A great wedding photographer knows where to look for the most meaningful pictures. While some of these tend to be obvious ideas, others are harder to pin down. It takes a trained eye to recognize them.
To make sure that your wedding photographer knows where to turn, it can be a good idea to look closely at a few wedding albums with your photographer and discuss possible shots. Here are 10 must-have wedding photos.
1. A shot of everyone getting ready
Wedding photographers never forget a few photos of the bride getting ready: the bridesmaids helping her into her dress, a shot of the makeup and hair process and so on. There are other shots of important people getting ready that you can include, too.
Shots of the groom tweaking his bow tie, the best men polishing their shoes and other such scenes tend to be priceless. In the photo album, these shots can effectively bring in a sense of the importance of the event to follow.
2. The grand entrance
Every wedding album should include shots of the most important participants making their grand entrance: the bride, the groom, the parents, the bridesmaids and the guests. Some of these shots can benefit from a documentary-style approach for presence and gravity.
3. Walking down the aisle
When Chelsea Clinton got married, newspapers around the world depended on one image more than any other – Bill Clinton walking his daughter down a long aisle. It was a powerful image that impressed many people. Wedding photographers often try to recreate the moment for their clients these days.
4. The romantic wedded kiss
An iconic shot from Kate Moss’ wedding to Jamie Hince involved a romantic after-wedding kiss, with her leaning up against him. The romance of the shot is hard to capture for all but the most skilled photographers. It can be a good idea to try it, though.
5. Secret stolen smiles
Celebrity photographers often find ways to catch their famous targets secretly smiling to themselves at their wedding. There are a few of these shots from Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes around the Internet, for instance. Every bride should instruct her wedding photographer to look for these moments.
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6. The father-daughter dance
White House photographers captured one of the most well-known father daughter wedding dance shots of all time when Richard Nixon was president. The shot has guided wedding photographers ever since. This grand, sweeping, ballroom shot is an essential for any wedding album.
7. More dance floor shots
Many celebrity wedding albums include a shot of the groom dipping the bride on the dance floor. A shot of the bride’s father looking on as the couple share their first dance is another must-have.
8. The bouquet toss
Hundreds of movies include fun bouquet toss scenes. Celebrity weddings have famous bouquet toss shots, too. When you show your wedding album around, people will expect to see this shot.
You mustn’t disappoint them. You need to plan how exactly the bouquet toss will be to make sure that you have the most perfect image possible.
9. A private moment
Even amid all the hoopla surrounding weddings and receptions, the bride and groom are usually able to catch a few private moments together. These are priceless moments that wedding photographers should always watch out for. Let your wedding photographer know that you want to have such photos after your wedding day.
10. Shots of gratuitous cuteness
Kids can make a lot of noise on your wedding day, but they can also make your big day brighter and happier. Any wedding album can benefit from a dozen shots of cute kids. Children perfectly dressed up in grown-up clothes can make a wedding album pop.
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You could probably add to this list with ideas of your own. All you need to do is to mentally move through everything about weddings that have always touched you. When planning your wedding, you may not think of these must-have photos, but it’s as important as choosing your wedding dress.
