Friday Tips & Tricks | Making the Most of Family Pictures on Wedding Day

Alright, Internet, it’s Friday again and it seems that I’m in a Tips and Tricks kind of mood. I think it’s because I’m currently working on a fun project for all of my 2014 brides so that they can have the best wedding experience from a photographer’s stand point. So, my brain is in the education mode! Last week I talked about how to schedule your wedding day which I am very passionate about. Today’s topic, I am almost equally as passionate about because it can often times be the most stressful point of the day…Family Portraits. Trying to manage that many people on your wedding day and make sure that they are where they need to be so that they are in the picture is difficult! Believe me, I know. However, it doesn’t have to be a stressful situation and can actually be made MUCH easier with a little planning. It is a special day that your family gets to celebrate with you and after all, what other occasion in our lives brings together family from all over? There will not be many opportunities for such a family reunion as your wedding and so it is very important to make the most of your family photos. Here are a few tips to make that process smoother and produce beautiful images to frame and use for Christmas cards.

• Inform both sides of the family ahead of time about your expectations. Family Portraits can be stressful as you and I try to gather up large amounts of people. The best way to eliminate stress is to communicate with your family beforehand concerning who/when/where people need to be.

• Appoint someone with a loud voice who knows a majority of family members to gather and manage people. It will make my job easier and allow me to focus on the photography side of things.

• Give your photographer a list of the family pictures that you want ahead of time so that he/she can just run down the list. It is best to start with the largest family first so as to decrease the amount of people in the room as soon as possible.

• Tell the photographer if there are any sensitive family relationships that he/she should be aware of so that he/she can avoid awkward situations for everyone. (I learned this the hard way)

• Consider the possibility of taking family pictures outside. Natural light is always more flattering and produces better photographs than artificial light. Discuss with your groom and your families about maybe stepping outside the ‘norm’ and taking some portraits outside. If not for extended family, at least for immediate.  If this is the image that will grace Christmas cards and sit in a frame in your homes, let’s make it the best image that we can! You won’t regret it!

Hope this is helpful!

Happy Friday!