why you should select a storyteller wedding photographer.
For today’s Daily Blog, I am going to focus on Wedding Photography, and in particular, why you, if you are looking for a Wedding Photographer, should focus on finding one that can tell your story.
What do I mean by this? ‘Cos it sounds kind of cheesy right?
What I mean by a Storyteller Wedding Photographer is a photographer that focuses on the development of your wedding day in its natural form. If you think of what makes a good story, there are many subplots and twists that keep the viewer excited and interested. It is my aim to replicate this format but from the images. The photos need to speak for themselves and write the narrative of the day. So, naturally, the wedding day usually begins with Bridal Preparation. This is our first chapter if you like. As a photographer, or storyteller, I need to capture the scene and develop the story, so this would be the interaction between the bride and their bridesmaids, the pouring of many glasses of Prosecco, the attention to detail of the makeup, the admiration of the wedding dress. I can go on and on.
The point is, by capturing the natural development of the Bride Preparation, as the viewer goes through the photos, the story develops. The same principle applies for the rest of the day. Chapter 2 could be the Groom Preparation, Chapter 3 could be arriving at the Church. What is also important in any story is the characters. Of course, you have the two main characters of the Bride and Groom, but you also must include the other major characters, such as the parents, grandparents, children, best friends, dogs, and anyone else that develops the story, even Uncle Rob on the dance floor who's had one too many but doesn’t know it!
All of this creates the narrative, but what about the meat of the story. There need to be moments in the story that is significant. Situations like the alone time of the newlyweds is a good example. This is an opportunity to really hit home what the story is all about, the couple. This is my chance as a photographer to give a little direction on how we create beautiful photographs and to show the world the conclusion of this epic story. With a little direction, a nice photograph can turn into a stunning photograph. This is not to say that these moments won’t be natural, because they will be. What I will be doing is adding a little flavour to the shot to make it even better.
Couples always say they want 100% completely natural photos. This is all well and good, but when it comes down to the alone time with myself and just the couple, I quickly find the couple can become unsure on how to look or walk. This is completely understandable of course as they have never done this before. This is where a little direction from myself is crucial. It eases the couple and eventually, it is completely natural to them.
I will wrap this up as I think you get my point about the importance of getting a photographer that can balance natural photographs with photographs that require a little direction. The result is epic. One of the best things any couple can do is to also get an engagement shoot prior to the wedding with their photographer. This takes away all the pressure from the couple and it’s just a great chance to break the ice and get to know one another. I am actually offering a sort of “Try before you buy” service, where you can get a free engagement shoot from me.
For more details on this, just head to my contact page.
All the best and thanks for reading!
Colin