10/02/2024
Let’s talk about ✨TIME✨ and a new set of challenges I see arising a clients fall in love with the new “candid” photo trend. As a rule, everything takes longer on a wedding day. The photos in this post while they look effortless - took time. It takes time to get everyone lined up and to understand the objective of the photo. I would estimate these shots took 10-15 minutes total. That is a pretty large amount of time on a wedding day!
When planning your wedding day photography and timeline here are some general rules to keep in mind.
1️⃣ Family formals are one of the most time consuming items. Family members are talking, wandering, etc. and it takes time to wrangle people, position them, and light those perfect photos. For every combination, it takes 3 to 5 minutes. If you have 30 minutes for family formals, your shot list should be as close to 10 total photos as possible! You also need a representative from each side of your family who can help point out the correct people. Your vendor team does not know who your family members are so it helps to have a liaison.
2️⃣ Your wedding photos aren’t going to look exactly like someone else’s. If you love photos where the couple is always laughing and touching but you and your partner aren’t big PDA people, your photos won’t look like that. Candid photos shown on Instagram are also pretty much never candid. They are staged. True candid photos are those of the couple just enjoying the event.
3️⃣ Travel time should always have buffer. ESPECIALLY in Washington, DC. Buses take longer to travel than a car. Loading 20+ people on to a bus takes longer than 2 people hoping in a car. Not accounting for travel buffet is a huge mistake especially in a large city where motorcades and blocked streets are incredibly common.
4️⃣ Moving guests from location to location takes time. Everyone wants that last drink, nobody wants to sit down, etc. always account for ample time to move guests from cocktail hour to dinner and each individual event space through the timeline.
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