Trust is the key ingredient to any relationship and this is true for the relationship you have with your wedding photographer. Below are 5 things to trust your wedding photographer with. There’s a reason you chose them to capture the most important day of your life. While you may have a vision of how you want some of your images to turn out, for the most part, you are going to have to put a lot of trust in your wedding photographer.
Trusting your wedding photographer more in these main areas will not only result in better images for you to remember your big day by but will also relieve you of stress as well. Personally, I love when my couples communicate with me the fears they have about being photographed and their vision of how they want their day to go. These details help me tailor the experience I give them to enhance the vision they’ve dreamt of.
Choosing the Location of the Shoot
Your wedding photographer will most likely be familiar with great locations surrounding your venues. Most importantly, they’ll know or will be able to decide what spots get the best light and have the best scenery in the background. Photographers love to have your input or be aware of special connections to locations. Be flexible when they let you know where the best light is. Ultimately a location with the best light and maybe not the best scenery will look better than a gorgeous scenic spot with terrible light. We have your best interests at heart, we promise! This is a perfect conversation to have before your wedding. If another location needs to be included to get the images of your dreams, there is time to plan for that!
Time of Day to Shoot
Lighting is key to creating beautiful images and using the natural light of the sun will produce the best light setting but that doesn’t mean any time of the day will give you the same results. Your photographer will know what time of day will be best to schedule portrait time on your wedding day to take those gorgeous outdoor shots that won’t leave harsh shadows on your face or when to sneak outside to take some sunset-inspired shots. Adding a 5-minute sunset photo session can really add to the variety of your coverage and deliver some unique, romantic, and dramatic images. For me personally, the images shot from the first look and the sunset session are often some of my favorites! Like this one below shot at Deerfield Country Club during golden hour.
Poses
Trust your photographer to know what pose is the most flattering for you. They can see how the light is illuminating you and what is in the background. While photographers will take into consideration your picture ideas, you shouldn’t be offended if they encourage or suggest other options. Most times you’ll be working with limited time and light and you don’t want to waste much of either on your big day. Don’t be shy or embarrassed to communicate your “favorite side” or an area you are sensitive about. Our goal is to make you feel amazing and enjoy the entire experience!
Editing Your Photos
Trust your photographer’s creative eye during the editing process. They will know which images will look best in black and white, color, or how they should be cropped. Part of the editing process is their unique style and this is one of the reasons you hired them. Trust them to use their skills to make each image stunning. They will also be skilled in how to edit your photos without degrading the quality of the images in their original format. Trying to alter an image after your photographer has already worked their magic will do more harm than good and will lessen the quality and the ability for you to print your photos.
Handling Printing Your Photos
Your photographer knows where to get prints made and probably has a long-term relationship with a reputable, professional printing company. The worst thing you can do is have a stunning image, order a large print and find the colors are off, the image is blurred or it simply looks dull. Knowing where to get your prints made, what size they should be printed, and which ones will look best in your albums, wall art, or thank you cards is part of the package you get when you hire a professional photographer. Trust them and listen to what they think will look best for what you want. Your local lab at Walmart or Walgreens does not calibrate their printers as well as the professional lab your photographer uses. If you are planning to enlarge an image, you may want to consider reaching out to your photographer for the best results.
Trusting is so much easier when you are excited about the photographer you choose. An awesome way to put your mind at ease is to schedule an engagement session with your wedding photographer. This way you get to work together and you’ll know what to expect on your wedding day. Here is an example of what to expect from Cait & Gunnar’s engagement session.
