How to improve your wedding photos

After shooting many weddings there are a number of things I have come across that I try and make sure my clients understand leading up to the day. Sometimes just the smallest little details and changes can greatly improve the photographs - again I hope this helps with your planning and feel free to share with your bridal/Groom party.

Tip #1: Reveal photos

All morning I am focussed on documentary style - I want to capture everything as it is and to start to get everyone used to me taking photos (even though my cameras are completely silent) - But when i do your timeline I should have asked if you want a reveal photo - dad/mum/nan/bridesmaids - you name it, I’ve done them all. Let me organise this on the day - you just need to brief the person in advance and you will know their character and how they will be - have a chat to me in advance to let me know what they are like and I’ll take care of the rest

Tip#2: Exchanging gifts

This has become increasingly popular during the preparation stage for gifts/letters to be exchanged. They are often incredibly heartfelt gestures that are incredible moments to photograph as your partner will not be there to witness you opening/reading it/crying. So if you plan on both (or one of you) providing a gift for your partner - let me know in advance so i can make sure we build it into your timeline and i am there to capture those moments

Tip#3: Details

I often find i ask my brides and grooms whether they have any details they want photographing ie rings/shoes/jewellery - if you do then try to gather them all together in one place so we know they are important to you - we can then arrange and photograph in a memorable way for you.

Tip#4: Bridesmaids/Flower girls/Paige boys walking down the aisle

Smile and look up! You will be amazed how many photos i take of the processional where people look towards the ground - I get it maybe a bit nervous and daunting to walk into a room full of people looking at you - but just by looking up and smiling means you will look fantastic in the photos and also creates a positive reaction whereby everyone looking at you will also be smiling. Smiling breeds smiling! trust me!

Tip#5: Bridesmaids/Flower girls/Paige boys walking down the aisle - number 2

If you are not having a practice of walking down the aisle then make sure you let your bridesmaids know to give a bit of distance between themselves and the person in front of them. Count to at least 10 before walking. The reason being is that you will commonly be walking in a line down the aisle so it is very hard to photograph the person behind until the person in front has moved off to the side. Worse case is everyone is so bunched up that i can’t even photograph the bride walking down the aisle until the last moment. The best photos (in my opinion) are where i can get photos of each and everyone in their own with all the guests focusing on you - and of course everyone smiling!

Tip#6: Ring exchange/lighting candles

If you have arranged for any activities to take place during the ceremony (ring exchanges is a bit of given) but activities like lighting candles, filling up vases with sand etc then try to keep yourself open to the audience so they can see whats happening - this often helps the photographer out as well.

Tip#7: Hold that first kiss

Sometimes the first kiss is more like a quick peck. Hold that kiss for at least 2-3 seconds, it’s the moment that everyone cheers and is waiting for - so embrace it.

Tip#8: Walking back down the aisle as a married couple

Some of the best photos are when the newly married couple dont just walk down the aisle after they are married but engage with friends and families, go for the fist pump, raise those flowers high in the end, go for a kiss or a dip at the end of the aisle. Have fun, it’s a fantastic moment to be excited.

Tip#9: Arrange for someone to help during family portraits

Family portraits can take anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes a photo depending on how many guests you have in each one. If you have asked for ten photos then that could be the best part of an hour. Something i find really helps to speed up the process (so you can get back to the party!) is to have a Usher/Friend/Family member who knows a lot of people, who is (how do i say) quite persuasive, whose job it is to get the people for the next photo. I cant tell you how much time this saves for you on your wedding day.

Must ask questions for your Wedding photographer

What you need to know

Wedding Photography is not an easy profession (I forget the number of times guests at weddings tell me they have “given it a go but never again”), plus interviewing potential wedding photographers can be a daunting task. Regardless of if you are hiring Matt Trott Photography or another studio, we have created a list of questions to help you find the perfect photographer for your wedding day.

