Want a list of must-have wedding photos to send to your photographer? Here are some trade secret hacks to make sure you get all the important shots at your wedding
Oi, you! Are you currently scouring Google putting together a massive mega list of every wedding photo idea in existence ready to shove in your photographer’s face? Well STAHP!
Popular Wedding Blogs And Websites That Shall Remain Nameless (in case we bump into them at a conference or awards bash) often run stories like “82 Essential Ideas For Photos Of Brides Holding Cheese And Crackers At Their Wedding” or “30 Best Ways To Photo The Groom’s Godmother’s Husband”, which are great for aforementioned blogs to get higher up on Google and tbf can be fun to look at and really good inspiration when you’re in the planning stages.
But unless your wedding photographer hasn’t shot a wedding before (in which case, we’re going to have to ask you to leave our website right now), sending them any kind of shot list is probably just going to distract them from focusing on all the things that are happening in front of them. And in the absolute worst case, it may make them resent you deeply and do a bad job on purpose because they hate you now (kidding not kidding).
What to do instead of “the checklist”
Trust your photographer. They are talented. They are experienced. They have a nice face. All the qualities that drew you to them in the first place, mean they’re going to know exactly how to spot all the fun, beautiful, natural moments as they happen, which is exactly what you want right?
If you’re a healthy, well-adjusted individual and find the idea of trusting your wedding suppliers/other humans easy, congratulations! Not only do you win the lottery of life, but also you can stop reading this article right here and go and do something more fun. Hooray!
But I don’t trust my wedding photographer!
Woah, dude. Sorry to hear that. Have you guys sat down and talked about this? Maybe you just need to hug it out?
The funny thing for us photographers is that we all started out either Googling those same lists of the most important wedding photography shots to get or being handed them before our first wedding and nervously studying what was on there the night before, so we’ve been there and done that and that’s how we learned our craft. Shoot enough weddings and you just get a sense of what’s super important and what’s less so. And we’ll liaise with you about this on a Zoom call or when we’re emailing beforehand.
So it might be that we know to get extra-extra shots of your gran because she’s your absolute favourite and the one who’ll keep you sane on your wedding day, or it might be to make sure to get 7000 photos of the bunting and origami birds from different angles because you decided to make them all yourself (and then “outsourced” the job to your nearest and dearest).
Most important thing is to think about what people, places or details matter the most TO YOU and your other half, then communicate this to your photographer so we’re all on the same page on the day. Simple!
Just tell me what important photos to get, plz
You’re really going to make us do all the work here? Sheesh.
Well, start by looking for photographers whose work not only catches your eye, but also who are drawn to the same things as you. Portfolios are going to reflect our best work, but you’re going to want to have a look at some blog posts or ask to see a full gallery for a proper flavour of how we capture a day. Are there loads of group shots or just a handful? What about photos of all the little details like rings, cakes, table decorations etc? Are the dancing photos from the end of the day the epic centrepiece of the album or more low key?
The ratios of these things will be different for every photographer, so have a look and ask about it if you need to and when you find someone whose work makes you yell “OH SHIT YES OUR VALUES ARE IN ALIGNMENT” (or words to that effect) you’ll know you’ve found The One.
Can I just send my photographer my Pinterest?
I Googled “wedding photo ideas” in the name of research (or was that procrastination?) and Pinterest weighed in with “900+ Best Wedding Photography Ideas in 2023”, so the best thing to do is to print all of those, get them bound and take them to your photographer. Make sure to stock up on printer paper and ink first.
Seriously, if you have a wedding photo Pinterest board, some photographers will absolutely love being able to share in what inspires you and see exactly the sort of thing you’re going for and some just want to crack on with doing what they do best without that distraction; both approaches can totally work, so again it’s about finding the right photographer for you.
The bottom line
Plan whatever awesome wedding day you want, make it super fun, then find the style of photography and personality of photographer that you love and we promise you the rest will fall into place. If you’re super anxious about stuff being missed, have a little Google of shot ideas then have a chat with your wedding photographer to work out what’s super important and super personal to you.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to contact us to see if we’re free!
If you’re a wedding photographer and like our vibe, we have a wedding photography membership just for you!
