Wedding Photography

Photographs are an important (and potentially very expensive) part of the wedding. They are often taken for granted but, unless your photographer is carefully chosen and well briefed, the photography can seriously disrupt the proceedings. Standing outside a church on a cold windy afternoon for half an hour or more while the photographer lines up group after group of shivering guests can be a miserable experience. There are various steps you can take to avoid this happening.

Reportage

Reportage photography is becoming more and more popular. The photographer, often starting well before the wedding, takes informal shots of groups and individuals. The bride and group can still have the basic group portraits if they want them, but there will be more photos of informal clusters of people at all stages of the wedding party. Reportage tends to be more expensive because many more shots are taken and the photographer is present for much longer and generally requires more skill and experience.

Indoor Groups

Indoor group photographs are another alternative if the weather isn't good. It's best to line people up either while they are still in the church or the wedding room or at the very beginning of the reception before they start looking dishevelled. If you want to do this, check that the photographer will bring the necessary lighting and equipment for indoor photography.

Providing Entertainment

Entertaining the guests who are not actually being photographed is another option. This is a good reason for taking most of the formal photographs at the reception venue and perhaps providing some live music so that guests can be given a drink in comfortable surroundings without getting cold and bored.

After the Wedding

After the wedding a lot of the guests might like to see the official photographs and some will want to order a copy of one or two of them. Talk to the photographer about this - he or she may supply an album of proofs that can be passed or posted around and may also be able to make them available on the Internet. This is obviously the easiest option for a lot of people who may even be able to order online as well, directly from the photographer.