will visit, the day's events and important 'must have' shots to share with your photographer keeps the day orderly and maximizes the efficiency of your photography session. It also prevents a situation where you turn to your photographer and say "tell us what to do, please take charge"; without an itinerary, your guess is as good as ours.
• Assign two photography liaisons. On your wedding day, your attention is often called in multiple directions as you visit each table, pose for guest shots and focus on enjoying your wedding day to its fullest. Assigning two liaisons to watch for photographers' cues or gather important family members takes a large burden of responsibility from you and improves your photography session dramatically. Having a second liaison gives your photographer a 'go to' person in case the first liaison is unavailable.

Deacon says: "There is an anecdote that I don't like giving, but feel that it underscores the importance of paying attention to your photographer and constant communication; the first took place in June of 2009 during a reception in a private banquet room at a very beautiful restaurant.

As dinner commenced, my partner and I stepped into the lobby to switch memory cards and clean our equipment. My partner entered the ladies' washroom and I saw a young lady accompanied by two large gentlemen exit the elevator to the lobby.

I immediately recognized the young lady as a very well known celebrity and after seeing the camera in my hands, I was mistaken for paparazzi. After a quick (and nervous) explanation, she laughed and apologized as she waited for the washroom.

When my partner exited, the young lady offered to treat our clients to a surprise group shot in the lobby (as she did not wish to create chaos by inviting herself into the banquet room) after she powdered her nose.

My partner and I were excited for our clients to have this once in a lifetime shot on their wedding day and re-entered the banquet room, where dinner was in its closing stages. Our clients had just finished their first course and while the second course was prepared, were speaking to guests.

We made our way to the head table and signaled to our clients, smiled and waved, made beckoning motions with our hands, pointed at the door and made every attempt possible to get their attention without shouting out who was waiting for them in the lobby, but it was to no avail. We re-entered the lobby and gave the sad news to the young celebrity. She was kind enough to write her best wishes on a napkin at the hostess podium and we shook hands and wished each other well.

Back in the banquet room, we were still unable to gain the attention of the bride and groom and gave the napkin to the bride's mother who, before we could finish explaining that there was an autograph written on the napkin, snatched it up without a word of communication and without a glance in our direction.

She wiped her mouth, blew her nose and the napkin was immediately discarded in a wine glass. It wasn't until two weeks later when we delivered the processed photos that our bride and groom saw a picture of myself, my partner, two bodyguards and a celebrity that they realized why we were so desperately trying to gain their attention."

The above is a very extreme situation that almost never occurs. I keep a very close relationship with my clients and encourage them to keep in touch with me in the time leading up to their wedding, their wedding day and long afterwards. By keeping the lines of communication open at all times and taking the time out to become acquainted with your wedding photographer, it helps you to relax front of the camera and prevents missed opportunities such as a beautiful sunset or a once in a lifetime shot.

Part II: Meeting your photographer

• If possible, meet in person. In years past, this was a given, as dial up Internet speeds and film cameras did not lend themselves well to the online galleries we see today. A client would meet with a potential photographer, get to know their personality and have a look at their printed work. It was a very personal experience that developed a strong photographer/client bond that was maintained for years afterwards. While online galleries are very convenient for comparing style and aptitude, the personal interaction of a face to face meeting leaves you with confidence and familiarity with your wedding photographer and a strong idea of what to expect on your wedding day.
• Visit the venue with your wedding photographer. Ideally, I like to visit a client's venue at least once before the wedding date at the relative time of their wedding (mid day, sunset, evening, etc), meet with my clients' wedding coordinator and discuss house rules, shooting spots and most importantly, lighting. These meetings are highly informative and allows us to overcome obstacles before they present themselves. A common environmental obstacle is a long neck microphone blocking the camera's view or a large placement of flowers.
• Rehearsals are important! The benefit of attending your rehearsal is more than worthwhile to me. During the rehearsal, we work out how to stand, go over some quick poses, pick our shooting angles and take some amazing candid shots. Your rehearsal is a major part of the entire 'wedding event' and I've always been pleased to attend when invited!
• Guest Cooperation - A wedding ceremony is a beautiful event that can quickly turn into an obstacle course as guests leap into the aisle to grab their shot. Please keep in mind that while working, your photographer has no peripheral vision - all we see is the tiny square through our camera's viewfinder and all your guest photographer sees is what is in their viewfinders and so we have no method of looking out for your guests while we're working. A professional, well established wedding photographer typically carries around $10,000 worth of equipment around their necks while working; a primary camera with lens and flash and likely a secondary camera with a different lens and flash, alternate lenses and miscellaneous accessories. Multiple photographers vying for the same shooting angles leads to damaged equipment and even injury that ends a shoot and disrupts a beautiful ceremony.

Deacon says: "As a (now) humorous anecdote, I have a small but permanent impression of a camera hotshoe in the middle of my forehead from a guest that stood up and jumped in front of me during a ceremony in 2002 to grab a shot.

Sadly, it resulted in a broken $1200 lens, Nikon F5 camera and several stitches, so I cannot underscore the importance of guest cooperation enough! The above also applies to guest photography during formals and reception; guest flashes will overexpose and ruin your professional wedding photographer's images, or your guest may block the path of your photographer.

Also, during group shots, subjects aren't sure whether to look at the professional photographer or their friends/relatives who are also photographing over the professional photographer's shoulder, or groups may prematurely disband when they see a guest's flash go off, not realizing that the professional photographer has not yet taken a picture.

