Can I Get Plenty of Wedding Photos Without Centering My Wedding Day Around Photograhy?

I recently had a conversation with a Bride to be. She said “I don’t want my wedding day to just be about the photos, but I do want to have plenty of photos. Am I crazy?”

While it may seem like a contradiction to not want to feel like you’re taking photos all day, but still want photos of the whole day, I knew EXACTLY what she meant and was so glad she was willing to share her concern.

While you want to make sure you will remember your wedding day for years, you also want to be present and in the moment AT your wedding so you can FEEL the joy of this momentous day. So I was so excited to share my personal perspective and approach with her (and now you).

Traditional wedding photography is all about taking lots of posed photos for the camera. we all know what it looks and feels like. “Say cheese” the photographer might say. People are putting on a smile, but inside, their head is saying “how much longer do we have to do this?!?”

That’s why I try to take a different approach. When I work with couples on their wedding day, we of course are going to get loads of beautiful photos. But the focus of the experience is not on me, or posing, or photography. It’s all about them and their experience.

You see, I believe that people are going to look their best when they FEEL their best. And you feel your best when you’re relaxed and engaged in the moment. So what does that have to do with taking wedding photos? a whole lot! Let me tell you why.

My process is all about direction, not posing. Posing, by very definition, means to pretend or fake. I don’t know about you, but I prefer the real deal! So when I’m directing, it’s really not about faking something for the camera, it’s about facilitating connection and engagement.

My job isn’t to tell you to smile. Anyone can do that. My job is to get you to a place where you feel at ease, present, and connected to what’s happening around you. That’s my job. Taking the photo is the easy part. 

So what does that look like? Instead of telling you ways to look, I try to give you things to do. We might start with walking to get you moving so there’s no tension in your body.

From there, we can add in others things to do like reach out and pull your partner in for a kiss. We might try some dancing, some hugging, whatever. Then, once you’re busy engaging and connecting with your partner, that’s when my camera can do its magic.

Does it take a little longer than jumping right into poses? Yes. Do you get as many photos to share on your social media? Maybe not. 

But you will get a stronger connection to your images. Because they weren’t just poses, they were authentic representations of you and your partner being you. In my opinion, that’s a whole lot more valuable. 

Most couples come away from their engagement session saying something like “This felt more like a special date…AND we have amazing photos to remember this special time by.” 

So if you’re feeling the tension of wanting great photos, but thinking about posing for 8 hours has you considering eloping, know that it’s completely normal. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

Sure, you’ll likely still want those key family photos that will be more posed and formal. And sure, I’m still going to be giving direction so you don’t have to stress about what to do. 

But know that if I’m you’re photographer, for the rest of the day, you can relax and enjoy being with the people you care about most. Being Present on your wedding day is such a precious thing, I’ll give you direction where it’s needed to make sure you have great photos, but I’ll also respect your experience. 

Getting great wedding photos doesn’t mean you have to be a full-time model on your special day. Sound good to you? Let’s make some fine-art magic!