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Photographer's Wish List. How the you can help us...

Finding a wedding photographer to shoot your big day is a sizable investment, in time and money. By doing your research and hiring a professional that suits your style, you can rest assured that they are going to capture your day exactly how you want it to be done. But achieving the best possible results doesn’t end with the signing of the contract. I know I am working for and with you, but here are a few simple things you can do as a client before and on your wedding day to help you and your photographer shoot the photographs of your dream wedding.

Develop a personal one on one relationship with your photographer. Hopefully you have selected a photographer whose personality goes well with yours, besides your fiancee, they are the person you will be spending the most amount of time with on your day. By the time your wedding day arrives, you should consider your photographer a friend and team mate, not just another vendor. This can seem like a difficult task to accomplish, considering how busy and hectic the months leading up to the wedding day can be, but it can be done. Most photographers understand the importance of this dynamic and will take the initiative, but it does take a little bit of effort from you as well. Make yourself available. Though most beneficial, it doesn’t necessarily have to take place in person. Phone calls, emails, any form of conversation will work. And it most certainly doesn’t need to pertain to the business of your wedding. The stronger this sense of friendship is between you and the photographer, not only will you feel more comfortable and relaxed around him or her, the rest of the will as well. As soon as the guard comes down, the photographic magic can happen...

Be yourself with your photographer. This may seem like common sense, but it can be more difficult than most people think. Most people aren’t used to having a photographer shoot their every move, especially with intimidating looking pro equipment. Though they may not realize it, people tend to carry themselves and act differently as soon as a camera is pointed towards them, which looks stiff and unnatural in photographs. Others just freeze up totally. Unless your photographer is giving you specific direction, the best thing you can do is relax,chill and be yourself, and act as if the photographer wasn’t there. Pay extra attention to your hands, they are a good indication of how tense you really are. Relax your hands and arms and the rest of you will follow. No need to put on an act, simply be yourself and it will all look great.

Please don’t rush your wedding day. When planning the schedule , allot a realistic amount of time for each separate part. Planning a shorter, more casual wedding is one thing, but attempting to pack an eight hour event into four makes everything feel rushed, like you’re trying to run a race. Not only does it make it difficult for everyone involved to enjoy the day, it makes it more difficult to capture natural looking photographs when you’re sprinting from one thing to the next. Pace your day and remember every moment, it is, after all, a once in a lifetime experience.

Look through many magazines, on-line, and, of course, through your photographer’s portfolio for specific examples of photos , scenes, and body positions that you like and share these ideas with your photographer before the wedding. It will give both you and the photographer a better sense of direction when working as a team. Also, if you internalize these ideas and are able to carry and position yourself in a similar way without having to be completely directed by the photographer, the photographs will look much more natural. The more the photographer must direct, the more awkward you will feel and it will show in the images.

Talk with your fiancee about the photography and video. Often photography is of much greater importance to one half of the couple, typically the bride, but sometimes the groom. Sometimes the photographer won't even meet the groom until the wedding day, as everything related to photography was arranged and booked by the bride. This usually translates to the groom and groomsmen standing around in complete disinterest, with a ‘this is her deal’ attitude. If you communicate openly with your fiancee, and, even better, the core wedding party, beforehand about the photography, it will make it much easier and enjoyable to achieve your desired results.
I even like to meet the brides maid before the wedding as they will be the number point of help for you on the wedding day.

Enjoy your wedding day,really enjoy it. Again, this may seem dum to say, but with the anticipation and stress involved in planning the perfect day, it can be difficult to enjoy it. While there is certainly no way to eliminate the stress and worry completely, you can minimize it. If you don’t have a professional day of coordinator, appoint someone you trust to handle the logistics of the day and let them worry about the small details. You have been planning this day for months maybe years, once it finally arrives,enjoy and chilax. You certainly deserve to and doing so will translate to more natural beautiful photos.

I hope this has helped and as always please let us know...

Cheers Peter and team bELLE