1. What is your primary style?

This should be your first and foremost question as this is the style of photography that interests you. At Matt Trott Photography our style is very much focused on a 90/10 rule - 90% is candid documentary photos of you and guests whilst 10% has a degree of posing (and by posing I mean we might engineer the situation, i.e asking you to walk towards me through a naturally well lit area on your couple shoot part of the day). Collectively, we find this blend provides the best mix of photos for our clients and allows you to enjoy your day.

2. How many weddings have you shot, and have you shot ones similar to mine?

This is a great question to get an idea of how much experience your photographer has in general. Years are not necessarily a good gauge of experience due to the length of time between booking and shooting the wedding, i.e someone starting out might have 30 weddings booked for the next two years, however, they may have only shot 5 at the point of your enquiry. As a minimum you ideally want someone that has photographed and supplied at least 20 weddings to date. 20 I found had given me the range of experience across types of weddings, different ceremonies, different weather and different times of year to ensure I feel I could advertise myself as having experience.

3. How many times have you worked specifically as a wedding photographer?

This question is designed to find out if the photographers are specialised in wedding photography and specialise in the type of wedding photography you want or are they “one-stop-shop-photographers.” who turn their hand at everything. Now there may not be anything wrong with trying your hand at multiple different photography types, I shoot family portraiture as well, however my specialism is wedding photography and I base 90% of my business around it to ensure I can offer a centre of excellence across the photos and service.

4. Will a contract of the services be provided? If so, can I get a copy?

There are a lot of studios that don’t create contracts for their wedding photography clients. You should require a contract from your photographer that details what services they will be providing, pricing, termination resolution terms, etc. A contract is created for your protection, and for the wedding photographer’s protection. It is best to hire a photographer that will build a contract with you, and be wary of photographers that “don’t typically create contracts for clients.” You should feel free to ask for a copy of the contract in advance of booking

5. What happens if the photographer is ill?

While it is unlikely that the photographer happens to get ill on your wedding day, there is still a chance. It is crucial that the photography studio does something to take care of the situation in case of illness. At Matt Trott Photography our policy is to ensure we get you an equally skilled photographer for your day, even if that means we pay extra for someone that charges more. We would arrange an emergency listing through multiple supplier contact points to ensure we get your coverage.

6. Do you have insurance?

Professional wedding photographers should have the proper insurance for their business. Insurance protects the photographer against equipment theft, but more importantly, it provides liability protection in case Great Aunt Sophie trips over the photographer’s bag and breaks her leg. If a wedding photographer does not have insurance, chances are they are new to the industry or are not taking their business seriously.

7. Will you colour correct my images?

Since colour correction is the basic post-production, it should be used on every single image. Many photographers will not colour correct any, or will only colour correct “select” images from your wedding. This means that you may have a lot of pictures where your skin tones are orange, yellow, red or even blue as the white balance is not adjusted in post.

8. What kind of equipment do you use? Do you have backups?

At Matt Trott Photography we use Nikon top quality bodies and multiple quality lenses. We always carry two main bodies on our person at all times - physically on our person - I carry a cowboy style holster with both cameras hanging from it. This may sound a bit odd but just imagine if a camera failed whilst I was at the altar waiting for the bride to walk down - I instantly have another camera on my person to ensure nothing gets missed. I also ensure that I have two wide angle lenses and two longer focal lenses. Although there are subtle differences between the lenses it means if one were to break I can continue to get the coverage akin to my style.

9. Should my event last longer than scheduled, will you stay? Is there an extra charge?

Knowing up front the photographer’s policy on overages is critical. You don’t want to be surprised when your wedding photographer asks for additional money before they release your pictures to you. Even worse, you don’t want your wedding photographer to just pack up and leave when their time is up.

10. What attire will the photographer and their assistants wear?

Even though the wedding photographers are a big part of the wedding day, it’s important that they are not distractions. As such, it’s important for the photographer to blend in as much as possible. If attire is important to you make sure you ask what your photographer will wear.

11. How long after the event will the photos, album, etc be ready?

Each wedding photography studio varies in the time it takes to produce and deliver your pictures. Studios that do not do any post production or colour correction may try to entice you by saying your photos will be ready within the week, or even the next day. However, most studios that develop and produce their images will take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months.

