The Best Wedding Photography Guide
Weddings happen day in and out and we’ve all been to many of them. We’ve been invited to many weddings and hosted a few too! One thing that will stay with us from all of them is the memories. And for those memories, one extremely important thing is nothing but wedding photography. It is what we remember the most, and it is what we look back at to remember the day.
Wedding photography is a very special kind of photography and it requires a lot of skill and experience. Most people prefer to hire an expert wedding photographer to capture their special day. After all, a wedding is one of the most important days of your life and you would want the best possible photos of it.
Here, we have attempted to provide all the information you need to know about wedding photography and its many different aspects. Tips, poses, and more will be featured. Why don’t you just go ahead and dive into the blog and find it out for yourself?
Table of Contents
The Importance of Wedding Photography
So, the first question that comes to your mind is “why is wedding photography so important?”
Obviously, it is one of the most important days of your life. Each and every moment of your wedding should be captured so that you can have them as memories for a lifetime. Believe us, you will be so busy on your wedding day that you won’t even realize what all happened.
Discover the Different Types of Wedding Photography:
Before we dive deep into the details of wedding photography, let’s take a look at the various styles. This will help us get a clear picture of what’s possible when it comes to capturing the big day that you’ll treasure forever. With all of this image variety at our disposal, we will be able to make sure that those memories can be captured in exactly the right format so you’ll never have any regrets and always know how much you were appreciated.
1. Classical or Traditional Wedding Photography:
At the start, you can categorize wedding photography under two broad categories: traditional and contemporary. Traditional weddings usually emphasize stiff poses for pictures, a formal ambiance, and family or community interaction. Just like the timelessness of vintage items, you should consider having some pictures that are within the lines of traditional wedding photography methodology.
2. Contemporary Wedding Photography:
Next in line is contemporary wedding photography that includes a range of new-age wedding photography ideas encompassing pre-wedding day preparation to candid and posed bridal/groom portrait to lifestyle portraiture to destination weddings and more.
3. Pre-Wedding Photography:
Taking candid wedding photography is so important to capture moments throughout your wedding journey, but pre-wedding photo shoots are also a great way for you and your partner to get comfortable posing for the camera in addition to building chemistry with both a photographer as well as an overall vision of what you’re looking for.
4. Portrait Wedding Photography:
This branch of photography just revolves around capturing stunning and lavish Portraits of your love story. It’s a breath-taking process and these portraits show your relationship at its best!
5. Lifestyle Wedding Photography:
This wedding photography style involves combining all of your relationship’s elements into a scene that is both beautiful and meaningful to you both.
6. Destination Wedding Photography:
Wedding photography is a style of photography that includes both candid shots and more staged or classical photos in a beautiful setting including the use of artistic props and lighting design.
7. Cinematic Style Wedding Photography:
Wedding cinematography, or wedding films as they are more commonly known, is a modern, trending way of filming your wedding day in a creative and non-traditional way.
So here are some of the many styles you can choose from to make your day a little more special. We have listed only a few that will fit your big fat Indian wedding or small affair. However, you can go out of the way and make your own style of pictures! Mix multiple styles together to blend what you like best for a unique dosa effect!
How to choose the best photographer for your wedding:
Now, this can be a hassle – but your lifestyle choice will determine what you need to look for in a photographer. You know where you prefer to have wedding photos taken, and what style of photography you’re into, but how do you select the best photographer for your needs? Here we have some tips that may make things easier: Ultimately it is up to you to choose your perfect match from our ever-expanding collection of photographers.
1. Fits Your Style:
The most important thing to do before you hire someone is to check out their portfolio and see the type of work they have previously done. With so many different photographers in the field these days, it’s essential not to settle for anything but the best in terms of photographs so that you can look back at these snapshots and remember your big day in all its unique glory when years have passed since then.
2. Fits Your Budget:
For those of you getting married, some of the wedding photographers out there might have a budget that’s hard to stomach. To help with this, try to first decide on an ideal price range that both you and your fiancé can agree upon. Once you’ve got an idea in mind, look for photographers within that range who sound like great people.
3. Pick Through References:
If you’ve been to your best friend’s wedding or a family celebration, you may have loved the photos. Now, why not consider using that same photographer for your own wedding day or party?
4. Pick Through Previous Experiences:
If you can’t decide from the above picking decisions, then check out the photographs taken by a photographer as a sample. Make sure that you are happy with the photographer’s work. If you like what you see, then that’s who you should hire!
5. Interview the Photographers:
When making all those exciting plans for your wedding, a photographer is often one of the first elements on your list. Though the important thing to remember is that selecting the right photographer is just as important as any other element. So, talk to a couple of your favorites and not only choose whom you like talking to best, but also make sure you are familiar with their previous work before committing. You want someone who understands your overall vision and can help guide you through the details to develop an experience worth remembering forever!
These are some ways in which we can help you pick your photographer.
How to Prepare for Your Wedding Photography
As we told you earlier, we want to ensure that all the question marks in your mind about the wedding photography process are all crossed off before your special day arrives. Read on for tips on how to prepare for the big-day shoot!
1. Prepare a list of must-dream shots:
Every couple out there will have a different style and vision when it comes to the shots that they would like at their wedding. Knowing what the must-have images will be beforehand will help both the photographer and the bridegroom be better prepared for capturing these images and make sure that any necessary props are on hand to provide added depth and dimension.
2. Get Prepared for mishaps:
Getting married can be a very nerve-wracking thing, and with all of the planning that goes into the event it’s easy to see why. There are so many details you have to worry about. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do ahead of time to help keep your mind at ease and prevent any unfortunate mishaps on the big day! Make sure that you have an extra camera ready, along with memory cards and batteries, in case anything happens.
