How to be the Best Client

I have gotten clients that ask "How can I help make your job easier?" And I love the enthusiasm! It's nice to have someone to care and ask. So after thinking about this for a few days I decided to make a blog post about how you can be the best client for your photographer.

Photography is one of the biggest parts of your special day. It requires a lot of effort to make sure the photographer can do their job to the best of their ability. One of the biggest pieces of advice I could give to someone is to trust your photographer. You hired them so now let them do their job. They know what shots they need and how to take them. Photography is a suggestive art with different styles and visions so every photographer is going to shoot differently.

Having some key items ready for your photographer can also make their life easier. Most photographers will want to have copies of your wedding stationary including the invite, save the date and/or program. I like to ask my clients to also bring their ring box and anything sentimental to them. These things will allow the photographer to get some great detail shots. So make sure you bring these important things so they get photographed.

For family shots, make sure you let anybody and everybody you want to be in pictures know they will be needed. So much time can be lost trying to rally everyone up for pictures when they are all scattered around. I like to suggest having a designated person like a bridesmaid or groomsman to be the person to notify and gather who will be needed for pictures. This makes the family pictures run smoothly and faster plus puts less stress on you and the photographer.

Family is a big part of the wedding day, so in connection with taking family pictures, let us know if there are any sensitivities we should know about, like divorces or other issues. Nothing is more awkward for us than touching on a sensitive topic on your special day.

Being organized and on time on the wedding day is important for many reasons. For photography, its important that our time is not rushed. Rushing photos creates unnatural expressions and poses. I want to make sure I can deliver high quality photos to all my clients. I normally tell clients that photos take at least 10-15 longer so that there is a buffer for any hiccups that can happen. Even if we finish early, you have some time to breathe and relax.

Lastly, one of my biggest recommendations to help you and your photographer work better together is getting to know each other. For most couples, the wedding day is the first time they will be in front of a camera. This causes a lot of anxiety, insecurity and discomfort. These things cause unnatural poses and expressions. Grab a cup of coffee together, have a Zoom meeting or talk on the phone for a bit. This will allow your photographer to get to know you and hopefully make you more comfortable to be in front of the camera. Come the day of the wedding, y'all will be like friends and comfortable with the photographer.

There are many, many things you can do to be a better client for your photographer. Hopefully these things help you become comfortable and feel good about your photographer. I think I can safely say every wedding photographer wants to make sure you are comfortable and prepared for your special day.