We know the brides and grooms and the entire wedding party works tirelessly in preparation for the big day, but we're here to share how photographers work before the wedding as well. Each wedding day is different and special in their own way, and we understand that the couples have a vision for their photographs. We want to get them just that.
We begin our process with a FREE! one hour consultation with the happy couple. Here we talk about their expectations, talk about our packages, and decide which package works best for their vision and their budget. Our goal is to leave this initial meeting with a better understanding of the couple and what they want and need, and some notes to hit the ground running in preparation!
Normally, the initial consultation happens up to a year before the big day. As you can imagine, that gives us PLENTY of time to prepare. We leave the couple with our contact info and encourage them to reach out to us with any questions or concerns they have over the next few months, as well as any inspiration/ideas they may come across. (We love pinterest too, don't be fooled). We keep in constant contact with the couple over the next few months regarding any details they may be working out.
About 1 month from the wedding we ask that our "Wedding Day Worksheet" be filled out and submitted to us. We love to touch base with the couple and work out the true details of the day. What time would you like us to arrive? Are we photographing the wedding party getting ready? Would you like to photograph the wedding party before or after the ceremony? What is the venue like? Is the ceremony and reception in the same venue? Are there any special photograph requests you have?
Too many questions for you? Us too. We need all of this information BEFORE the day. Any unanswered questions can cause confusion and throw us off of our timelines throughout the day. There is absolutely no reason for the couple to be stressed on their big day, so planning ahead can eliminate any panic on the wedding day.
In the two weeks or so leading up to the wedding, we begin compiling our index cards of posing ideas and notes based on our interactions with the couple. Of course, we have endless poses and ideas in our minds, but these index cards help us do a few things: 1. Stay organized. Sometimes we may have several poses that all differ slightly, and we want to get those all at the same time, rather than setting you up, moving on, and having to go back. It helps us gather our thoughts all at once and take our time. 2. Each couple has styles/poses that they've seen and prefer. We want to make sure we're capturing exactly what you have envisioned. 3. The wedding day can sometimes be packed and busy. We want to make sure we are getting the couple exactly what they are looking for, while also staying within our timeline. See? These little notecards are pretty important! Again, stay tuned for a future blog post about creating these cards!
The day before a wedding, we chat about expectations, timelines, details on the wedding worksheet and overall plans for the day. It is super important that the first and second shooter are on the same page for the big day. We charge up our camera batteries, clear our memory cards and pack our camera bags with everything we may need (external flashes, extra batteries, lenses, second cameras, extra memory cards, filters - the list goes on).
Here at Captured, we are lucky enough to have an incredibly talented second shooter. Kristin is a journalist photographer with MassLive. She brings a different perspective and an upbeat attitude to the staff at Captured. Want to learn more about Kristin? Check out her portfolio on her website - she is super talented and we are thrilled to have her as a part of our team!
Kristin and I will be shooting several weddings together this season. Because Kristin has been a close friend for years, we work well together as a team. Our different perspectives really capture every essence of the day for the couple.
Check out our portfolio to learn more! And be sure the check back later this year for new photos to be added. We would love to showcase all of the weddings we have coming up.
Live creatively, friends.