Wedding Day
Here’s an oft-used but true saying: shooting a wedding is like getting on a train. Once it leaves the station, it follows a schedule that the photographer passengers cannot change.
I like to arrive at the station one to two hours early. This time is used to confirm that all batteries are fully charged; the memory cards in the cameras are erased and properly renamed. I also go through the locations on a map app to confirm where I need to be; the train stops. Sometimes, the drive between the ceremony and the reception can be long and prone to heavy traffic. The bride can be late; not the photographer.
As part of my preparation, I like to look up inspirational images taken by wedding photographers I admire: Sam Hurd, Two Mann Studios, Paris for Two, Raquel Benito; to name a few.
I also re-check the weather forecast for the whole day. Couples often ask for sunset photos. But will there be a golden hour? Today, for example, it doesn’t look good.
Once the train leaves the station, the first stop is photographing the groom and bride preps. Typically, the primary photographer shoots the bride prep while the second documents the groom and groomsmen. I enjoy both roles equally.
The “shot list” for the groom prep includes the details (photographs of tie or bow tie, shoes, rings, watch, cologne, etc.), the outfit (typically the jacket hanging by the window), everyone getting dressed (tying shoelaces, putting on the jacket, the best man or one of the parents helping the groom with the tie, etc.), all permutations of pairing and grouping (the parents, the groom with each parent and both parents, the groom with each groomsman and the whole gang, etc.). Then there are candid moments. Part of the thrill of photographing a wedding is anticipating and capturing them.
Each groom prep is different. At one wedding, I arrived at the house of the groom’s parents to find trays of food laid out for not just the groomsmen but also for the photography team (myself and the videographer). The groom’s mother kept asking me to eat (which I never do until the reception). At another wedding, both parents were frozen in front of the TV watching Italian Serie A football. I had to ask the groom to persuade them to get up and get changed for photos (not to mention the wedding) … twice.
Often, the groom and bride leave each other notes to read while getting ready. Once, I asked the groom if I could photograph him reading the note, if there was one. He replied that there wasn’t. After he got dressed, he noticed something in a pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a surprise love letter from his bride-to-be. His eyes became so saturated with tears that he had to ask his best man to read it. So glad my camera was there and ready to capture this moment. This is what makes wedding photography so gratifying.
Typically, there is more to do at the bride prep.