During formals, your guests should wait until the professional photographer has completed all of the formals shots before they begin their own group photos. This also saves time, as your subjects and your photographer will not have to wait for duplicate shots or reshoots to be taken."

Part III: Lighting your venue!

• Lighting!!! - photography is defined literally as 'drawing with light', so the amount and quality of light at your venue will have great effect on the overall image quality of your photos! If you reside on the east coast, you'll discover that, even during summer months, sunset occurs at a much earlier relative time in Las Vegas due to the high horizon line created by the western mountains. Here is an outstanding chart that shows by day sunrise and sunset times for Las Vegas and may be configured for other locations as well.
• Outdoor evening weddings - ensure that your venue is well lit; having appropriate outdoor lighting after sunset ensures that your photographer can see you and can focus their cameras. The lower the light levels, the higher your wedding photographer must set their 'ISO' to compensate. Higher ISO levels create grain or 'noise' and lower the overall image quality. Lower light levels also require your photographer to extend their shutter speed, which creates motion blur in your images. Manual focusing in low light levels is not possible and while a professional grade camera can autofocus even in pitch blackness by means of an auto focus assist light, it makes a very bad red autofocus pattern that will show up on guest photographs. Sunset weddings in Las Vegas are a very beautiful event, with very subtle shades of pink, blue and purple that look amazing on camera. Sunset in Las Vegas is also an extremely short event lasting as little as fifteen minutes before the sun dips below the mountainous horizon, so the timing of your ceremony is extremely crucial and should be treated as an evening ceremony, with appropriate outdoor lighting.
• Indoor weddings - electric lighting makes for consistent exposure, but be careful that 'romantic mood lighting' doesn't venture into 'no lighting'. A moderate to high amount of light makes for more bright, natural looking photographs for both your professional wedding photographer and your guest photographers.
• Indoor receptions - keep in mind that glass is highly reflective and at night, glass is nearly as reflective as a mirror, so if your venue offers shades or blinds, it might be a good idea to close/lower them during evening hours to prevent excessive reflections. Otherwise, for years to come, your friends and family will ask you who that guy is with the camera showing up in every shot! :)
• Outdoor daylight weddings - the desert sun is a very harsh friend to work with. Cloudless sun creates hard, deep shadows across the face, unevenly lit portraits, excessive blinking and squinting. We recommend having your ceremony under a tent, gazebo or shaded area to prevent this. This isn't always possible, nor is it always desired - We've shot several beautiful weddings in unsheltered fields and beaches. While unsheltered outdoor shoots work best during sunrise or sunset, by knowing your venue and details ahead of time, we can accommodate even the most brutal, cloudless sky by means of large walled (6-12 foot) sunlight diffusers attached to framework called 'scrims'. Given advanced preparation time, even the most unforgiving environments can be turned into beautiful photo opportunities!

Part IV: Taking time to take your time

• Lastly, SLOW DOWN! - Remember back in the day, when brides would walk slowly down the aisle, pausing at every step? This (at least I like to think) was to allow photographers time to adjust there focus and to prevent motion blur as you walk down the aisle. Your wedding is the most important day of your adult life and it heralds the eternal union of two separate individuals into one family unit. This is a big deal that you will want to remember for the rest of your lives - don't run like you're catching a moving bus, slow down and savor the moment. Since the advent of digital cameras, we've seen brides and grooms move so fast down the aisle that we've literally had to dive out of the way. In a dimly lit church or chapel, your wedding photographer is using a slower shutter speed and rapid movement will create blurry, out of focus imagery. Even if you're on a tight time budget, taking 45 seconds to walk down the aisle instead of 15 means little in terms of scheduling, but makes a world of difference to your photo quality! Savor the moment and pause for the camera the way we all did in the 'olden days' of the 1990s. Sometimes everything old becomes new!
• Standing at the alter - alternate between standing slightly apart from one another and/or right next to each other, ensuring that the camera has a good view of you, your new spouse as well as the officiator. This gives a more 'complete', less cluttered feel. Keep your backs straight and proud and your movements slow and relaxed to avoid motion blur and to express your comfort with one another.
• Ring exchange - When placing the rings on each other's fingers, hold the ring between your thumb and forefinger very delicately, as if you're making an 'O.K.' sign and slowly place the ring on the other's finger, ensuring that your other fingers are not obscuring the camera's view. Be very mindful of your neck, as there's a tendency to 'scrunch up'.
• Unity candles/Unity sand - I love this tradition that represents the joining of two into one. It's such a beautiful symbolic gesture! When lighting your unity candle, or pouring in the sand, ensure once more that the camera has an unobstructed view. As with the ring exchange, either standing slightly apart with the candle or jar between the two of you, or standing together on the same side with the candle or jar in front of you looks equally good, but try to avoid blocking the candle or jar with your bodies.
• First kiss - One Mississippi...two Mississippi...once you reach five Mississippi, you can stop kissing (or keep going!). This is your first kiss as a newly married couple and the most important. Once more, take your time, savor the moment, tilt your head, stroke each others' cheeks, do a fantastic dip, etc; the more variety you can work into your first kiss, the better!
• Now presenting.....right before you walk down the aisle as a newly married couple, pause for the camera and let your photographer (and your guests, who will hopefully remain seated for the ceremony and not block the photographer) take a couple of shots before walking out.
• Exiting the church/chapel/gazebo, etc - Once more, walk slowly. Pause and thank those wonderful people that came to see you, exchange hugs, kisses, best wishes. All of this looks amazing on camera and will provide you with treasured memories!
• Entering the reception venue - If you have a special dance or a special event planned, share this with your photographer well in advance so that we're well prepared for the big entrance!