It’s important to make sure you are prepared when you hire a photographer, especially for a big event where multiple people will be getting their picture taken (wedding, etc.). Let’s chat to help you get ideas rolling so you and your photographer (or just you and your family!) will be on the same page:
- Engagement Shoots
Look up poses you like ahead of time (Pinterest helps with visualization!); remember, the more the merrier. Do you want props? Find ideas and write them down or print what you find online. Sometimes the couple holds a sign with the wedding date on it, sometimes they just have the girl’s hand near the camera so you can admire the ring, and so on. Just get the message across for your loved ones that a wedding is coming! - Wedding Photos
There are many different times during a wedding to get your pictures taken. You can get pictures taken before, during, and after! You must decide if you want “first look” pictures with your hubby-to-be before the ceremony or not. It’s popular if you want pictures to not take quite as long during the reception, but if you’d rather the groom not see his bride until the altar, then go with your gut.
We only got pictures with our wedding party members before the ceremony (me with each of my girls individually and then all together, and the same for him and his guys), then right after the ceremony we took pictures with all wedding party members (bridesmaids, groomsmen, ringbearer/s, flower girl/s) and with both families. I made sure we did large groups as well as smaller units, even though I wanted it to go quickly. That meant all of my family with Smister and I, then my grandparents with Smister and I, then my siblings with Smister and I, and my parents with Smister and I. Then the same with his family.
After the wedding we went down the road with our photographer to get a few more pictures of just the two of us before heading out for our honeymoon. We did this to avoid being away too long during the reception, but if you only get your photographer for a couple hours, don’t feel bad if you have to do all your pictures right then. Your friends and family can wait for you!
If you have time, write a list of who will be in each picture consecutively, and then make copies for everyone ahead of time, that will make herding people into place so much faster and your photographer will love you for it!
You can download my template to aid you. - Birthday Pictures
Unless it’s a really important birthday, you’ll probably be doing this one on your own – but it’s still important to write up a list so you don’t miss anything special! It’s always fun to get a picture with everyone at the party (also helps with thank you cards later!). And showing a number (from candles or a bday banner) when taking a picture of that special person makes it easier to remember when it was, years down the line. Another fun idea is to take a picture of the same person in the same place every year (same prop or pose too), if not for posterity, to observe that funny thing called change. - Annual Family Pictures
Make a list of who’s wrapped up in that thing! Is it just an immediate family photo shoot, or are there 2nd cousins once removed involved? If you have a large group, try to at least get last names to your photographer so they get an idea for grouping and directing everyone.
Also, filling everyone in on a color scheme is really nice too, if you plan to use these pictures for mugs or something. Growing up we usually went with white or blue, but now that it’s just me and Smister it’ll probably be green and brown, haha. We love those earthy colors.
Try to have an idea of how many prints and in which sizes that you will want ahead of time. - Baby Photos
Aww! These are so sweet! Plan ahead to give baby something to keep him/her happy on the way over and in between photos. And props are everything. My first name means “little lamb” or “lamb of God,” and all my baby photos showed me with stuffed animals (sheep in particular). The more you decide and write down ahead of time, the more smoothly things will go. Again, be thinking of how many prints you’ll want. - Christmas Cards
These are definitely fun to DIY and don’t take too much planning. Just make sure you make that list of people so you order the correct amount of cards (and keep their addresses in a safe place for next year!).
