• About
  • Find a Vendor
  • Submit
  • Advertise
  • Brides Club
  • Your Jewish Life
  • Contact

Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

  • Real Jewish Weddings
    • City Chic
    • Fashion Forward
    • Outdoor
    • Destination
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • France
      • Beach Weddings
    • Super Luxe
    • Budget
    • DIY
    • Same Sex
    • Covid Weddings
  • Jew-ish Weddings
    • Real Jew-ish Weddings
    • Jewish-Catholic Weddings
    • Jewish-Chinese Weddings
    • Jewish-Christian Weddings
    • Jewish-Greek Weddings
    • Jewish-Hindu Weddings
    • Jewish-Humanist Weddings
    • Jewish-Irish Weddings
    • Jewish Japanese Weddings
    • Jewish-Muslim Weddings
    • Same Sex Jew-ish Weddings
  • Inspiration + Guidance
    • Engaged? Start Here
    • Ceremony
      • Chuppah ideas
      • Jewish ceremony music
      • Jewish wedding ceremony 101
      • Jewish ceremony traditions
      • Ketubah Ideas
      • Jewish wedding legalities
      • Jew-ish ceremony ideas
    • Reception
      • Music
      • Speeches
      • Entertainment
      • Venues
    • Food & Drink
      • Kosher catering
      • Wedding cakes
      • Drinks
    • Decor
      • Decorations
      • Favours
      • Floristry
      • Guestbooks
      • Stationery
    • Style
      • Brides dresses
      • Shoes & accessories
      • Grooms
      • Bridesmaids
    • Advice
      • Converting to Judaism
      • Real blogging brides
      • Dear Karen…
    • Honeymoons
    • STG Live
    • Five Minutes With
    • Wedding Must-Haves
    • Wedding Consultancy
  • Jewish Brides Club
  • Find a Wedding Vendor
Home > 8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photography

8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photography

26/08/2016 by Smashing The Glass

How-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-wedding-photography
This is a guest post by Rob Clayton

A good wedding photographer should be able to take great photographs at any event, whatever the light, and whatever the circumstances. However, there are things that you, as the bride and groom, to help ensure you get the best possible images from your day

1. Do your research

Find a photographer whose work you love (not just like, but love!), meet up with him or her and make sure you’re the right fit for each other. And then trust them! If you love the photographer’s work, it will be much easier to trust them when they start taking unusual angles, or making seemingly peculiar requests, rather than you having to worry, ‘why are they doing that? Is that the best way to take this photograph or that? Etc’.

2. Discuss things with your photographer

Talk to your photographer about what you do and don’t like, and allow him or her to explain their methodology. This should give you reassurance on the day that there is a method and a purpose behind all their actions (which may not always be obvious).

3. Prepare a shot list

What you really don’t want to happen on your wedding day is to have to stand around thinking about exactly which combinations of people you want in the formal photographs (especially with all your guests stood around you!). A shot-list prepared in advance will not just take the worry away, but will ensure that the formal photographs can proceed smoothly without delay.

Get the most out of your wedding photography_0693
4. Manage your expectations

Unrealistic expectations can only ever lead to disappointment. Your photographer should be able to help guide you in this respect, but just don’t expect the impossible. For example, if you only set aside a small window of opportunity in which to take the formal family photographs, and then produce a gigantic list to get through, it may just not be possible to do them all without re-arranging the timeline (not something the chef will be prepared to do, I can tell you now!).

An example I have had personally, was a request prior to the wedding to take some pictures of the bride and groom on a beach at sunset. The wedding was in Liverpool city centre. Some expectations are just harder to achieve than others.

5. Have an engagement shoot

When I first started out, I didn’t understand the benefit of doing engagement shoots beyond getting some pretty pre-wedding pictures. However, they are very beneficial in a number of ways. Firstly, they build trust between yourselves and the photographer. By that I mean that, once you’ve seen the results of the shoot, which hopefully you’ll be delighted with, you’ll then be able to completely relax on your wedding day in front of the camera and not worry about the photographs at all.

Secondly, it can have the exact same effect on your friends and family, who will also hopefully love the engagement pictures, and therefore trust the photographer more than otherwise.

Thirdly, if you happen to be shy or feel awkward in front of the camera, an engagement shoot is the best way to break the ice and hopefully make you realize that having your photograph taken should be an enjoyable — rather than a scary – process.

And lastly, should it turn out there are things you don’t like that the photographer may not know about (eg personal hang-ups, etc), an engagement shoot should bring them to the fore ahead of your big day, giving you the opportunity to make the photographer aware of them.

Get the most out of your wedding photography
6. Encourage co-operation between suppliers

One thing that can make a big difference to the photographer’s ability to perform his/her functions is if they have the full cooperation of the other suppliers.  An example of this is during the bridal prep, often the make up artists will set up shop in the first area they see. However, where you are placed in a room can greatly affect the images the photographer can capture, and so a bit of co-operation on both parts can see everyone get what they want.