At Matt Trott Photography we contract up to a maximum of six weeks, however our average turnaround is closer to four weeks.

Why you shouldn't hire uncle Bob....

“My Uncle Bob has an amazing camera, I think I am going to just pay him £500 to shoot my wedding.” While Uncle Bob may be very good, here are a few reasons to go with the professional.

Wedding photography is so much more than just having a nice camera. Uncle Bob may have a nice camera, in fact, let’s say Uncle Bob has a well paid job and his hobby is photography.. So, not only does he have a nice camera, but he has the best camera money can buy at the moment (maybe even better than mine!) Even more so, Uncle Bob loves shooting in his spare time so much that he even bought a full set of lenses and accessories.

So lets move on with the assumption that this Uncle Bob is much more prepared than 99% of the Uncle Bob’s out there and even has experience of having some of his work published.

Wedding time comes, and Uncle Bob is feeling great and confident that he is going to do an awesome job. Uncle Bob starts with some outside shots of the preparation location and everything is looking good. Then Uncle Bob steps inside where the preparation is taking place.

Does Uncle Bob have all the gear he needs, ready to hand, for the different parts of the day?

Uncle Bob starts shooting the bridal prep but didn’t realise the size of the room and that he can’t get all the elements in, so he needs to swap to a wide angle lens. He goes out to the car to swap out his lenses since he wasn’t anticipating this problem. When he gets back, the bride’s makeup is done, and now they are working on the hair.

What will a professional do:

The foresight to be prepared for each situation with a secondary camera prepped with a different type of lens. Professional wedding photographers will always scope out the wedding venue and scenes prior to the wedding and plan ahead.

Has Uncle Bob assessed all the lighting in the different rooms, and done his homework for natural light levels at different parts of the day?

Uncle Bob didn’t take any time to check out the lighting prior to the shoot and he has no off camera lighting, or any additional lighting equipment. So, Uncle Bob just raises his ISO settings (low light settings) super high so that he can capture enough light to properly expose the scene. This works, however, little does he know, that every picture shot will be too grainy to blow up beyond a 4×6 print.

What a professional will do:

The ability to quickly adjust his camera settings based on different lighting scenes. Most of the time wedding photographers have 2-3 seconds to adjust settings in the moment - any longer and you may miss something.

The ability to create unique lighting scenes, and supplement natural light with their own lighting. Understanding light and lighting is something that comes from study, training and experience.

Does Uncle Bob know how to override the camera’s exposure setting to ensure the pure white shirts and dresses do not lose their valuable detail?

Uncle Bob now heads over to shoot the Bride and Groom. Uncle Bob looks at the scene and adjusts his camera settings based on what the camera tells him to. Unfortunately, because there was so much black in the scene from the suits, the camera meter was over exposing all of the shots to compensate. Therefore, the beautiful detail of the wedding dress is completely lost and appears as a pure white blob. Uncle Bob didn’t realise though, and just kept shooting away.

What a professional will do:

Will know inside out how their camera reads and interprets light in order to compensate for under or over exposure. In these situations the wedding photographer must rely on their experience rather than the camera’s automatic readings.

Does Uncle Bob know how to get crisp, in focus shots when the bride is walking down the aisle and know where to stand?

Let’s say this is a simple wedding and now it’s time for the ceremony. Uncle Bob does pick the perfect spot, pops on his zoom lens and waits. The groom makes his way in, and Bob shoots him like a professional would. Taking multiple shots as the groom is coming down the aisle. The only problem is that all the shots are out of focus because the subject was walking towards Uncle Bob, and his focus settings were not set for moving subjects.

The father and bride begin coming down the aisle, and just the same, Uncle Bob fires away taking 50 more shots. Again, none of which are crisp and in focus.

What will a professional do:

Will have the knowledge of advanced focus techniques and how to get those moments crisp and in focus. Even how to hold their camera correctly to avoid blur and ensuring their shutter speed is fast enough.

Has Uncle Bob got the experience of shooting lots of ceremonies so knows what is coming up when and what to avoid?

