Very few people are naturally at ease in front of a camera, so it’s no wonder some couples tell us the idea of being photographed can make them a bit anxious. The truth of the matter is that on wedding days the vast majority of our work is done on the fly, just capturing what happens in front of us without any direction — it’s just of people being themselves and being in their own world. The only part of the day we might give some light direction to couples is for their wedding portraits, which usually takes only around 20-30 minutes. The good news is that for those 20-30 minutes you will have two wedding photographers who have been competing against each other to get the best photo every since they met in college, so, as important as every couple is, our rivalry is what pushes us to improve from one wedding to the next. We’ve found over the years that couples really enjoy the way we try to steal the best shot from each other, look for a different angle, and use each other as a distraction so that one of us will always get those natural photos of couples best moments together.

Even so, it’s good to have some tips that will make your wedding day photography feel a lot less intrusive.

1. Choose a Wedding Photographer You Trust
How can you know which wedding photographer to trust when there are so many to choose from? First you should look at their portfolio and make a shortlist of those whose types of photos you like. Make sure you’re not just seeing pictures of the bride and groom posed, you should be looking at family photos and candid shots of guests throughout the day. Are they good at capturing not just wedding portraits, but organising groups, getting s feel for the evenings entertainment and celebrations — all those unseen moments where your photographer has to interact with people, or capture things while they’re unaware.

Certainly meet with any whose work, and budget, fits what you’re looking for. Your wedding photographer will be with you the entire day, more than any other supplier and probably more than any guest. You should feel like they will be there for you, not just for photos, but as an ally to help out if any assistance is needed. An experienced photographer will be able to help out with most things that crop up, and if not they’ll know who to contact who can — they’ll have worked most venues more than once and be familiar with who’s who.

A wedding photographer should never need to draw attention to themselves, they have to be able to blend in and work away quietly in the background no matter what the setting is. We’re both very easy going, well used to adapting to last minute changes in plans, and more than happy to play things by ear on the day. We don’t try to get couples to ‘perform’ or do anything we think they might feel uncomfortable with — we believe the best wedding photos are the ones that look the most natural and the best way to do that is to let people be themselves.

2. Meet Your Wedding Photographer
We don’t take a booking unless we’ve met with couples first, either in real life here at the studio or online video chat if that’s not possible. For us, we can get a sense of each couple and how they want their wedding day’s photography to work — do they want to prioritise wedding portraits or their time with guests, do they have specific photographs and locations in mind, are they doing anything that will have a personal meaning to them, etc. For couples, they get a sense of who we are, how we work, and it’s always easier to have a known face show up on the day rather than a complete stranger.

3. Embrace Candid Moments
For those wedding portraits we might give some simple direction (walk from here to there, hold each other, look this direction or that, etc) but how you do those things should be down to each couple; there’s no right way to hold someone, the way each couple is used to doing it is the best because they know what fits them. The good thing about having two wedding photographers is that while one might be giving some direction and taking a photo, the other will be off to one side taking something different from a different angle with a different lens. If you’re not thinking about the second photographer they will capture those moments in between photos that couples are never aware of: almost candid posed, which sounds weird but it works for us because we know it won’t look and feel staged.

4. It’s Not About Getting The Perfect Wedding Photograph
There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect wedding photo’, how can there be when every couple is different and their wedding days are made up of so many individual moments that can never be replicated. Wedding photographs are taken to be a reminder of how each couple chose to celebrate their wedding day, their commitment to each other, and to capture the love that their family and friends have for them.

Do your best to forget about your wedding photographers on your wedding day, they should be experienced enough to slip into the background and be professional enough to be aware of what’s happening around them that they can react to the day as it unfolds. Your wedding day will be busy and filled with distractions so that it will feel like it is flying past, and it nearly always surprises couples how fast it goes.

Enjoy your wedding day, that’s the best way to get those memorable wedding photos.

5. Trust the Process and Don’t Overthink It
If you feel any way anxious at the start of the day just remember that it is perfectly normal. Almost every couple we’ve photographed, and we’ve photographed hundred of weddings, visibly relaxes the moment they meet each other at the top of the aisle; both of us know that moment so well from our own experience and can see the instant it happens with others.

We don’t have to imagine the sense of relief once the ceremony is over, it can seem like the hard part is done and now you can just get on with enjoying things as a married couple. Everyone involved in your wedding day, all your suppliers, will doubtless have done their job at many many weddings and you can be assured that they will have teams in place that are there to make your day as enjoyable and stress free as possible.

Do not worry needlessly about your guests! They will be watered and fed and looked after not just by those who work at the wedding venue but also by each other. Weddings aren’t just for couples, they’re also one of those not so often opportunities that happen where family and friends can catch up with each other, and many will travel from all over the world to make the effort be a part of days like these simply because they are so special. Your guests will have fun, and your wedding photographer will provide the pictures to prove it.