Top 5 tips for working with your photographer to get your dream wedding photos

Updated: Oct 11, 2023

The blog below has been written by the lovely Nel Nicholson, photographer. She works specifically with introverted and anxious couples and has shared some amazing tips for working with your wedding photographer. When booking a celebrant-led wedding with me, I will be in touch with your photographer ahead of the day and we will work together to make sure that your ceremony is captured in the most beautiful way possible.

Planning is your friend

Yes, even if you want to go with the flow, don’t underestimate the importance of planning. Even the most relaxed of photographers need a plan - this doesn’t mean that it will be rigid on the day. It just means that everyone knows what’s going on and your photographer can set up their own itinerary to make sure they are in all the right places at the right times.

You should also include your photographer in the planning process where you can. They’ll have wisdom to offer that you can draw upon to get the most out of your photos, like what time to do group shots or how to sit during the speeches to get the most emotive shots.

Tell your photographer your priorities beforehand

Your photographer will no doubt ask you this, but if they don’t, you need to make sure you’ve considered your must-have photos beforehand and communicated these.

There are a lot of things to photograph on a wedding day. If photos with your gran are an absolute must, your photographer needs to know about it! If you’ve hand-made your own dress or table settings, tell your photographer so they can make sure they don’t miss those important details.

Set expectations with your guests

If you want candid photos, you should tell your guests this before your big day. There’s nothing worse than wandering around a reception event and all your guests shying away from photos and feeling awkward. If you set expectations beforehand and let them know that you want relaxed photos, they are less likely to clam up / avoid the camera altogether.

A way you can achieve this is by putting something on your invitations such as: “we want to capture all the special moments; we’ve chosen a fantastic photographer so take advantage of them and get a new profile photo or two!”

Schedule a private shoot after the ceremony

If you’re a more introverted couple, you’ll really benefit from scheduling a private shoot after your ceremony or group photos. This will give you time to get some beautiful photos of those first moments as a married couple and to have a moment to breathe. These photos are no doubt my most treasured photos of my own wedding and I’d highly recommend having your own private shoot.

Trust your photographer

You’ve booked your photographer for a reason - hopefully because you love their work and you vibe with them. When it comes to your day, the best thing you can do is trust them and give them creative license. We like seeing moodboards and photos that you like, but we also need to have the freedom and flexibility to adapt on the day, especially since there’s a lot of things you just can’t control (like the weather!)

Trust your photographer to capture those authentic moments while you live through them.