Ottawa photographer Paul Warren Photography Blog

When I meet a bride and groom for the first time, I’m often asked, “What kind of input can we have on the shots being taken?”

In my experience, the greatest images always come when there is strong collaboration between the photographer and his subjects, so to me the answer is obvious – it’s your wedding; you can have all the input you want!!

In fact, it’s very important for me to develop a relationship with my clients. Don’t worry, I’m not expecting an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner (though I might not turn one down), but establishing a comfortable rapport is key to getting great photos.

The relationship develops as a result of a series of meaningful consultations in the months leading up to your wedding.

When I meet a new client for the first time, it’s usually a pretty casual conversation about your plans, my background and services. We’re basically trying to see if I’m a good fit for you. We’ll discuss what you’re looking for in terms of style, photo packages, final products (albums, discs, etc.), and of course, budget. We’ll exchange some ideas and perhaps even schedule an engagement portrait session.

I love the engagement session. It’s a first chance to get you in front of my camera and establish the shooting rapport that is so important to a successful wedding day shoot. Of course, you also get great portraits!

We’ll meet again when I deliver your engagement photos, giving us another chance to discuss how your plans are progressing and cover any new ideas about the photography.

A few weeks before the wedding, we’ll go over the shot list. This is an important part of my planning. I provide all my wedding clients with a checklist that ensures you have input on the specific shots I take.

Essentially, it’s a list of shots designed to ensure I get the photos that are most important to you. It also helps a lot with planning the time allotted for photography. You just check off what you want and add any shots I might have missed. It includes a place for the names of your wedding party, special guests and lists any key elements of the day that I need to know about as I do my preparation.

Regardless of what’s on the shot list, I make every effort to get as complete a record of the day as possible. I don’t limit my shooting to what’s on the list – but I do my utmost to capture everything that is there.

We also have a chance to get together at your rehearsal. I always offer to photograph the rehearsal at no extra charge. There are all kinds of benefits to this – you get some great candid shots of one of the last steps in your wedding preparation and I get an extra opportunity to scout the location and choose my vantage points. Getting together so close to the wedding day also means we’ll have an idea of the role the weather may play – and we can discuss alternate plans if necessary. This is also usually my first opportunity to meet the members of the wedding party, so it’s a chance for everyone to get familiar with me before the day. This is especially helpful if you have young children in your ceremony – they have enough going on around them without worrying about some stranger pointing a camera at them. I’ve found everyone is always a bit more at ease if they’ve had a chance to meet the photographer in advance. Shooting the rehearsal is also a great opportunity for me to meet your officiant and discuss details such as any rules about shooting during the ceremony.

Obviously, you have a lot going on in the weeks leading up to your wedding, so it may not be possible to meet as often as all this. You may not even want to have this level of involvement in the photography process, which is fine, of course. Again, it’s your wedding!

Whether we meet only once, or half a dozen times before your wedding, the goal is the same – working together to ensure the images I capture for you are as beautiful and treasured a record of the day as you hope for!

Here are a couple of shots from Fiona’s and Brian’s rehearsal. I love these two – they laughed all the way through both the rehearsal and the wedding…