The Most Important Question You Can Ask Your Wedding Photographer
I was talking to a peer, a videographer, the other day regarding other photographers he’s worked with. A lot, too many, have told him they rarely, if at all, use flash at any point during the weddings.
That is straight up loony.
The most important tool we have as photographers, outside of the camera in our hands, is light of any kind.
Natural light is the most powerful and useful light we can use to make moments feel cinematic and beautiful.
That’s why, when we’re about to start photographing indoors, the first couple of things we do is turn off the lights and bring you close to a window.
Throughout the day, we’re going to be in different lighting situations that may not allow us to use natural light. In that moment, we have to bring out a flash or something to compensate.
A wide aperture can’t always save a photo.
I’m just blown away by fellow photographers who would rather deliver a mediocre image than learn the basics of a speed light and use it to their and their couple’s advantage.
If you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding, please ask the photographer how they light a scene. You’ll learn so much about the quality of your potential wedding gallery with that one question.
Simple and Beautiful | A Pine Lake Park Engagement Session | Richard J Nieves Photography
Angela and Brandon's Engagement Session at Pine Lake Park, NJ
One of the skills you must have as a wedding photographer is the ability to guide a pose from clients that is authentic and characteristic of them and their relationship.
I’d say it’s honestly the most difficult tasks as a photographer, especially a wedding photographer who works with different people on a regular basis.
You want to show and celebrate the couple’s love for each other and show their viewers that this couple absolutely loves each other.
How do you do that?
What I do is set my expectations. Essentially, I completely demolish them going into a session. I immediately have stories in my head, as I work my couples, that I want to see. I’m driven by cinema. I turn their session into a short film and I figure out the way the story is going to go through photography. The story is of the couple just being together. Loving each other as only they know how.
Simple and beautiful. How do I convey a simple and beautiful rendition of their love through my eyes?
Those are the thoughts and roads my mind goes through as I’m working with couples.
The One Thing You Should Never Do In Front Of A Client
Source: Pexels
Warning: I’m going to go on a rant. I saw behavior from a peer that truly dumbfounded me.
Working alongside other photographers and videographers gives me a truly great point of reference for how to act in front and away from couples.
Recently, I worked alongside a photographer that showed me a great example of how to not act, especially in front of clients.
This photographer, who was the lead photographer this day, was absolutely manic in their posing. The way he posed allowed for beautiful imagery, but at the cost of the couple’s patience. That is something I truly cannot get behind. That should never be the cost of our work as wedding photographers.
The photographer was also constantly at odds with the videographers. He wasn’t willing to work in a manner that allowed the videographers to create the quality the clients paid for.
Here’s the one thing you should NEVER do in front of a client. He was combative and rude with the videographers in front of the clients and at one point in front of everyone at the ceremony. At one point, they were positioning the groom for the first look. They kept moving him around because they couldn’t decide on proper lighting because of harsh shadows created by trees nearby. I could tell the moment was getting sour for the groom. That should never be the case, especially before a first look.
The session got even more tense as time went on. By the end of the session, the couple was done with photography and videography.
For this person, the videographers were an after thought and his work was priority. That is not the case.
Clients are paying a lot of money for both photographers and videographers to have their wedding documented and their love displayed in a manner that is uncommon to them. Both parties, even on a day like a wedding where time is usually strained, should have their moment to get the imagery they need to tell a compelling story for their couples.
Okay, rant over. I’m sorry. I don’t normally get this riled up, but boy, oh boy. This hit hard as a service provider.
My First Time Photographing A Wedding At A Castle on Lake George 😄 | Richard J Nieves Photography
The Inn at Erlowest on Lake George.
I recently photographed a wedding of a college friend of mine up at Lake George. Specifically, we were at The inn at Erlowest, a castle build on the edge of the lake.
Checkout their gallery here.
We stayed at one of the townhouses on the left.
My bride Leslie was so gracious and paid for me and my wife, my second photographer, to stay the night. We got in pretty late, but we could still see how beautiful the lake was with the star riddled sky as a night light. It was still beautiful. We had a little patio so I stood in the cool air for a bit and watched the dark lake rest before I did the same.
The day of the wedding was absolutely beautiful, expect for maybe the direct sun that joined us but I wont focus on that too much.
What I will focus on is this couple.
Leslie’s been a friend ever since we met during our first year at SUNY Morrisville. She was part of a gang of architects who I quickly became close with. She has always been focused, driven, and light hearted.
I first met Brian back when I photographed another college friend’s wedding whom me and Leslie and are both friends with. Like Leslie, he is a pretty chill dude.
Leslie and Brian are two peas in a pod. Organized. Detail oriented. Laid back and we’re ready to just enjoy their wedding day, and that they did.
As a wedding photographer, you’re up in the nitty gritty and seeing everything from a closer than bird’s eye view. I can tell you there were absolutely no hiccups during the day. Nothing to trip anybody up. If anything, we sometimes had too much time on our hands, that helped a lot with making sure we got details and candids.
By the way, I love my wife so much as my second. She truly isn’t afraid to ask strangers for photos and to work for my couples. I couldn’t ask for anyone better.
My wife is also my practice subject before I put my couples in place. Thanks, love!
I couldn’t ask for a better coupe either, and I appreciate them for allowing me the honor of being there for their wedding. I always have to give thanks to my couples. It means so much to have them allow us to be a small part of their wedding day and to preserve their special day the way me and my wife do.
