Should Your Wedding Photographer Visit Your Venue?
Should Your Wedding Photographer Visit Your Venue?
Should your Wedding Photographer visit your venue? Walking around Soughton Hall earlier this year on their fantastic Wedding Open day, I overheard a Brides Mother ask her daughter the question, “Is your Wedding Photographer visiting the venue?” and it got me thinking…
It’s a question I’ve been asked a handful of times over the years and to be honest, different wedding photographers are going to have different answers.
In the beginning…
At the beginning of my Wedding Photography career, I always believed that the answer was yes. Specifically, if it was.a venue that I wasn’t familiar with. It was something that would personally help put my mind at ease, especially for the bigger venues or those where I knew I had to travel a distance. It helped me understand how long it took to get there and helped me navigate the venue on the day.
Though let’s reframe the question a little bit…
“Why should your Wedding Photographer visit your venue?”
I’m always open to visiting a venue beforehand, especially if it’s something I find would help put my couples at ease, but what I began to notice over the years was that visiting a venue can become a little “dangerous”.
What I mean by that is, firstly you would ideally have to visit the venue at the same time of year as the Wedding itself. This was so that as a Photographer you could begin to understand how the light fell at specific times of the day. Best places to do the couple photographs or the group formals. But I realised over time that the danger with this is as a Wedding Photographer you then approach the day with preconceived ideas of specific photos. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with arriving prepared, the problem begins to come to light when those ideas can’t be executed. It could be a weather issue, it could be a timeline issue.
Fast Paced, Fast Changing…
Weddings are fast-paced, fast-changing days. You could approach the start of a Wedding day knowing you had a 1-hour slot for group photos (that’s not to say you would use all that hour). However, on the day itself, this may end up being 20 mins (for one reason or another). Having this idea up front and then finding out the time was short can throw you off your game. Same in regards to couple photographs, on the day you visit the venue the sun and light might fall in a specific spot that just looks magical and come the day itself, the magic just isn’t there. It also means so much is missed. Ever focused on something so much that you missed everything else going on around you? - it’s like wearing blinkers.
I learnt to shift, to go with the day. When it came time for group formals or couple photographs, I had to adapt to the day, to the moment, to think fast. I’ve photographed at the same venue multiple times and each time it’s been different. Sometimes I’ve been able to do the group formals in the same place but in a different way.
But I liked this…
I liked this because it always allowed me to approach the day with a fresh pair of eyes. It allowed me to avoid the trap of “same spot, same pose” photographs. This then takes away from the whole “Authentic, Emotive. Storytelling” that is ultimately who I am at my core.
As a Wedding Photographer, I’ve never wanted to fall into a trap of any “go-to” type of photographs. Sure, I have a certain way of approaching and doing things, this allows me to be consistent and maintain a high level of imagery that my couples have come to know and expect. But every couple is unique, each story is different.
In all the years…
In all the years I’ve photographed Weddings the only constant between them all is that 2 people got married… that’s it. Whilst arguably the day follows a certain pattern.. Wedding Prep, Ceremony, Group Photos, Wedding Breakfast, Evening Reception… Everything around that is always different.
If Wedding Photography has taught me one thing, it’s that it’s unpredictable. Being prepared certainly is key but it’s better to just let go of any preconceived photograph ideas prior to the day itself.
I will add that if it is important to you, make sure you ask the question upfront. Otherwise, you might find that your Photographer may not have the time once the Wedding season kicks in.
Should your Wedding Photographer visit your venue? - What do you think?