Creating a wedding day shot list is so important before your big day. Your photographer should know exactly what to capture when it comes to the details. However, as experienced top New York wedding photographers, we know the ins and outs of weddings a lot better than you might. How does someone even make a wedding photo shot list?
When it comes to planning your wedding, youâve already got a million other things to do. Thatâs why we thought it would be a good idea to provide a shot list template for couples. This way, you can add your own ideas into the shot list and still have everything covered.
A shot list is an absolute essential for your family photos. This will make sure that your family photo session on your wedding day is streamlined. You donât want to waste any time not having a blast on your wedding day, so having a wedding day shot list will keep things in line.
There are several important photos to be taken at the beginning of the wedding day. Getting ready is a wonderful time during your wedding day. If youâve got family and close friends around, your getting ready process is a really fun time. Plus, seeing your transformation with hair and makeup, or putting on a suit, can be wonderful in the context of your wedding story.
The first look isnât required on a wedding day, but it can be a beautiful part of it. It will also speed up your wedding day timeline quite a bit if you choose to go this route. Some couples prefer to wait until the ceremony to see their respective partner. Others go the first look route for a more intimate moment of seeing each other for the first time.
First look photography can be quite special and memorable for couples. Itâs really your only chance to be alone on your wedding day. There are few opportunities on a day celebrating your love together that youâll actually be alone. Consider a first look on your wedding day for your timelineâs sake, and if you would like a quiet moment together.
The ceremony wedding photography may vary depending on the type of ceremony. Jewish weddings, for example, have different requirements during the ceremony than a Christian wedding. For other celebrations like non-denominational weddings, there are a base list of shots to take during the ceremony.
These shots also depend on your venueâs policies during the ceremony. Many religious spaces have specific guidelines that photographers need to follow on the wedding day. Some churches wonât allow you to photograph beyond a certain point, for example. Plenty of spaces also do not allow flash in the midst of the ceremony itself.
Make sure to introduce your photographers to your officiant before the ceremony, preferably before the wedding day itself. Giving your photographer a chance to connect with the officiant ahead of time will increase the chances of everything going smoothly.
With your wedding party photos, you get to have a ton of fun. The people youâve chosen to stand beside you on your wedding day are your best friends! Have some fun with them and create some beautiful wedding photos. There are tons of fun options for wedding party photos.
Depending on whom youâve chosen for your wedding party, they may come up with their own fun ideas as well. Let loose and have some fun with your wedding party â theyâre here to celebrate you today.Â
A tip for couples: if you feel like certain family members may try to take charge of the wedding photos, having a shot list is an excellent resource for your wedding photographers. When weâre given a shot list, we can say âsorry, we have to stick to the listâ to anyone who tries to get in your way.
Having a member of your bridal party wrangling family members for photos is also a great idea. Your wedding party members likely know your family a lot better than we do. Itâs most probable that we donât know their names by heart on a wedding day. Designate someone you trust to be able to wrangle people for the next photo on the list.
The couples portrait session will hopefully come naturally after you take engagement photos with your wedding photographer. That being said, it can be easy to forget everything youâre doing. Itâs your wedding day, after all â there are a ton of things going on already! Your wedding photographer will be able to guide you through the couples photo session.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to your couples photos is not to stress. Take them in a private location if you are a camera-shy couple. These photos are for you and you only. If you feel weird about having your photo taken, just remember: this day is all about you and your love story.
If your partner is camera-shy, calm them down with some happy thoughts. One example is the fact that you just got married! That is so awesome. Remind your partner of happy times like your first date, and how far youâve come in your journey together.
The reception is the point of the day where you get to completely stop thinking about your photographers. Weâll be in the background making sure we get all the right shots. All youâve got to do is focus on having a fun time for the rest of the night. Let your photographers do their thing for all of the momentous occasions during the reception.
You might notice that your photographer isnât taking as many photos during the eating portion of the reception. This is because people arenât particularly photogenic during meals. Would you like a ton of photos of you chewing food? The answer is most likely ânoâ.
Instead, this is a great time for your vendors to eat as well. Theyâve been working hard all day making sure everything goes off without a hitch. Itâs likely that theyâve been on their feet for most of the day and probably havenât eaten. This is a brief period of downtime where your vendors can take a step back.
These are small details on your wedding day that arenât necessarily momentous, but add to the story of your wedding. Youâve worked so hard and put thought and care into every last detail. Weâll make sure every hand-picked detail is captured so you can look back on the wonderful work you put into planning your wedding.
When putting together your wedding photo shot list, just remember two things: your wedding is your wedding, and not everyoneâs wedding is the same. Every couple has different needs and different relationships with those around them. Consider what you really want on your big day when putting together your wedding day shot list.