Ana and Delbert's Wedding Highlight Film | Richard J Nieves Photography
Ana and Delbert's Wedding Highlights Film filmed by Richard J Nieves Photography - A Look at their Day!
Ana and Delbert's Wedding was one of the most special days of their lives. These two are so adorable together and it was a pleasure to be able to document their big day! When I first met Ana and her future husband, Delbert, you could feel the wedding day jitters, but also a calmness and joy that would take over and push those jitters to the side. As I got to know them, I could see the strong chemistry they shared. The attention to each other they shared so deeply. The details couldn’t have been more perfect. They were both huge Harry Potter fans and it showed in the best of ways. Everything about their day blended together perfectly because these two are just so amazing! Here’s a look back at some of my favorite wedding highlights!
My Kid Cheats at Pin The Scar On The Harry
This young lady turned 9 not too long ago.
After so long, you watch these kids come into their own and it’s just incredible. This one has been through a lot, and she still has so much to go through.
Karina and Zach's Engagement Session | Sandy Hook, NJ
For engagement sessions, I recommend my couple’s choose a place that means something to them. I want the place to help jog memories they enjoy and that will allow us to build up those feelings as we photograph together.
Karina and Zach chose Sandy Hook because it was the location of their first date. It was a great choice.
It was my first time going there. I was truly in awe at how serene it was at the time.
FYI if you want to get into the beach area we were in, you need to pay $20. They take cash, card, and contactless payment!
Why I Love Being A Wedding Photographer
I love documenting weddings through photography and videography because of the feelings throughout the day that I get to experience as an outside figure that’s closeup to all the events of the day.
It’s all about the emotion. I’m the kind of person that feeds off of emotion surrounding me. If I’m around bridesmaids getting excited after seeing their bride in her dress for the first time or if I’m photographing a father and mother dance during the reception, I’m really in a good space mentally and that allows me to get the shots that matter to my clients and that they’ll love to see in their album.
A wedding is like a dinner recipe. It’s a few spoonfuls of joy, excitement, nervousness, and sentiment.
But with large events, especially a wedding where it’s a once in a lifetime moment, there’s the occasion where the boiling point will hit a high and things may overflow. In that case I, as a photographer and friend to my clients and their families, have to be present and put on my thinking cap to solve issues within my power to resolve. I’m not just a photographer on a wedding day. I am a servant to my couples and I love doing my best to make sure they enjoy their wedding as much as possible.
That aspect of problem solving, including working with the landscape around me as my “photo studio” for the day and working with families that aren’t my own really adds challenge that I thrive on. I also get to close my Apple Watch rings just with all the running around I do during an 8 hour wedding day.
The Mindset You Need To Be A Successful Wedding Photographer
Going into a wedding day, everything you do as a wedding photographer or videographer is in service to your client.
The keyword is service. You must excel as providing optimal service to your clients.
With that mindset, you will give 100% of yourself and then some to making sure your clients have a fantastic day. You are your clients steward from the moment they accept you into their lives till the moment you deliver their gallery.
Going into a wedding day, everything you do as a wedding photographer or videographer is in service to your client. That must be your mindset going into the day.
The keyword is service. You must excel as providing optimal service to your clients.
With that mindset, you will give 100% of yourself and then some to making sure your clients have a fantastic day. You are your client’s guide from the moment they accept you into their lives till the moment you deliver their gallery.
Even then, you’re job isn’t done. Hopefully, you’re relationship moves past the wedding and you become a fixture in your client’s lives. They will call on you not just to take great photos, but to provide an experience like the one they had at their wedding with you.
Being in service to your clients will make that happen.
Here’s 3 ways I make sure I am of service to my clients.
I build a detailed timeline before their wedding, whether I am the photographer or videographer.
I make sure I know how to use light to make them look fantastic.
I make sure I’m a friend before a photographer.
I learned the value of time after becoming a father. It is precious and finite.
I have taken that appreciation with me and I now not only appreciate my time, but my client’s time. It is just as valuable as my own.
Taking that into account, I make sure our time together is planned out. A great timeline is a well built railroad track leading the most glamorous train off to a destination we’ve only dreamt of before arrival.
After my client’s inquiry and our first call, I’ll start to build out our timeline with as many details of the day as possible. I create shot lists and make notes that will allow moments like family formals to go as smoothly as possible.
Here’s a sample of a timeline I make for every one of my couples.
Lighting is the most useful wrench in my tool box.
Whether it be light pouring through a large window or light bounced off a white wall from my off camera flash, I’ve learned how to utilize that light in order to accentuate emotion in my photos. I’ve learned how to cast that light on my subjects in order to illuminate love and bring intrigue.
Besides being a photographer, I’m a friend.
When my client is in need, I’m there to make sure even the smallest want is met in order to put my client’s mind back in front of the camera rather than in a dark corner fretting over a detail.
That friendship spills over to their family as well. If they need something and I’m able to, I will put my camera down to aid them, then pick right back up to document.
For my couples, I will go above and beyond for them because this is their moment to shine and love. I want them to remember that fondly.
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From quiet, emotional morning preparations in Easton to an unforgettable, high-energy reception at Mainline Catering and Events, Caitlin and Dale’s wedding day was filled with unscripted, genuine moments. Take a look inside their full wedding story.