Here is a video we asked Jack from Jack Jones Weddings to send us, talking about his 3 tips for couples about to get their photos taken, on the day of their wedding or any other day for that matter.
Transcript
"Alright, so good idea Undisposable. These are my 3 tips from a wedding photographer:
First of all, plan the day around sunset.
Second, make sure you know what really matters to you on the day
Third, enjoy the day.
First: Sunset.
Obviously nice golden light at sunset and straight after that you get dusk light and dusk light is super soft, super beautiful.
Second: Knowing what matters to you on the day.
That way you can tell your photographer what to focus on more. Maybe you care more about family or you're doing something special for the ring exchange or something like that. That way they can plan it out a little bit better and focus more on it and get more photos of it.
And third thing: Enjoy the day.
Enjoy the day because the more fun that you're having, the better the photos are going to turn out. You know, you're going to be laughing more, you're going to be smiling more and those are the photos that people really want and people really remember.
Ok thanks guys"
Undisposable's take
Thanks Jack for some common sense and achievable advice, I thinking breaking it apart will be great to get deeper into the root of your tips.
Tip 1 - Figure out what is important to you
It is absolutely paramount to the planning of a wedding that you (the couple) decide what is most important to you. While you're talking to venues, arguing about centrepieces and generally trying to prevent your parents from taking over full control of the day, it will help to focus on an overarching purpose and it'll make the rest of the day fall into place much easier.
Take a moment after the initial buzz of being engaged to sit down with your partner and concentrate all your feelings into one simple statement. Everytime the planning gets off-track, because it will, just remind yourselves of why you're having a wedding. And don't confuse throwing a wedding with having a happy and joined life, you can have the life without the wedding if you want. Eloping or a courthouse certificate signing are always an option.
If you want the wedding, here are some simple examples of purpose:
We're just so god damn happy to have found each other. Let's bring everyone we love into one place to hang out.
We. Like. To party. We like, we like to party.
Partner A has been planning this day since they were born. The wedding is about them living a fairytale for a day.
Our parents won't pay for our house deposit unless we're married. The wedding is for family, the honeymoon is for us.
Tip 2 - Build a day you can enjoy
When making choices, be openly honest about what is important to each of you. If you know neither of you like fancy food, then get a food truck and a gelato cart - you'll enjoy that far more than a steak and chicken alternate drop that you might be too busy to devour. If you don't want the pressure of picking who to have as bridesmaids then consider not having any and just having all your friends and family be on the same standing. If you don't have the budget for the big wedding you want, have a big backyard engagement party and a mini wedding.
When you've finished deciding what you want, you've still got to make sure it all comes together, which is another task altogether. My best advice is to find someone distant enough to you to not be in the bridal party, but close enough to co-ordinate on the day (such as a family member or the venue coordinator) and give them two prepared lists:
Times when things are meant to happen. E.g. photographer arrives at 10am. Caterer starts serving canapes at 4:30pm.
Name and phone number of key people. E.g. Venue Manager, celebrant, photographer, florist, transport, any other vendors, and a member of each side of the bridal party who'll have their phone on them.
You and/or your wedding planner will make a fantastic plan but make sure you've got an on-the-day coordinator (professional, friend or family) so your plan can play out without you needing to worry or micromanage. For Sydney peeps I'd recommend Kerstyn and the team at Hire A Bridesmaid for coordination and advice. She will whip vendors into line while you're busy getting cheek cramps from how happy you are
Tip 3 - Plan for good light to achieve better photos
You don't need a beautiful background for you to be beautiful in the foreground. Flattering light is far more important and sunset to dusk lighting makes it easy.
The smaller the light source (think blue sky with small sun), the sharper the shadows on an object appear, that includes your nose, eye sockets and wrinkles. The easiest way to make photos more flattering is by increasing the size of the light source such as with an overcast sky, the shade of a forest or the light as the sun is setting.
There is a reason why the sun is rarely in the best wedding/engagement photos and it's because those shadows are difficult to control. If you're getting married indoors and want photos in the city's streets then shade is easy to find, but if you're looking at a winery or something out in the countryside, then timing is far more important as an open field doesn't offer the same amount of control.
My advice for giving your photographer the best opportunity at finding flattering light:
Plan your photo time around sunset. For the day of the wedding this means checking the sunset times (When is Sunset?). This would normally be between ceremony and reception, but often can be a 20 minute duck away from the middle of the reception with just you and your photographer.
Find two nearby options with lots of shade. Under the canopy of trees, in the shade of a wall or inside an abandoned shoe factory with cracked concrete and graffiti everywhere.
Jack is our personal friend and professional ally. We love his work and send all our friends his way because the results speak for themself.
The wedding featured in the post was our friends' Tui and Boyd who were wed at their family banana farm near Cairns, Far North Queensland. For the rest of the gallery you can check them out on Jack's website: https://www.jackjonesweddings.com.au/weddings/tuiandboyd
Got any other tips? Comment below so everyone can learn from your experience.