Five requests wedding photographers commonly hear

And our reactions to them

1. WE WANT OUR PICTURES TO BE NATURAL.

Perhaps the most common request photographers get from bridal couples is that they want their pictures to be “natural,” which generally means two things: one, that many of their pictures are candid and, two, that they are taken in more of a natural setting than traditional wedding pictures in vogue at the time their parents were married.

The candid approach is known as “wedding photojournalism” or the photojournalistic approach. In the purest form of this style of photography, none of the photographs are posed; they are taken completely candidly without any directions from the photographer, in the same manner as a photojournalist covering a newsworthy event. Indeed, the wedding participants are encouraged to ignore the photographer and to simply be themselves. (See Types or styles of wedding photography for further information.)

The increasing desire among bridal couples for natural settings (also known as environmental photography) is in contrast to much of our day-to-day urban lifestyle.

Many of us are surrounded by high-tech tools and toys, and we live and work in concrete and glass environments. Our desire for photo backdrops of natural scenery is perhaps indicative of an inner wish to get back to nature.

A natural setting conveys harmony and peacefulness with a longer-lasting ring to it, perhaps suggesting that those characteristics carry over into the marriage. Nature is still unparalleled in its beauty, and it is no wonder that so many couples wish to include some of that beauty in their wedding pictures.

2. WE WANT OUR PICTURES TO BE FUN, AND WE WANT TO LOOK LIKE WE ARE HAVING FUN

Occasionally, a couple will want to have a highly formal look to their wedding pictures, with straight-back poses and serious expressions. There is nothing wrong with that. It indicates that they consider the matter of marriage to be a serious one, and such pictures are timeless in their dignified and elegant look. However, many couples today want lightness and friendliness in their wedding pictures, expressing a more-relaxed lifestyle and conveying a natural happiness in each other and with their wedding guests. They want their wedding to look like fun, and they want it to be fun.

If the couple goes into their wedding with that attitude, odds are it will be fun. Sometimes, however, the photographer must step in to alleviate a natural nervousness that occurs with some couples before they will look properly relaxed, and a good photographer with whom you have developed a rapport can usually do that within a short time, and be taking pictures just as you want them taken.

No photographer, however, can take fun pictures without your cooperation and the cooperation of your wedding participants. It is therefore important for you to work with the photographer in setting up situations and in seeking participation from others who will be in the pictures. Happy-looking smiles and a cheery attitude on the part of the bridal couple can usually stimulate the same response from the bridal party and the wedding guests. Remember, the fun aspect of your wedding starts with you, not your photographer. If you are relaxed and obviously enjoying your own wedding, most likely your guests will be having fun too, and that look of happiness and a good time will be recorded on film.

3. WE DON’T LIKE POSED PICTURES

Many couples say they don’t want posed pictures of either themselves or of any groups, and it usually is another way of saying they want more naturalness and spontaneity in their pictures. However, posed pictures don’t have to look posed. A good photographer will capture you as you wish to be captured, but will do it a lot more easily if you permit her or him to position both you and your new spouse in ways that the photographer believes you will find appealing.

By posing you and other members of the wedding party, the photographer will have your full attention and will be able to ensure that your expressions are suitable. Keep in mind, too, that many of your older relatives and friends would like to have a souvenir photograph of your wedding that shows the entire bridal party or traditional groupings of family members where everyone’s face can be seen, and this is not easily achieved unless some form of posing takes place.

Our recommendation is that you permit the photographer to take at least some “mandatory” posed pictures. Our bet is that they will be among your favorites and most-requested long after the wedding has taken place.

4. DO YOU MIND IF MY AUNT (BROTHER, COUSIN, ETC.) TAKES PICTURES, TOO?

This question is a toughie to deal with. Most wedding photography contracts contain a clause that goes something like this: “It is understood and agreed that no other photographer will be allowed to photograph or take pictures at the wedding while the Photographer is working, and that any breach of this agreement shall constitute a reason for non-completion of the job with no liability to the Photographer and shall result in the loss of any deposit(s) made by the Contracting Party.”

Why do most contracts contain such a heavy-handed clause? First, because of money. The photographer earns his or her living by taking exceptional pictures of weddings. The skill is not in clicking the camera’s shutter, but rather in ensuring that a scene is properly-lit, correctly-designed, accurately-framed and with everyone looking their best when the shutter release is tripped. That picture is worth something to both you and the photographer, because you will want to purchase it and the photographer will want to sell prints of it to you. Its value to both of you comes in large part from its uniqueness. If other photographers are permitted to stand over your professional’s shoulder and shoot the same scene at the same time, you might then be tempted to choose the amateur’s picture rather than your photographer’s, even though it may not be of the same quality. If you were to do that, you would be diluting the photographer’s ability to be adequately paid for his or her services, and he or she may refuse to continue taking your wedding pictures.

It is more than a money question, though. Other photographers, however well-intentioned, will often interfere with the main photography process, asking for delays (“Hold it! Don’t move yet.”) while they get their pictures, thereby disrupting the professional photographer’s rhythm and holding people in position for unnecessarily long times. Sometimes, they will even attempt to rearrange a scene or have people look their way when they should be facing in another direction. And worse, they will sometimes step into a setting to ask their little Jimmy to smile or turn his head, completely undermining the control that your professional photographer must have if your pictures are to be taken in a timely, professional manner.

A professional photographer will also often use a secondary "slave" flash operated by a light-sensing trigger that other camera's flashes may set off, potentially ruining the pictures you are paying for and using up your main photographer's battery power.

It is next to impossible to stop someone who is determined from taking a picture, but it is possible to prevent them from disrupting or hijacking the main photographer’s work. If you have amateur photographers at your wedding who insist on taking their own pictures, we suggest you set aside some time for them outside of your professional’s agenda, and allow your photographer to do the job he or she was hired to do.

5. WE WANT ALL OUR PICTURES TO BE BLACK-AND-WHITE

Many couples like the mood and emotion-invoking characteristics of black-and-white photography and want all their pictures to be on B&W film. This is perfectly acceptable, however, we recommend that you include at least some color film. Color also conveys emotion, and so much of a wedding is color-oriented that it would be a shame to have no pictorial record of it. Will you remember the shade of your bridesmaids’ dresses twenty-five years from now, or the colors of the beautiful sunset backdrop against which you and your new spouse were photographed, or the gorgeous tones of your bridal bouquet? Throw in at least a little color, and you will very likely be happy that you did.