I’m a photographer, so its easy for me to say photographs should get priority (!), but it is a fact that, post-wedding, the photographs will be all that you have to remember the day by, and so is well worth having a word with all other suppliers to ensure the best possible results.

7. Feed your photographer…at the right time

In my experience, most people these days are considerate enough to offer the photographer a meal during the wedding at some point. However, what often transpires is that the caterer will wait until all the guests have been served (and sometimes offered seconds), before offering the suppliers whatever scraps are left. Unfortunately, by then (and especially at Jewish weddings), the action has started again and the photographer must do his/her thing, leaving their food untouched.

So when speaking to the caterer, stress and stress again the importance of feeding the photographer at the same time as the guests are served…that is the only time the photographer will get to eat, and if they can’t eat then you will be paying for a wasted meal (and the photographer will be hungry and potentially lack energy and focus).

8. Enjoy your day

Sounds obvious, right? But I’ve seen brides spend their day worrying about all sorts of little (dare I say, minor?) details. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often, and it’s always worth remembering that a beaming smile looks much better on a bride than a worried brow!

Get the most out of your wedding photography


About the author

Rob Clayton a professional wedding photographer based in Manchester, where he has been trading for the last 8 years. He started my career covering all sorts of live events, from concerts to cage-fights, and theatre shows to football matches, before honing in on functions, and particularly weddings. His style of shooting is to simply document events as they organically unfold in front of him, and simply offer direction on the odd occasion he thinks beneficial (so no awkward posing….ever!). He is also a member of the Fearless Photographers directory of the world’s best wedding photographers, and one of only six photographers in the North-West of England to have won a coveted Fearless award.

Find Rob Clayton on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

All images by Rob Clayton

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Wedding Planning, Advice + Planning Tagged With: guest post, Rob Clayton photography, Wedding Photography

You might also like...

  • Why LUZ’s Urban Photography Style Might Be Right for YouWhy LUZ’s Urban Photography Style Might Be Right for You
  • Why York Place Studios’ Street Photography Style Might Be Perfect for Your WeddingWhy York Place Studios’ Street Photography Style Might Be Perfect for Your Wedding
  • 5 brilliant tips to help you choose your wedding photographer5 brilliant tips to help you choose your wedding photographer
  • How to get the most out of your wedding photographyHow to get the most out of your wedding photography
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The ChuppahJewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Chuppah
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The BadekenJewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Badeken

Comments

  1. Rosie Gaudet says

    11/10/2016 at 3:52 pm

    Discussing things with your photographer is one of the best ideas! If there is no communication, it could lead to confusion and problems. You will want to make sure your wedding photos are exactly how you want them. So, you need to make sure that you communicate with the photographer to make sure everything turns out how you like.

  2. john Mahoney says

    10/12/2016 at 1:24 am

    I agree that making sure to let the photographer know what you want to do is essential. You would want to make sure to have a good communication system with the person who will help you remember a special day for the rest of your life. I will make sure to have a good and comfortable communication with the photographer I choose. thank you for the advice.

  3. Johnny McCarron says

    15/12/2016 at 12:22 am

    I really like your advice to do your research before choosing a good wedding photographer. As you said, it is important that you love their work. If you don’t, you might regret your decision. It is imperative that you have a good pictures on your big day. Do you have any other tips about choosing a good photographer?

  4. Shad Morris says

    18/01/2017 at 3:38 pm

    A friend of mine is getting ready to have her wedding, but wasn’t sure who would be taking her pictures. I really like that you say to make sure that your expectations are realistic, and work with the photographer to get them that way. It would be nice to have a magical photoshoot, but might not be possible in the end.

  5. Trayson Evans says

    24/02/2017 at 7:04 pm

    This article is very considerate to the photographer. I have thought the same thing occasionally, that a photographer really doesn’t get much action while people are eating. It might be a good idea to serve them first so that they can get other pictures of the cake and rings while the couple is eating.

Jewish Weddings by Country

Vendors We Love

Weddings by Colour


Jewish Wedding Gift List


Awesome Jewish Gifts

Vendors We Love

Get posts directly into your inbox

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Monica Vinader
Biscuiteers Baking Company
Liberty London
Mr And Mrs Smith Honeymoons
Kate Spade UK Limited

Today’s Top Posts

  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - The Chuppah
    Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - The Chuppah
  • Win a Luxury Three Night Stay for Two in Kosher Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination
    Win a Luxury Three Night Stay for Two in Kosher Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination
  • Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
    Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
  • Chuppah ideas
    Chuppah ideas
  • A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
    A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Connect

Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter
Advertise
Mailing List
Email Karen

Receive Smashing The Glass posts via Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

closeWin a Luxury stay at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination

All content © Smashing The Glass 2023