A little while ago, I posted a small series of questions about wedding day portraits. Believe it or not, I have lots of opinions about wedding photography and I am happy to offer them up when asked. (Ok, sometimes I offer them up even when not asked!) But, most importantly, I do want to stay current and make sure that I am offering a service (or an opinion) that jives with what my clients are looking for. I know several of you have been curious to see what kinds of responses I received and I am very excited to finally share them!
Question #1: Thinking back to the time you were taking formal portraits. Were they … a never ending slew of people, done way too fast or the perfect amount in length?
Background: We never see formal portraits through the bride & groom’s eyes. They make the list and they stand on there smiling. So what do they think of the time it took to get them done?
Thinking out loud: Looks like the majority thought they took just the right amount of time. Ok, good start.
Question 2:When you look back at formal portraits … did you forget anyone, have too many combinations, or was it the perfect amount?
Background: I’m a pusher. A timeline and shot list pusher. I’ve always wanted to make sure that my clients don’t have to worry about making sure that every one was accounted for in the formal portraits – that all they had to do was stand there and smile as I paraded their family and friends in & out of the shots. I have a basic shot list that I provide as a starting point so I wondered if I had everything covered?
Thinking out loud: Looks like the majority were happy with the combinations they (or I) choose. YAY!
Some comments from the participants:
“I didn’t care about formals at the time but now I’m so glad I have them. A couple of them are among my favorites and framed in my house. They still have their place in my opinion.”
“The formal photos were a good warm up. I’m not the most natural shot so that helped. The pictures of my immediate family are still on my wall though I’m divorced. The photograph of my grandmother is a timeless gift.”
“I felt our extended family pix etc were perfect and I felt they weren’t too posed. LM did our wedding pix”
“Now keep in mind, this was before “first looks” were a thing. As a planner I hear brides say all the time that they don’t want formal shots, but I almost always convince them otherwise (and try to get them to do a first look) – they and their family will regret not having formal shots if they don’t…not to mention awkward thanksgivings for years to come.”
Question 3: Who decided what groupings were MUST HAVES? The bride and groom, the parents, or the photographer?Background: Since my correspondence is generally solely with the bride, I always wonder if she gets input from the parental units. Every once in a while, the list grows significantly once the parents get involved so this is my way of asking if the bride got shnookered into too many pictures for that reason. Looks like a little over 7% felt like they did. Not too bad.
Thinking out loud: The majority of the brides & grooms decided what groupings they should have. A pretty decent percentage listened to their photographer, and it looks like they felt like their photographer knew what he/she was doing. YAY! A fairly small amount didn’t care about formals.
Some comments from the participants:
“I wish my parents didn’t get involved. I love my extended family, but I think one image would have sufficed instead of breaking out the cousins, aunts, and uncles …”
“I just wanted a simple shot list, which you provided and that perfectly fit my needs”
Question #4: Did you opt to … take a picture with every single wedding party member, extended family, and/or do immediate family shots with or without your spouse?
Background: Just getting a base here so I can compare it to the answers in the next question.
Thinking out loud: This is my segway into the next question to see if my brides and grooms wish they had do it differently …
Question #5: Did you wish you had … taken a picture with every single wedding party member, extended family, and/or included your spouse in all of the images?
Background: When things go off the time schedule on the wedding day, the biggest impact is on the pictures of the bride and groom together. That’s honestly why I really, really like the first look (in addition to some other added benefits that I am more than happy to go into in another post!)Â Without the first look, after the ceremony we are either limited on time because the ceremony location is kicking us out, the wedding planner is breathing down our neck, or we are missing the necessary people for the formals. Sometimes it is all of the above and it’s a lot of pressure on us poor little photographers. We learn quickly to smile, keep going and plead for just a little more time.
Thinking out loud: 62% wish we had spent more time on pictures of them together. And as many times as I want to blame the person standing next to me telling me to hurry up, I think the bride and groom need to communicate their needs to those around them as well. If portraits of the two of you are important, please speak up. Tell everyone- be on time, be present, give us our time together!
Some comments from the participants:
“I wish we had more pics of the two of us together. I could care less about the rest of the pics. Those weren’t really taken for us.”
“My biggest regret is not having individual shots done with each of my parents and not having a shot of just my dad and husband together.”
“I wish I had chosen a better set of bridesmaids. Two of them were so worried about what they looked like that we ran 30 minutes late for pix. I have not spoken to them since, I am still mad 7 years later.”
“Formal ceremony pics with the family were useless. I just don’t like posed shots, but the rest of the family insisted on them.”
“Number 5 was hard…I think I got everything we wanted for that one! :o)””My makeup artist really $%*(& up the whole schedule and stressed me out.”
“The asshole best man wouldn’t get off his phone.”
“Number 5 needs a no change option! Also my family still talks about the drill Sargent photographer 6 years later that was amazing organizing us all quickly and efficiently! You were fantastic – mom in, mom out, step mom in, dad in, dad out etc – love it!”
“I wish we had realized that we completely forgot the children in the bridal party including our own kids. We have ZERO pictures of us with our ring bearer or flower girl and the only pictures with our own children were the family photos that included our parents and siblings. We would have loved to have a photo of the day we became our own family.”
Background: As wedding photographers, we sometimes have a whole lot of wedding portraits to get to in a small amount of time. Things run late and we have to become a magical unicorn that can do 625 combinations in 5 minutes. There’s pressure from the wedding coordinator, the family, and even the bride and groom to hurry, hurry, hurry. And every once in a while we get a list that just never ends.
Thinking out loud: I was surprised that over 40% were happy with the amount spent for portraits after the question above.
