Do you like pizza or hamburger? I imagine most people would say both, but if we asked enough people, we would definitely find some people that hated one and loved the other. I’ve found that people are pretty different in what they expect and what they want. That’s why I always talk to my couples before the wedding. I always ask, What type of wedding photos matter the most?
What type of wedding photos matter the most?
Weddings are such a complex thing. There are so many things going on and so many different types of photos throughout the day. I’ve found that people usually really care about one of four different types: candid, the wedding party, family portraits, or couple portraits. People that like candid photos usually want an overall feel of the wedding day, and they don’t care for posed shots. They want the photos to be real.
Sometimes my couples have gigantic wedding parties, and this tells me that they really care about their friends. These couples will usually want to spend a good portion of their time doing goofy group shots.
Others really have close families and want to make sure there are plenty of family photos. This is definitely important when people are traveling a long distance to the wedding and don’t get to see each other often.
The last group loves couple portraits. They want to spend time together taking emotional and creative photos with different backgrounds. To be honest, my favorite thing to do is couple portraits. I love hanging out with them and creating something amazing that they can look at on a daily basis. It also gives me a chance to be more creative than I can be with the other types of photos.
Now, you don’t necessarily have to love one more than the rest, but I think it’s important to share with your photographer which one you really care about. This lets him or her know what you want, and it can also help with the wedding schedule. I know in the past I had a couple only want to spend like five minutes on couple portraits, and I was really shocked. Other times we needed more time for something else. This way I now know exactly where to put the time.
I think it’s very important that photographers ask, What type of wedding photos matter the most and clients make it clear. This way everyone is happy. If you’re getting married soon and you haven’t had this conversation with your photographer, it’s not too late. Think about it and then share what matters to you about your photos.
