gary walters photography

“Against the wedding day clock”

(The following are only tips to consider)

On your wedding day, I am there for one reason only. Actually maybe two. First is to create a unique vision of your day.

The second is to stay out of the way of the day and let it evolve in it’s own special way as they all do and to not make it “My” day. But the first and for most reason is to create as many good and interesting images that present themselves to me and also ones that I can nudge your way.

To do this I will need some “reasonable time” that still flows easily into your day. What we don’t want is to just waste photographic time. Having been at probably more weddings than all your guest put together, I have seen the areas where photographic time gets lost.

The following are just my thoughts and observations of where to “gain” time and still not break the flow.

Many traditions are going by the way side and I feel that can be a good thing and a natural evolution of things but this is your day and no one else’s and should be exactly how you want it to be.

( Seeing each other before the ceremony.)

More and more are doing that and that gives more time for shots of just you two. I have talked to many brides and grooms and even though they saw each other before,the feeling of when she walked down the aisle wasn’t lost…..but again,this is your choice.

( Receiving lines after the ceremony )

Those I do wish would go away for photographic reasons. Many of them can take 45 minutes to get through and after 2 shots there is always someone in front of you. Plus it makes your guest wait a long time for your exit and sometimes the weather is bad. Plus you are going to see them all in just a while anyway.

Dismissing the rows goes faster but the quickest is to have the clergy announce you will see them at the reception and then do an exit so they can blow bubbles or whatever they are going to do. Then do a fake leave in a vehicle and stay gone about 10 minutes. That allows your guest to leave for the reception and then you come back for what formals weren’t done before hand. (very important to make sure no one leaves during your fake leave that needs to be in these shots.)

Everyone is going to want to grab you and talk to you if you hang outside with the guest ( and they should because it’s a fun day for all) but you will have a hard time getting away and back into the venue for your formals.

Try and save most of those greetings and hugs for the reception. That will create even more photo opportunities in a nice setting.

( Family group shots and formals )

What works best is if you make a list of any group shot you would like to have that day and not give that list to me but have someone who pretty much knows everyone and have them in charge of calling them up.  Also be sure to communicate before the wedding for those folks to not leave because they are expected to be in a shot after the ceremony. This is a common part of the day where things fall apart. Lots of time is spent searching for people who are outdoors or off talking to someone. If everyone was back in the church, all group shots could be done in 20 minutes (that gives us more time to create cool shots of you). It’s always best to do family shots first so they can then leave for the reception and then do the whole wedding party last.

( The Reception )

Here is where your DJ can make your reception run smooth and everyone will remember and talk about it. The secret to this is not let too much time go by between the events you have planned.

I have been to so many receptions where I see guest leaving that will not have seen you throw your bouquet or other events. It’s not that we want to get dome early because I have nothing planned that day or evening except your wedding anyway. You want your guest to enjoy themselves as well and be around when the party starts and talk about your wedding after wards because they had a good time. I’m not saying to walk into the reception and cut the cake with one hand while throwing your flowers in the other while dancing at the same time…..but after dinner,your first dances that are planned and maybe 3 songs for anyone to join in and then get to those events is a smooth click click flow that everyone gets to experience. There more you get up and walk around the more photo opportunities exist.

( Light )

I have very fast expensive lenses and they don’t need much light but they do need some.

If you are planning your wedding in late October,be aware of the time change because it will be dark at 4:30.  Many venues turn the lights down way low to make it look romantic when you walk in. They want to impress you and that’s all cool. But I gotta have some light or use flash for all of them and that can get boring using all flash shots. A little flash to balance with existing light can be good. But when you have to depend on a flash to create the whole image then the backgrounds can go black. Especially if during your first dances planned we can just have the light level up a little bit then your dance shots can be very cool. So if the lights are too low I will ask you first if it’s ok to have them turned up a little just for awhile.

As you can see, my mind is going to be on creating cool images for you while staying out of your way at the same time. After midnight all the food,music,flowers are all gone and the only thing left to show what happened are the images that were taken of your day.

That will be my focus. But above all other things that will make the shots great is if you have the best time of your life….It shows in the shots and shows if you don’t.