Getting the Most Out of Family Portraits By Imthiaz Houseman Weddings are a great opportunity to capture family portraits. Not only will all of your family be dressed up, they will all be in one place at the same time. For most of us, this may not happen very often. Prior to your wedding you should decide how important family portraits are to you and your fiancé. It is important to talk to your photographer a few weeks before the wedding so everyone will be on the same page the day of the wedding. THE “SHOT LIST” Your photographer may send a list of which family portraits are the most commonly taken. All photographers are different and we have different methods to get the family photos taken. The best thing you can do for your photographer is to make a short list of shots you want taken including the first names of the people in each shot. This will ensure that the family portraits will go quickly, efficiently, and you can enjoy your day. After all, the last thing you want on your wedding day is for your photographer to look at you during the portraits and have to ask you “who’s next?” If you want a photograph with your second cousin Mary, you should write it like this: 1. Bride, Groom, Mary If your great grandmother made the trip and you want a photograph of all of the generations of women in the family write: 1. Bride, Suzie, Luanne, Terri, and Amy Since your photographer knows you and your fiancé’s names there is no need to write your names 15 or 20 times. Just make sure that if you want to be in a specific grouping that you note it on your list. STAYING ORGANIZED It is very important to make sure your family knows exactly when and where family portraits will take place. If the family portraits will be taken before the ceremony make sure you and your photographer figure out the best time and plan accordingly. If you want to take them after the ceremony make sure your family knows they need to stick around for a little while. Communicating with your family is the best thing you can do for a speedy family portrait session. Let your family know what is going on, the worst thing that can happen is someone being left out. If you have divorced parents on either side of the family make sure that everyone gets their own photograph with the bride and groom. Plan your list with your grandparents and great grandparents in mind. They are not going to want to wait around for their photograph. Start with the grandparents and great grandparents first so they can make their way to the reception and get comfortable. If you are planning a big group or family portrait make sure that your photographer knows about it. You definitely don’t want you or your photographer scrambling to gather up a bunch of people at the last minute. UNCLE BOBS Photographers have a nick name for the budding shutterbugs at your wedding. We call them “uncle bobs.” Most of the time “uncle bobs” take great photos and are cautious, polite, and stay out of the professional photographer’s way. Sometimes… they are not so cautious and courteous. If “uncle bob,” or other wedding guests with cameras, stand right next to your photographer during portraits it can be very distracting. You don’t want everyone’s eyes in a group photo to be looking at different cameras. Do yourself and your photographer a favor; tell “uncle bob” to leave the family portraits to the photographer. Be polite and give him a task. Ask him if he would do you the honor of photographing the cocktail hour for you. HAVE FUN You do not want to spend your entire cocktail hour taking family portraits! Plan to take only the most important groupings. Again, talk to your fiancé about which groupings are most important to you and eliminate redundant groups and extended family. Don’t let people bully you or your photographer during portraits. Most of all, you want your day to go smoothly and stay on the time. Family portraits don’t have to be a pain, or stressful. Have fun, tell a joke or two, and enjoy the time with your family!
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