The Secret to Creating Unforgettable Wedding Photos

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Like most good creative things, it should always start with the mindset, and to be a successful wedding photographer, your mindset needs to be different than just a photographer.

It should be that of a storyteller.

This issue could honestly be an entire book. That's how important being a visual storyteller is in the career of a wedding photographer.

I know the visual part is why you got into photography in the first place, but if you're not looking at this day through the eyes of the bride and recognizing the significance of seemingly insignificant moments and things, this issue will help open your eyes to the biggest difference between a photographer and a Wedding Photographer.

Quick Sidebar - I’ll talk more about this next week, but you're technically not "telling" a story but rather capturing the details of it through photography.

When you deliver your couple’s wedding portfolio at the end of the day, you're closer to a story REteller since you're technically retelling the story of their day with your photos. For the sake of simplicity, however, I’ll stay with story ”teller” for now, and this will make more sense next week.

So, let's talk about STORY.

From Aristotle and Austen to Kafka and King, the basic elements you find in every story are:

Plot - this is an easy one, but there are also many fun subplots

• What’s the bride doing?

• What’s the groom doing?

• Are there some interesting family dynamics going on?

• What’s going on with the bridesmaids and groomsmen?

• Who’s doing the decorating?

Characters

• Bride

• Groom

• Both Families

• Friends

• Relatives

Setting

• Getting Ready Site

• Church/Ceremony Site

• Reception Site

• Special Locations for Photos

Theme

• Formal

• Casual

• Really Casual

• A Bit Wacky

Details

• Clothing

• Shoes

• Food

• Flowers

• Decorations

• Makeup

• Cologne/Perfume

• Gifts

• Mementos

• Notes

• Heirlooms

• Cars

• Buses

Style

• This is where your unique photographic approach and the desires of the bride come together as one

Everything here has two things in common.

1. They are all people, places or things

2. They are all important to the couple in some way. (Hint: you’ll never know how important unless you fail to get that photo :)

Your focus will be capturing the relationship between these people, places and things and making an emotional connection to your couple through your photos.

This is the part that makes the job of a wedding photographer very challenging but also so much fun and rewarding.

When you make a connection between the important people and the important things at the important places, you are preserving a big slice of history for your couple. This is what Visual Storytelling is all about.

Storytelling through photos isn’t simply about getting a few “cool shots.”

For starters, what’s cool to you might not be cool to your couple. That’s why you need to look through the lens and see this day through your couple’s eyes (and mixing in some from the family’s eyes, too).

Your POV throughout the day will be THEIR point of view (which is what POV stands for, in case you missed that), but don’t worry, there will be more than enough opportunities to get some shots that you love too.

For you, it’s about capturing the moments as they happen. You’re like a writer, feverishly writing in a free-flow state. You’re writing, writing and writing…later you’ll edit.

Just write (and when I say write, I mean shoot, of course), don’t think, and don’t let your guard down. If you’re not exhausted at the end of a wedding, you didn’t work hard enough…and it will show in your photos.

I know I’ve said it before, but these are not JUST photos. These are pieces of history that great-grandchildren will look at and say things like,

“You wore THAT on your wedding day?!!!” Yes, that’s the power you have!

So, how do you do this? What are some ways you can become an effective storyteller?

Regardless of your photographic style, here are some great ways to tell a great story:

• Focus on Emotions - smiles, tears, laughter, surprise are all gold, but don’t ignore some of the many absolutely amazing expressions you find on the dance floor…especially after folks start getting warmed up (with or without alcohol).

• Tell a Bunch of Mini-Stories - Getting ready, the first look, the ceremony, the first dance - these are smaller stories inside the big one.

• Details, Details, Details - I tell brides when I meet with them that a wedding day is made up of hundreds of little things that all come together to create one big day…THEIR day. You don’t just BUY a wedding, you CREATE a wedding, and that’s why every wedding is unique.

• Don’t be perfect…be creative - Have fun with existing light, unique angles and perspectives. You don’t have to go crazy but mix it up with closeups and wide shots. Shoot through windows and doors - pretend you’re peeking in on this day as an invisible person with a camera. The more you move, the more people will get used to you be-bopping around and soon, they’ll ignore you. NOW, you’re invisible. I’m a 6’2”, 200+lb guy. If I can become invisible, you can too.

• Let Things Happen - Even if you’re a hardcore Posing Parker, you can still blend a bit of journalism into your day by NOT staging every event. This will free you from that feeling of having to control everything (and making yourself crazy when you can’t) and make your “controlled” work that much more special to the couple.

• Have Fun - I know for a fact you did not get into wedding photography because you wanted a stable and predictable career. Let’s return all the way back to the mindset part. You gotta enjoy what you’re doing, and weddings are the most creative outlet in photography - hands down (see Issue #1 for more on this). Put a smile on your face, a fat media card in your camera and go have some fun!

As you can tell, “story” is near and dear to my heart. It’s the reason I got into wedding photography, and it’s the reason I’ve been able to shoot weddings for 25 years…and still enjoy it.

You may not think of yourself as a photojournalist and that’s fine. But never underestimate the importance of this day and all the stories within it.

This might be the wedding where the groom’s brother met his soulmate. This might be the wedding where the maid of honor found her new career as a wedding planner. And this might be the last wedding everyone got to see MeeMaw before she passed.

There are so many stories...and you get to (re)tell them all.