Planning the time for photography

Sunrise / Sunset times can be found here.

One of the most frequent types of questions I hear has to do with
how to arrange the schedule so that there is sufficient time to do pictures.

Important note: Your photographer is obviously there at your wedding to capture the events - however, that job does NOT include making the wedding happen! So for example, if you or your guests are horribly late for some reason (or no reason at all) then I will capture whatever is happening but I will NOT be yelling at you or otherwise trying to force you to stick to any schedule. Making the schedule and sticking to it is your responsibility - documenting your wedding is my job.

With that said, I do have some recommendations to offer around the issue of timing.

When should we start taking pictures???

For the pre-Ceremony images

I usually recommend that we start shooting 2.5 - 3 hours before the ceremony.

This will give us enough time to capture the following events...
       > shooting in the dressing room while you do makeup and hair
       > shoot the guys in the dressing room,
       > 30 - 45 min of group shots,
       > 1/2 hour to hide while the guests are arriving and being seated

 

Group Pictures Before  - vs -  Group Pictures After

This is the big question. Of course there is the tradition of not seeing each other until the big WOW moment when the bride walks down the aisle. There is a lot to be said for that. However, did you know that we can do that same thing for you if we create your first meeting in a beautiful spot BEFORE the wedding ceremony? Doing it this way has several advantages. First of all, you can hug and kiss on each other without worrying about the fact that there are 200 people staring at you. Second, we can photograph it a lot better without all the people and chairs in the way. And third, it allows us to get started doing all the group shots before the ceremony.

Group shots are not required by us. They are often accepted as a traditional part of wedding photography but if you choose to skip them, we won't complain.

If you do your groups before, you will have more time, more energy and a lot less distraction than if you do them afterwards. You can also get them out of the way so that you and I are free to work on creating some beautiful couple portraits after the ceremony when the light is best.

If you do groups afterwards, it is my experience that most couples are worried about all the guests waiting on them and this makes it hard to be focused on getting good pictures. The pictures of the two of them alone really suffer because these are generally the last shots to do and everyone else is already off at the reception waiting for you. Being rushed and distracted is not a good combination for getting good images.

Should you make a photo shot list?

If you want to be sure you get certain combinations of people in your group shots, by all means make us a list of exactly who is in what shot. This keeps us from having to try to make it up on the wedding day. I've shot group photos hundreds of times, so I can make up the combinations for you. However, if you are picky and you know you want certain group shots, you would be better off making up your own list.

You don't have to get the list to me early, just bring it with you to the group photo session, or give it to me on the day of the wedding.

Another thing that helps with the group photos is to enlist the assistance of a relative that actually knows the people and can help me round them all up.

Roughly 15 group shots can be done in half an hour.

You don't need to make a list of all the other pictures at the wedding - just the group shots.

If you have a few things that you absolutely must have in the photos, then make a short list of those. However, don't waste your time making a list of things like.... cake shot, first dance, the kiss, etc. Those are the main events at a wedding and any wedding photographer will already be trying his/her best to get those.

Only make a list if you feel you have something unusual that you think your photographer might overlook, or not know about.

Magic hour!    Creative Portrait time!

In the evening there is what photographers call the "magic hour." This is when the light is the absolute best of the entire day.
I takes place about 30 minutes on each side of sunset.

Sunrise / Sunset times can be found here.

If it is possible to plan your day so that we can slip away for AT LEAST 30 minutes during this time, you won't be dissapointed. This is my favorite time to make creative portraits of the Bride and groom. I usually scope out places to go earlier in the day so that when the time arrives, we can walk a little loop around your site and be back before your guests ever start missing you. These can be simple portraits, or dramatic environmental shots that take advantage of any beautiful architectural or natural places around your wedding location. If you happen to be in a particularly beautiful area, please talk with me about scheduling more time for this session.

How much time do you need for this?      The more the better! Half an hour can work fine on the wedding day, but if you can schedule it, an hour is MUCH better, and two hours is really ideal. If you want an hour or two for this shoot, it is best to schedule it early in the day, or even on the day before or after the wedding. Check out this page on scheduling a shoot on a different day.

Think about this.... why pay the high price of a good wedding photographer if you are unwilling to provide the opportunity to make some really good photos? And that opportunity is a combination of location and time.

A Photographer's Ideal Schedule

If I were planning a wedding, here's how I would schedule it...

I like to start by finding the sunset time and then planning everything around that.

Once you know the sunset time, I would plan at LEAST an hour between the end of the ceremony and sunset. This allows for a couple minutes of signing the documents and then go straight out to take romantic photos until after sunset without much time spent visiting with the guests. I would completely avoid visiting with the guests during this time because once you get caught in one conversation, a line will form and before you know it everyone wants to talk with you and you can't get away without being rude. The best way to get out of visiting here is to wave goodbye and then run for it right after signing the documents.

Ok, so now you know the end of the ceremony time, and if you know how long your ceremony will last, that also gives you the beginning ceremony time.

I reccomend meeting to start photos roughly 3 hours before the ceremony. This provides enought time to shoot the girls doing makeup, then pop over and shoot the guys getting dressed, then back to the girls room to shoot the dress going on. Then shoot some group shots and still have time to hide away roughly 30 minutes before the ceremony starts.

As a general rule, you can do roughly 15 group shots in 1/2 hour of shooting.

You should avoid trying to shoot group photos or romantic portraits in the mid-day sun.
This is the absolute worst lighting situation there is.

However, many locations will have a shady area that can be used for group photos even in the middle of the day.

Sunset - still allows another 15-20 minutes of photo time after the sun hits the horizon.
These few minutes can be the absolute best light of the entire day.

Sunrise / Sunset    times can be found here.