It’s been a while since i took some time off my busy work schedule and my parenting duties to write an article, thought this the best time to do so especially now that we are literally not shooting any weddings with everyone affected by COVID19.

Some of the questions i get a lot are; How do you prepare for your wedding days? How do you plan out your days and get the photos you envisioned without getting thrown off by the pressures of the day itself. My simple response to this is that for me the process starts as soon as the bride and groom sign my contract, and the pressure gets watered down by the time we get to the wedding.

Here are some considerations for you that have worked for me over time;

get to know the couple & their needs

Listen.

Its as simple as that, listen to the couple and understand their plans for the day. Forget the photography for now, this presents to you an opportunity to learn about all their expectations for the day. I have found this to be the most interesting part of the journey to their big day, the groom mostly listens and nodes (trust me i’ve been there, we just listen)…. you can feel the contagious excitement and positive energy coming from the bride at this point. Remember, your role in all this is to help document that dream through your images and help them relive those memories for years to come. Its through this conversation that you will get to understand their photographic style, they may not say it but you will pick it up if you listen.

You can thank me later 🙂

ask specific questions

I understand that different photographers have different shooting styles and different approaches to getting the job done, over time i have learnt and seen the importance of asking specific questions in preparation for the wedding day. Some of the questions that i ask are;

the type of dress the bride is wearing on her day

Why is that important? I bet some of you are rolling your eyes wondering how this relevant to the shoot, but stay with me its very important, well to me it is. You really want to know the kind of dress beforehand, ask for a picture if possible. Before we proceed, consider the 2 images below;

Image 1, taken at Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka

Now lets consider image 2, taken at Dolores Gardens in Lilayi, Lusaka

Now lets swap the two subjects with the same outfits, take the Ngoni bride and place her on that staircase and get the other bride in to the Dolores garden. Chances are both could actually turn out fine, but we want to conceptualise images, we want to get the best images. There’s also a chance that the long dress will not look as good in this garden, the Ngoni warrior could also look out of place. It has to make sense, its more like going on a walking safari with a suit.. theres a time and place. Subject placement is just as important, you ask these questions because you want to advise your clients correctly. Remember, you cannot start to advise after delivery of images. You are the professional after all, you can give your opinion and 80% of the time they will listen to your suggestion.

Second question i asked is ;

how many are you on the team

This one is for your own benefit as a photographer, you want to prepare adequately and carry the right equipment. Imagine shooting a bridal party of 20 (10 ladies and 10 gents). It doesn’t hurt to get an estimate, planning is critical. Ideally before every wedding I hand my clients a photo checklist template that they can refer to, it creates order and saves on time. You do not want to start guessing, formalise the family session if you can as it can make or break the entire session. I spend a maximum of 20 minutes on family photos, 15 minutes on bridal party and 35 minutes on the couple.

Imagine having only a 70-200mm or an 85mm for this group with little space to manoeuvre.

church & venue regulations

This one should have probably been at the top of the questions, you want to know the rules within the sanctuary as that heavily affects your creativity. Knowing the rules beforehand helps you create a counter-strategy. Discovering that during the ceremony can throw off even the most experienced photographers.

I experienced a similar situation during one of my wedding events where i was respectfully asked to avoid using my flash within the church service. It really caught me unaware, I didn’t know what to make of it as it was rather unexpected. So i did what any “humble” photographer would do. I sat down and enjoyed the rest of the ceremony.. lol, of course that would be the easiest thing to do. I simply obliged and switched lenses to something that allowed in more light, a 50mm f1.8. At this point, it was no longer about creativity but about getting the shot and the moment.

Had i known earlier though, I would have hired an 85mm f1.4 or something similar as the church had poor ambience. But what if I had spoken to the couple earlier about this? How much difference would it have made in terms of my preparation?

my final thoughts

Quite a long writeup, i planned to keep it really short. The message here i suppose is the importance of preparation as you head in to that wedding, your clients have probably spent the last year or 2 planning this memorable day…. are you really going to leave it to chance and hope things work out?

Its the small details that separate the OK photographers from the good ones and the exceptionally good ones. Most struggle with consistency, and it will show in their portfolio. We photographers command a large chunk of the wedding budget and it is about time we took some time to really understand our clients needs, how can you deliver to my expectation if you have no clue what i am looking for? some food for thought.

Anywho, happy shooting and stay safe.

Miller & Chimwemwe