Letting Yourself Be Ready for the Moment
Choosing your wedding photographer? Imagine this.
It's your wedding day. You get ready with your bridesmaids and groomsmen. You do the first look, feeling the emotions as your soon-to-be-husband is taken when he lays eyes on you. You exchange vows and slip rings on each other in an intimate ceremony. You celebrate with your friends and family throughout the evening. You're incredibly excited to see your wedding pictures, watch how the evening unfolded, and celebrate the moments. You're in for an enchanting walk through your album…right?
Maybe not.
As you look through the pictures, your disappointment grows. Moments are not quite captured well, expressions are not as authentic as you would like them to be, and the memories don't take your breath away.
Wedding photographers train in all manner of ways to be ready for the moment. It's our job to capture it. It's also helpful when the bride and the groom come to the day with a vision, some practiced poses, and an attitude conducive to great pictures. Naturally, with the stress and pressure of coordinating a wedding, you don't have the bandwidth to remember and apply all of this information.
So what are some simple tips and tricks for how you, the bride and groom, can be ready for the moment?
1. Pick one thing
Pick one aspect of your expression that you really want to come out well in the pictures and be aware of that throughout the day. Don't devote all of your focus to it; you're here to enjoy the day! However, it will be helpful to focus your energy on that aspect through the frenzied day instead of feeling your focus scatter when you're in front of the camera. Make that aspect of your expression a part of enjoying the day!
2. Find your rhythm in front of the camera
Being ready for the moment can take some coordination and intention. Before the big day, work with your photographer to establish a shared language and a rhythm! Test drive them so you know how to look best in front of their lens. Your first picture might not always be the best. That's ok! It might take a few tries to figure out how to be ready for the moment. The photographer will generally be willing to work with you so you know how get great pictures.
Your photographer will bear most of the responsibility here, because you'll have many things to do, and it's their job to make sure you capture the moment. However, prepare yourself beforehand and get yourself in the groove on the big day for the rhythm you need to ensure a smooth wedding day.
3. Schedule photo ops throughout the day
Work with your photographer to put photo ops into the schedule for the wedding. This way, in addition to the pictures the photographer gets as they are photographing the festivities, you've also set aside intentional opportunities to get the moments you want! When you schedule these, discuss the kinds of pictures you would want.
4. Let yourself be creative!
What ideas do you have for a picture? Remove judgement and the pressure of the day from your mind, and imagine yourself on the photoshoot of your dreams! What do you get to do there? What kinds of expressions do you get to make? What are your favorite poses? This is your night to shine and to live! Give yourself the experience of a lifetime
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