Let's face it, traditional portraits at an event or a wedding are a thing of the past. Here I will include a few tips on how to make sure your photographer understands your vision.
Check the Photographer's online portfolio.
“It was love at first click. After checking Mark's wedding gallery, I instantly fell in love with the style and attention to the detail. Most importantly the images looked natural.”
Keep in mind, photographers are limited in the number of pictures we display in our online gallery. We typically choose only a few of the best pictures from the coverage to show a variety of clients, lighting, and locations. Before you make your final decision, I would suggest to contact the photographer and request to see a full day coverage. That way you will know exactly what to expect.
Share your vision
Every photographer has a style. However, we are in the business to serve and make our clients happy. The more information and details you will share with your photographer prior to the photoshoot the better the results will be.
Get Inspired
“Creating a vision board on Pinterest with my favorite images helped me and our photographer to be on the same page.”
I always advise my clients to create a personal board on Pinterest and share it with me prior to the event. If you planning a wedding or event with multiple people, I highly advise you to share it with them as well.
Practice makes perfect
Most of the time you will find ads in the magazine that look picture-perfect. Keep in mind most of the time those are hired models and can create a certain look upon the request. As storytellers and candid photographers, our job is to be unobtrusive as much as possible. That means you will get very limited directions. I advise practicing in front of a large mirror and see what angles and expressions look best.
Be on time
This is probably one of the most overlooked things on anyone's list. Weddings and events require a lot of attention to detail. No matter the size of your celebration I recommend getting the day-of coordinator who can help you to get organized and to make sure everything happens as you want. Your time is limited. Being late means the photographer will get his/her time cut off to be creative and will rush with the coverage. Your only objective is to be on time, enjoy yourself, and have fun.