Wedding photography is more than just picking up your camera and going click-click-click. There are rules to be followed.
We Can’t Bring Our Own Presuppositions to the Table
Most clients choose us because they love what we do—they love our style, our props, and our angles. They don’t come to us because they think we are great psychologists or relationship coaches—which is something amateur photographers never really understand. It is important to build a fresh perspective for each event. Reading the room is as important as taking the right picture at the right time.
One of the first things we, as wedding photographers, have to do is read the room quickly. This applies in particular to the couple we are there to shoot. We ask ourselves a quick number of questions, such as: how close are they? What kind of bond do they share? Would they be comfortable with what we were going to suggest? Are they comfortable posing?
Our focus is on making our clients feel at ease—because that is the only way we can take good photos of them. And the first step towards doing this is understanding them. We photograph people from different cultures, and everything doesn’t apply to everyone—this is important to note.
Listen to the Client
Sure, we are the photographers and the professionals, and we probably do know best—but it’s the couple’s big day, and if they want something, they’re going to get it. If they have ideas that are resoundingly bad, we’ll explain why, in detail, with care and sensitivity—instead of just turning them down. The client has the control—because the client is paying. We don’t want our clients to feel like we have hijacked their wedding and are ordering them about. Listening to them and making sure their wishes are honored is a big part of what we do.
Keeping Assistants Under Check
Often when we take up enthusiastic new assistants, their enthusiasm can get in the way of doing things. They’ll go on gushing and changing the bride’s dress so many times she might lose interest all over—not to mention it pushes everyone back on schedule. So we often have to take the tough route and say a word or two if needed—but that is usually never needed since we already train our interns and assistants in the right etiquette when employing them as a wedding photographer.
About Lily Hayes
We at Lily Hayes provide professional photoshoots to families in Dallas, arranging weddings, newborn photoshoots, and more. You can get in touch with us here.