3. Always do a dry run:
Practice your wedding shoot at the location prior to the wedding. This will help you figure out what lighting works best and explore which backdrops offer the perfect photo opportunities. It will also allow you to become more familiar with the setting and feel more confident on your big day – saving time in the process.
4. Schedule enough time for the pre-wedding shoot:
Make sure you have enough time for a pre-wedding shoot before your wedding during the actual functions.
5. Do The Discussion:
Always be mindful of post-production details. How will your pictures be printed? How will they be delivered? Important aspects that need to be discussed and clear at both ends.
So, these were a few quick tips and tricks that might help you a bit while you prepare for your big day shoot.
What to Wear for a Wedding Photo Shoot
Thinking of what to wear on your pre-wedding photo shoot can be tricky, especially if you want to look your best for the occasion. Luckily, we’re here to help you with these tips from our own experience. Avoid matching outfits or dresses that don’t fit your style or personalities as a couple. Feeling comfortable will help make the photography process more fun and enjoyable for everyone!
You can dress casually for a photo shoot or glam it up, but the most important thing is to enjoy the whole experience because those moments are the ones you’ll treasure for years to come.
1. Wear Something Flowy:
In your outdoor photoshoot, let the flutters of your heart reflect in your dress. We know that you’ve seen beautiful women in romance movies wearing long flowing gowns so forget about being practical and tap into that dreamy side of yourself that adores to put on a stylish white chiffon overcoat while twirling in the breeze of a frosty winter morning!
It’s important on a bride-to-be’s pre-wedding photoshoot to try new poses – no matter how silly they might make you feel at the time!
2. Wear It for The Location:
Plan a pre-wedding photo shoot before choosing your wedding dress. Choose the location of your pre-wedding photo session according to what you plan to wear at your wedding and what background scenery fits best with your style or theme. For example, bright coloured clothing can be shot in urban surroundings, and soft pastels work better with dreamy backgrounds.
3. Coordinate Your Clothes:
As much as you coordinate your outfit to the location and backdrop, it’s just as important that you coordinate it with your partner’s outfit. His or hers should complement yours without looking too similar, but be cohesive enough to look like they were meant to be paired together.
4. A Gown Can Never Go Wrong:
A bright and vibrant maxi is one way to attract positive attention for your pre-wedding photoshoot. You can twirl freely in this beautiful dress and it will create a lot of vivid actions in the visual content. It’s also a perfect choice that is both traditional and classy, never out of fashion.
5. Stick To Solids:
Choosing what colors to wear for an outfit is one of the most difficult things a bride-to-be has to do. Solid colors that are in similar shades add a lot of depth to your pre-wedding photoshoot, which means you can use them to create beautiful images together with the photographer. It’s important for you and your partner to pick ones that feel like they’ll suit well with both of you. A good tip? While it’s okay to choose from brighter hues, never go too far into some primary colors because those just make images look more artificial as opposed to having two people in matching solid colors.
When planning your pre-wedding photoshoots, choose an outfit that you’ll be comfortable in as well as both casual and formal. It’s all about looking stylish while telling your story so be sure to wear something that makes you feel confident. Another fun idea is adding some theater or even drama into the mix by going with a “fashion change” that could go from one side of the spectrum to another – think over-the-top mood swings!
Location for the shoot
The choice of the best location is of great importance for the quality of the shooting and should not be underestimated. Much depends on the location. Whatever place you choose, it must be beautiful and photogenic, comfortable, friendly and reminding of love and romance.
If you want to shoot a photo shoot for a wedding, a park is a good place. In the park there are old paths where you can go on, and the green lawn will help you to get a wonderful image in natural light. The trees can also play a role in the creation of the image, if you shoot through them, they will create a picture of a different mood and will give the image a very distinctive character.
A few of the best locations for wedding photography are: outside, in a garden, at sunset, and in a building. Make sure you’re well prepared for whatever weather you may encounter. Having the right clothes and equipment is key!
So, these are some of the ways you can choose the location for shooting.
Some Important FAQs for your reference:
What to ask before hiring a photographer?
Before hiring a photographer, it’s important to ask them about their backup cameras and equipment, their style of photography, payment structure, turnaround time for images, and the size of their portfolio or galleries. Check whether they can help with posing and the most important thing is to read their reviews! Also, check who owns the copyright to the photos.
What to expect from your photographer on the wedding day?
If you are the bride, you should expect your photographer to be there on time, arrive prepared and don’t run out of the film just one hour after the wedding has begun. If you are the groom, you should expect your photographer to capture every moment beautifully, even the ones that you didn’t know would be memorable. If you are the parent, you should expect your photographer to provide you with candid photos so that you will get to see how much fun your guests had on your special day. Everyone is different, so ask your photographer in advance what to expect from him on your wedding day.
What format do we receive our wedding photos in?
Traditional wedding photographers send their photos in print form. Digital photos are also excellent options. Print helps one to keep photos forever without any type of damage. One can store them in albums and show them to others.
Why is it important to have your own photographer at a wedding ?
There are three main reasons for having your own photographer at a wedding. First of all, you need to have a photographer in order to capture those special moments that will last a lifetime. Secondly, professional pictures will ultimately add to the memories of the day. Finally, professional pictures will allow you to revisit memories from the day you shared with your partner.
What is Included in the Price of Wedding photography?
A photography package typically includes an engagement shoot, first look, second look, venue, church and reception site. All these things have hourly prices attached to them and the photographer is probably doing it with a second photographer. So really a package covers the photography for roughly 8 hours. There is a fee per hour as well as a “per person” fee for all the people there.
We hope this ultimate guide on wedding photography was very useful for you! We have researched and put in lots of hard work for you to find everything you were looking for here. Let us know which style you pick for the big day, or tell us about your wedding plans.