Some comments from the participants:
“We had no idea what to expect, and looking back now (3 years later) there isn’t a single picture we missed. Our awesome photog knew what we would want 10 years from now and guided us in the right direction. Getting away from the ceremony to take some fun photos (definitely not your average wedding day photos involving traffic cones and cigars) are my favorites. The formal photos are more for family member to take to work and have framed on their desk. It’s a necessity, and great to look back on. But the quirky photos that have more personalized twist are the ones that sick out to me, because it was all about US and no one else!!”
(The above was from one of my past clients – the cigars and traffic cones gave it away!)
“NOPE! I was ready to party!”
Question #7: Were the pictures of you and your spouse done in the sunlight or after the sun had set?
Background:Â During the late spring, summer and early fall there is nothing short of oodles of beautiful sunlight to play in. As we go into the winter months and the sun sets at 5:30pm, photographers just have to set the proper expectations with their clients. There are a few options for those wedding days when the sun goes down early including an after-wedding portrait session either the next day or some days later, or that thing called a first look. Unfortunately, I have not learned to make the sun stop it’s trajectory. I’m working on that talent.
Thinking out loud: The majority were able to experience some lovely sunlight and a significant percentage were able to have both types of portraits. That’s kind of neat.
Some comments from the participants:
“I didn’t have a choice when it came to the sunlight vs no sunlight. We got the very last time slot at the church in the dead of winter.”
“I wish I had done a first look so I could have had some dreamy sun shiney images. I think that’s what my photographer called them anyway!”
“LM let me know that it would be pitch dark after my November ceremony. I was so incredibly upset but we were able to switch around the times and get married earlier instead.”
“I picked a photographer that was known for his light photographs and he helped me pick the best time for my beach wedding.”
Question #8: First look? Yes or no?
Background: At the end of the day, first look or not, the important thing is that you are getting married! I felt that recently a few spouses were not on board with the first look so I wanted to see if the fiance was the driving force against it or not.
Thinking out Loud: Those who did the first look were pretty neck and neck with those who did not – both were pleased with their respective decisions. A small percentage had family and or spouses that were against it. A decent amount did not know a first look was an option. As a tidbit, I believe that the first look really started gaining popularity after 2010-ish.
Some comments from the participants:
“We were one of your clients! For “First look?” I’d go with “Been there, done that. It was ‘OK’ rather than ‘Best decision ever.’ ” — I’d love to know why OK!? Just wasn’t what you thought it would be? Wish he had cried more?
“We did formal pics before the wedding so we could go straight to happy hour after the ceremony. Every one followed us down the aisle to the party!”
“I did formal pics with the bridal party before the wedding and of me alone in the church. Husband took formal pics with his family before the wedding. I took pictures with my family before the wedding but they weren’t in the church. They were before I walked down the aisle, while i was getting dressed, etc. I didn’t take any formal pics after the ceremony. Husband and I left the church immediately and took pictures alone before we went to the reception. I was against the first look but now I wish we’d done it.”
“Had a drink in my hand right after the ceremony instead of sticking around at the church. First look FTW!”
“The portraits we did were perfect. Bride+groom+bride’s parents bride+groom+groom’s parents entire wedding party everyone related to the bride and groom The ones hanging in our house are the last two. We took pics on the las colinas canals afterwards, and honestly I don’t like most of them because the wind was doing weird things to my hair. So I wish we had taken some pics just the two of us together in the church. Like a first look. Yes I was against this because I wanted “the moment” of seeing each other at the cermeony but in hindsight the moment probably would have been more special if it were just the two of us and not hundreds of people there too.”
Question #9:Â Did you and your spouse sneak away during the reception for more pictures together? Yes and it killed the party, yes and that was a good decision, no but you wish you had, no because you didn’t need any more!
Background: When a wedding day portrait time line crumbles early on, I always make the suggestion to run away during the reception for a few more photos. I absolutely hate to break up the party so I try to corral the bride and groom during a lull in the reception, always notifying the planner (when applicable) and the dj. But I hate doing it and sometimes there is just never a good time to steal them away.
Thinking out Loud: The majority already had plenty of images, but a significant amount wanted more images or were happy that they did get some additional ones during the reception.
Some comments from the participants:
“We snuck away during the reception but were still being rushed by family to come inside and cut the cake etc.”
“I feel the need to add on #9 that we did picture during the reception because the bride (me) forgot to bring the marriage license, and we needed to have it signed before our minister left. 🙂 Also we would have loved night pictures in #7 but the weather didn’t work out for us (although it allowed for our outdoor ceremony and that’s all I can ask for)”
“I was too busy dancing.”
“Lynn, This is Stephanie from January 2006! I love my pics, but if I could do it over, I would have done the first look with outdoor pictures in addition to indoor, and way less bridal party posed pics. Candid would have been good enough.”
A few of you left some comments that I wanted to keep here, not so much as a pat on the back but as a nod to all of the great people who took the time to take this survey and leave your feedback. Ok, ok it’s a total pat on the back.
 – Still thrilled with our wedding photos almost six years later. We know we’re your favorites. 😉 (M&M)
– Best professional and friend we could have ever hoped for.
– Love every single picture we got, I look back on them all the time! -Erica jones/Annotti
 – Best wedding photographer ever!
– Wish we had done more research on photographers and spent more money on this part. Should have gotten Lynn.
– You took our photos and I still love them
– We were early Lynn Michelle clients and you were one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! Love you girly! (Boggs)
– I wasn’t your bride but my brother and sister in law used you (you were booked for my wedding) :(. I loved their formal portraits. Absolute must. For me, 90% of my wedding album photos were not candid.