10 Ways to Get The Most Out of Your Wedding Portraits

Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. Hire a Professional Whose Style You Love - This one is a given. Yes you will get better photos if you hire a professional. Duh. But some people still opt to go for letting friends/family capture the day, and it just doesn't turn out the way they'd hoped. I also have a friend who hired a photography student at a local college, and though it sounded like a good idea at the time, it is one of her biggest wedding day regrets. I know that every bride is working with a budget, so cheaper options often sound more appealing. But make sure the photographer you hire does a style of photography that fits you and that you love. Otherwise, you will be left disappointed with your pictures, and those will be all you have to look back on to remember it all.

2. Make a List and Go Over it With Your Photographer - Coming up with a list of "must-get" shots and sharing that list with your photographer will make everything run more smoothly. There is never enough time to get every wedding shot imaginable, that many hours just don't exist in one day. So, making sure your photographer knows which ones you can't live without will allow the priority to go to getting those shots, and in the end you will be happy that you made the list. Also, a quick note on your list... don't go overboard with family photos. Get the parents and grandparents and let that be enough. No one does anything with formal shots from a cousin's/neice's/friend's wedding. Spend more time getting bride/groom formals than extended family.. afterall, the day is about the two of you, no one else.

3. Plan, Practice, & Share the Timeline With Your Photographer - Plan out the entire day. And practice it (this is where a rehearsal dinner comes into play). Then make sure you share the timeline of the day's events with your photographer. In fact, your photographer should be invited to the rehearsal to run through everything with you. It is vital for them to have the timeline so that it is clear when the important events are going to take place. As photographers (who do have to pee sometimes), it would be devistating if we were using the restroom during your first dance!

4. Let the Photographer Do What They Do (and be the only one doing it) - Give your photographer the freedom to go wherever they need to. Sometimes we have to go all over the place to get the right shot. If you don't want movement happening during your ceremony or won't let the photographer stand in front of certain guests, then the photos you get are going to be limited. Also, don't allow your guests to stand in front of the photographer to steal the great shots. Afterall, you hired the professional to do the job, shouldn't they be the only one doing it?

5. Have an Engagement Session and/or First Look - An engagment session will do a couple of things for you. First, it will provide several pictures of the future bride and groom alone with no stressfull schedules or time constraints. Second, you will get great practice on posing with each other for your wedding pictures. And finally, you will have some great memories of being in love and truly enjoying being with each other. A first look will also provide you with a lot more pictures of just the bride and groom and will allow for more time later in the day.

8. Utilize natural light - Every photographer would rather shoot in natural light. And every couple wants photos in natural light (even if they may not know it). Natural light just can't be beat... it is the best lighting possible for pictures, period. The only problem is natural light only lasts up until sunet, then it's gone. If a ceremony is taking place later in the day/evening, just keep in mind that there may not be a lot of opportunity for natural light afterwords (this would be a huge reason to take photos before the ceremony). I recommend that every bride try to make time for pictures with natural light.

9. Just Breathe, Have Fun, and Try Not to Stress - The less stressed you are throughout your wedding day, the better you will look in your photos. If you are truly happy, that happiness will shine through. If something goes wrong, just take some deep breathes and keep yourself calm. It is your wedding day and stressing over everything will not fix anything. Let yourself be blissfully happy and let go of the negative.

10. Be Adventurous - The more adventurous a couple is, the better photos they will get. If a bride is too afraid to step foot on the ground in fear of getting her shoes and/or dress dirty, it will severely limit the pictures that are possible. Being adventurous, fun, and silly will allow for a much better variety of pictures... and with all the same old shots that come out of weddings, who doesn't love a better vareity?

Hopefully you found this advice useful. And I will leave you with an image that this bride had on her "must get" photo list (the bride & groom with both sets of parents). I love it.. and had we not discussed this photo beforehand and put it on the "must get" list, it would have never happened!

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Check out my 8 Reasons to do a First Look photo session at your wedding and my advice on Non-Matching Bridesmaid Dresses.

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