The wedding ceremony is going great, and Bob grabs several good shots. But Uncle Bob realises, again, that his camera lens isn’t wide enough as he wants to vary his shots, so Uncle Bob runs to his bag to grab a different lens. On his way back, he sees the couple just as they kiss for the first time. Uncle Bob missed it. He also didn’t think to shoot any of the bride or grooms family during the ceremony, as he was trying not to miss anything in the ceremony.

What a professional will have:

The carrying cases needed to always have their necessary equipment and accessories on them at all times. Professional wedding photographers will always have their equipment readily available on their person, or nearby.

Experience shooting fleeting moments that you only have one chance to capture. A first kiss typically only lasts 1-2 seconds, and you don’t necessarily know exactly when it is going to happen. The wedding photographer must be staring through his lens, ready and prepared for this moment to happen.

Experience and knowledge required to anticipate angles and approaches to each scene. Knowing where to stand, and what angles to shoot is something that only comes from experience.

Has Uncle Bob picked the perfect scene for family portraits and knows what to avoid?

After the ceremony, it’s time for formals. Uncle Bob guides everyone to his favourite spot outdoors where he has a beautiful shot of the view. The subjects are facing away from the sun, so that he can capture the grandeur of the scene. Because the formals are being shot in the bright noon-day sun, Uncle Bob doesn’t realise that the camera is under exposing the entire scene since the background is so bright.

Uncle Bob takes only a few family formal shots, and only one shot of each set. Little to Bob’s knowledge, every shot is coming out too dark and completely underexposed.

Uncle Bob doesn’t know to take multiple shots of formals in case there are blinking eyes - he takes one and moves on.

What a professional will have:

Experience in guiding and directing large group formals. This is where the wedding photographer’s personality and tact are so important. How do they interact with the bride, groom and their family, plan for how many there are and how long it will take.

Experience in taking extra shots of crucial pictures such as during formals in case of blinking, awkward expressions, etc.

Does Uncle Bob appreciate how many hours of shooting are involved in the wedding day?

Reception time has arrived, and Uncle Bob has already worked 10 hours! He figures that he should relax and enjoy the wedding too since he is family. So, he gives his camera to his young son who loves photography and tells him to shoot.

Uncle Bob is so exhausted that he doesn’t shoot for the rest of the night. I mean, he is helping out the bride and groom so much by saving them money, and doing it for so cheap that he figures it shouldn’t matter anyway.

What a professional will have:

The energy to work for 12-18 hours. This is a wedding photographer’s job, they are used to working long hours.

Has Uncle Bob invested in the right editing software to make sure the photos get the high quality production look?

Since Uncle Bob doesn’t have the software, or even know how, to post produce images. He simply gives the bride and groom a DVD with all of the images burned to it. The bride and groom sit down, dying with anticipation and pop the DVD into the computer to start looking through their Uncle’s beautiful work!

100 pictures into the 2,000 pictures Uncle Bob shot, the bride is already in tears, as every photo is too dark, too bright, blurry, or just not that good. Furthermore, the bride and groom notice that there is no shot of their first kiss, and the only reception shots were of Uncle Bob’s son shooting all of the kids at the reception.

What will a professional do:

Know how to shoot in advance to get as much right in camera as possible. They will have professional editing equipment that will allow them to get the best out of each photo, colour, bring up shadows and highlights etc.

In conclusion:

I have had many client’s guests approach me during a shoot to tell me about their “Uncle Bob” experience, and how they wish they had hired us to shoot the wedding. So, why does this happen to Uncle Bob? Because the bottom line is, while Bob had all the professional gear (which is unlikely in the first place), and experience shooting nature and outdoor scenes, he doesn’t have the experience and foresight for how a wedding day works.

While there are a lot of areas in your wedding budget that you can save money on, wedding photography should not be one of them. If you want to have professional quality, creative imagery of your wedding day that will be timeless heirlooms to be shown and handed down to your generations to come, you will need a professional wedding photographer.

If absolutely necessary you can always order products later, you can never order better quality and more creative imagery after your event.