Wedding Photography Poses and Tips Dear Friend, A photographer can be one of the most important components of your wedding day. When friends or relatives volunteer to take your wedding pictures, think long and hard about it. A professional will thoroughly understand lighting techniques and will be experienced in capturing the joyous occasion. Photography in all our coverage's is a mixture of candid as it happens journalistic moments and traditional poses. Each event is custom tailored but general starts at the ceremony location and continues through the ceremony and into the reception. Our prices reflect our commitment to service and affordability. Photos During the Ceremony Interior of the church (or other wedding site) with guests Lighting of church candles Parents and other honored guests being escorted to seats Entrance of minister (or other officiant), groom, and groomsmen Minister, groom, and groomsmen waiting at altar Entrance of bridesmaids (escorted or unescorted) Entrance of flower girl and ring bearer Entrance of bride and father (or other escort) Father giving away bride Various shots during the ceremony (usually without flash and from the back of the church, from balcony, or best available vantage point) Telephoto close-ups of bride, groom, and officiant at altar Wide-angle shots of entire wedding party at altar Special moments (such as bride and groom facing one another, lighting of unity candle, vows, ring exchange, kiss, presentation of bride and groom to the guests as new husband and wife) The recessional (bride and groom walking back down aisle, groomsmen escorting bridesmaids down the aisle) Formal Photos after the ceremony. Bride (several shots) Groom (several shots) Bride and groom (several shots) Bride, groom and minister (or other officiant) Bride with maid of honor Bride with bridesmaids Bride with flower girl Groom with best man Groom with groomsmen Groom with ring bearer Bride and groom with bridesmaids Bride and groom with groomsmen Bride and groom with maid of honor and best man Bride and groom with flower girl/ring bearer Bride and groom with entire wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearer, ushers) Bride and groom with bride’s parents Bride and groom with groom’s parents Bride and groom with both sets of parents Bride and groom with bride’s extended family (grandparents, sisters and brothers, other special family members - various combinations are usually desired) Bride and groom with groom’s extended family (grandparents, sisters and brothers, other special family members - various combinations are usually desired) Bride and groom with any special friends/guests in attendance Photos at the Reception Entrance of bride and groom Bride and groom being served or in food line Bride and groom at wedding party table Bride and groom during toasts (and those giving toasts) Bride and groom cutting the wedding cake Bride and groom feeding each other wedding cake Bride and groom first dance Other special dance moments (father/daughter, mother/son, etc.) Bouquet toss Garter removal/toss Bride and groom's hands/rings (ring shot) Bride's bouquet Parents and special guests at parent’s table (and other "table" shots, as appropriate, and as desired by the bride and groom) The gift table and guest book sign-in table The wedding cake Special decorative arrangements (florals, ice sculptures, etc.) Musicians and/or singers Candids of bride, groom, and family members/friends Candids of various guests, (as appropriate and as desired by the bride and groom) Notes on Formal Photos: Formal posed photos usually include various combinations of the bride, groom, wedding party members, and immediate family members. Posed formals may even include extended family members and close friends. Posed formals may be taken either just before or just after the ceremony. Normally, they are taken immediately after the ceremony. Sometimes, however (to save time), the bride, groom and family will decide to do these photos before the ceremony (usually at least 1 to 11/2 hours before the ceremony). How much time should be allowed for formal photos? A quick set of formal photos may be taken in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. An extended session may last from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Of course, it depends on the size of the wedding party and the number of family members and friends that it may be desired to include as part of the formal photo session. It's always a good idea for the bride and groom to make a specific list of all of the family members (or family groups) of whom they'd like to have photos taken. This assists not only the photographer, but also helps the family sort out exactly what their formal photography needs will be. Such a list also helps to speed up the process of taking the formal photos, so that there is less time taken in making last-minute decisions on whom to include in those photos. Our basic start time for wedding days is at least one hour before the ceremony. This allows us time for equipment setup, assessment of the location for our shooting strategy, and taking a few shots of the bride, groom, and other wedding party members, etc., before the ceremony. In some cases, we start much earlier, depending on the wedding couple's needs. Earlier starts are advisable when the bride and groom want to have more formal photos done before (rather than after) the ceremony. Sometimes, the bride and groom wish to have a portion (sometimes, even all) of the formal photos out of the way before the ceremony so that there is little or no interruption between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the reception. In those cases, we will adjust our start time appropriately in order to have a good comfort zone (time-wise) to get all of the desired photos within the time allowed before the ceremony. Back to Weddings