9 Ways To Get Great Detail Shots From Your Wedding Photographer >> You’ve planned the most beautiful day; you have your dream dress, the venue is perfect, you’ve hired a photographer you love, the invitations came out exactly how you’d imagined, and now it’s all here. How can you be sure to set your photographer up for success in photographing all the small, little details of your day? I’ve compiled a list of 9 things to be sure your photographer gets detail photos you LOVE!
1. Gather everything
The biggest thing about your detail photos is making sure everything is gathered in one spot. Common things to include in your detail photos are: your dress, shoes, jewelry, all three rings, garter, invitation, bouquet, hairpieces, veil, perfume, and anything else of importance to you! Have it all in one place where it’s easily accessible for your photographer!
2. Timing
Timing is key for any part of your wedding. Ask your photographer how much time they’ll need for detail photos! For me, I can usually do decent details photos in about 30 minutes, though I prefer closer to 45 so I have time to make adjustments or gather the necessary items. If you have everything in one place and ready to go, 30 minutes should be just right!
3. Rings
Your photographer is going to want all three rings (engagement ring plus both wedding bands), or two if yours is already soldered. You may be tempted to give the best man the rings the night before to hold on to until the ceremony, but keeping them with you is best practice! Let your photographer know what do with the rings as soon as they’re done photographing them! If you’re doing photos before the ceremony, you’ll both want to wear your wedding rings so you look married in your photos. There will be enough time after photos and before the ceremony to get the rings to the appropriate person!
4. Your dress
In my opinion, one of the biggest things that ruins an otherwise gorgeous dress photo is a plastic hanger. If you’re not getting a customized hanger with your new last name on it, at least make sure to have a nice wooden hanger available. As a photographer, I carry a wooden hanger with me to every wedding for this very purpose, but not all photographers do. It’s best to be prepared! Along with that, make sure your dress is ready to go for your photographer when they arrive. Take out the cardboard form that it sometimes comes on and have it on your wooden hanger so your photographer doesn’t have to spend time changing things over on their arrival!
P.S. – If you’re wanting photos of your bridesmaids dresses all lined up too, the same above goes for them.
5. Paper goods
Your photographer is most likely going to want to do a flat lay (see below if you’re unsure of what this is!) of all your wedding related items. Make sure to bring a full set of your invitation (including envelopes), a save-the-date, a program for the ceremony, a menu from the reception, and any other matching paper good you might have! Your photographer might now use all of them, but better safe than sorry! If any of these items are two sided, make sure to bring two your photographer can capture front and back in the same photo!
6. Fabrics
Do you have leftover fabric from your dress or one of your bridesmaids’ dresses after altering? It might not be a bad idea to have that ready for your photographer as well! They might want to use it to add to the background of the flat lay to create dimension or to bring in your wedding colors!
7. Sentimental items
If there are certain items on your wedding day that hold extra importance to you, bring those along as well! Your grandma’s hanky she had her wedding day, your mom’s garter, a special pin from your aunt that’s going on your bouquet; be sure to include all that, and let your photographer know the importance or significance of each piece!
8. Unique centerpiece items
Sometimes it helps to tie your whole day together if your photographer has access to some of your reception décor. If your reception is in a different location from where your detail photos will be taken, consider bring an extra centerpiece. This could be as simple as the below photo, where the bride was using slices of wood as part of her decor. This isn’t entirely necessary, but definitely something to consider!
9. Flowers
Paying attention to when your flowers will be delivered and what time your photographer will do your detail photos is an important part of your timeline! Your photographer will most likely want to use your bouquet or the groom’s boutonniere in your overall flat lay photos. Aside from that, they’ll for sure want to take photos of these items individually! If your flowers arrive at 11 but you’re planning on getting into your dress at 11:15, that probably won’t be enough time for your photographer to get all those important detail shots! Ask your florist if thee flowers can be delivered earlier or if someone could pick them up!
Overall, just be sure to have everything with you that’s important to your day. If there’s something that just doesn’t matter quite so much to you, communicate that to your photographer. It’s your day and your photos should reflect that! Your photographer is ultimately there to serve you!
9 Ways To Get Great Detail Shots From Your Wedding Photographer
9 Ways To Get Great Detail Shots From Your Wedding Photographer >> Emily Kowalski Photography
