Trying to plan out your wedding photography to make sure that everything is smooth on the day itself? That’s a great idea – but while you’re busy with it you need to avoid some common mistakes that often derail even the best of plans.
Booking a Wedding Photographer Late
Many of the best wedding photographers are booked up very quickly, meaning that if you don’t act fast you may have difficulty landing one. Some Yorkshire wedding photography services are booked over a year in advance – so the earlier you finalize your wedding day and book them, the better.
It is best if you start looking for a photographer as soon as you know (or are relatively sure of) the wedding date. That way by the time you find one and make a booking you should have finalized the venue and confirmed the timing.
Not Being Clear About the Type of Photos You Want
Have you thought about the type of wedding photos that you want? More importantly, have you talked to the photographer and carefully laid it out to make sure that you’re both on the same page?
It is important that you clearly outline what you want and make sure that the photographer that you choose is able to deliver it. A good way to do that is to find examples of the style of wedding photography you prefer, and ask the photographer to show similar samples from their past work.
Overlooking the Shot List
One of the most important parts of your wedding photography planning should be coming up with a shot list. If you’re working with an experienced photographer they probably already have one that they’ve used in the past.
Even if your photographer has a shot list of their own, you should not overlook it. Instead it is best if you go over it with them, so that you can add any shots that you want taken and let them know if you have specific shots that should be a priority.
Keep in mind that it is best if you keep the list of staged or posed photos to a minimum, and give your photographer a bit of freedom to work with.
Underestimating the Timeline
People very often underestimate the timeline and end up behind the schedule. That isn’t good for your wedding photography, especially if the photographers will have to compensate by rushing around.
In general you should always overestimate rather than underestimating, to give the photographers (and everyone else) a bit of room to breathe. That way they should be able to scope out the setting, properly adjust for lighting, and make other arrangements that help your wedding photos to look great.
Not Assigning Someone to Help the Photographer
Although your photographer may be good, at the end of the day they don’t know who your close friends and family are. By assigning someone from the wedding party to help them, you can address that – and also make sure that there is someone to meet the photographer when they arrive, take them to the staging area, and so on.
If possible try to assign this task to someone who is familiar with the crowd, and who doesn’t already have other tasks they need to perform during the wedding.
Final Words
All in all it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to avoid the mistakes listed above. As long as you’re careful to not make these mistakes, you should be able to come up with a good plan for your wedding photography and everything should go much more smoothly.
