A Wedding Photographer Spills The Secrets On How To Get The Best Wedding Photos!

While you are browsing through social media looking at perfectly frameable pictures of couples who just got married, you wonder how did they nail it? Are they naturally good at posing or was it just the photographer’s very good instructions, either way being able to get those picture perfect shots aren’t only reserved for those people, here are some pro tips from an adept wedding photographer for getting the most incredible album worthy photographs.

1. First Of All, Find The Right Photographer.

While you’re looking into every tiny detail for your big day – from the decor to your makeup, you tend to pay less attention to the other key part of your wedding – the photographer. After the day is over, what remains are the memories and the way they are captured is of utmost importance. Keeping your budgets in mind – it’s important to follow your preferred (and potential) photographers for their style, behind-the-scenes banter, and settle for one that you find a connect with and trust.

2. Give Your Photographers Ample Creative Freedom

We know you’ve browsed through enough websites and social media handles to have seen interesting pictures. Looking at the latest trends in pictures, you’ve got influenced too and want the similar pictures at your wedding too. It’s important to trust the photographer that you’ve booked for the wedding. Show them a few examples of what you like but do not suggest the photographer to recreate some other artist’s work, it’s almost disrespectful.

3. Ask Questions. A Lot Of Questions.

You are getting married for the first time, but your photographer has been a part of several weddings and has a lot more experience in weddings. Ask questions about How he/she intends to capture your big day? What preparation does he need for your pre-wedding photographs? Will he have any lights/other requirements at the venue? Discuss the plan with them so they’re able to capture the tiny little surprises at the right time.

4. Give Time. Be On Time.

Give your photographer Time. Make sure to take out 2 hours from 4-6pm for the pictures. Sticking to the schedule is important, because photography is all a play of light – and sunrises & sunsets won’t wait for anyone. Keep time for family portraits, couple shots and time with friends. Take a pinch of time out from the other stuff for this, otherwise you’ll regret it later.

5. Crowd Control

Indian weddings can turn into a flash-mob in a second. Beautiful ceremonies like Haldi – are so much fun that people forget that their backs are going to be at the photographer. For the photographer to get great pictures, having ceremonies in an organised way would make for beautiful compositions. Yes, one cannot control when people would be having fun & how to capture it, but making sure there is ample space at the venue for people to stand, sit, watch and a lot of space for the bride & groom, will give your photographers a lot of elbow room to capture the most fun pictures.

6. It’s All In The Details.

While micro-managing, brides forget the little details that later become ‘oh! I wish I could have changed that’. Pay attention to smaller things, something as tiny as drinking in a glass instead of a plastic bottle. The notes that you would read during the cocktail hour, the sindoor-daani after the pheras, the lighting after sunset during a beach wedding. – the list is long, but everything gets captured in pictures – make sure the small, mundane items around you on the wedding day are beautiful & well thought of.

7. The Backdrops.

Enough said about detail, but all your important photographs – will have a key element : the background. You need to make sure that they backdrop is neat too. Which means,  it should have ample lighting at the back (and not just the front), so that once you cross it – it looks equally pretty in your photographs. You also need to make sure that the backdrop of your mandap is clear, or has beautiful lighting – to enhance your photographs.There’s nothing worse than having guests/food stalls become your backdrop during the rituals, because the Priest decided to change the direction of where you are going to be seated.

8. Key Points: Location + Season + Time of Day

We are often left in awe of the beautiful destination wedding photographs that we see on Facebook & Instagram. But we forget 3 important things that make those weddings beautiful. The Location was chosen for a particular month to have the ceremony at an exact time. I cannot stress the importance of this for beautiful pictures. For example: A beach wedding in summer where you are spending the majority of the time in a banquet or having the ceremony after sundown – takes away the essence of being there. Also, having a palace wedding and not utilising the beauty of the palace as the major backdrop by doing everything indoors or in a lawn – is a waste of resources. So if you are still planning : pick the right mix of location, season & the time of the day for your wedding.

9. Hire Only One Exclusive Team

Do not hire two team of photographers/cinematographers. Ever. One group of photographers is enough to capture a wedding. Having two teams – means not only a problem of space, but a crowd instead, this would mean that your pictures would lack great compositions, ambient shots & just a lot of creative experimentation. Also, One awesome photograph is always better than two average pictures from two different angles. Have a look at a photographer’s work and understand how a larger team will capture different parts of the wedding, without making it look like a press-conference.

10. Enjoy The Day

All said and done, if you are stressed about what the photographer is capturing that particular moment/scene/element and constantly checking on whether everything is going as per the plan, is going to make you look worried/annoyed in your candid photographs. The energy that the Bride & Groom have during their events – is infectious. If you are going to show that you are stressed, it’s going to spread and will show in the pictures. I am really sure the photographer you would have finalised – will capture you the way you visualised it 🙂
Ramit Batra is a Mechanical Engineer, an ex-assistant-director and a former GM of an Educational Institution, with several years of experience in CGI, Animation, Film & Design & has been involved in Lifestyle & Wedding Photography since 2008 . Having documented over 450 weddings & having worked with more than 500 couples – Ramit is one of the most experienced Contemporary Photographer in the industry. He has also been actively training photography enthusiasts at all levels – from casual weekend photographers to the serious professional and conducts workshops & one-on-one sessions regularly to share his knowledge in the field of photography. You can see more here.