It was my first year in business and I didn’t know that it was up to me to educate my brides about creating a timeline that included an ample amount of time for portraits! If you’re a wedding photographer then you know that this story is heading nowhere good! The beginning of the day was just fine, but like most wedding days there were a few things that popped up and made the bride run late. So, because the bride was concerned about getting into the church and hiding before any guests arrived, we had to forego all of the first look portraits.
I thought to myself “Oh, that’s fine… we’ll do portraits during the reception!” Well, the reception came and so did some dark gray clouds. The radar was showing that there was a massive band of rain heading our way and I had about 15 minutes to get ALL of the bride and groom’s portraits accomplished!!
15 MINUTES?!
This was a NIGHTMARE! What made it worse was that they were the most photogenic couple, and I desperately wanted to leave that wedding with a ton of portraits that I was proud of! I remember frantically trying to get the “must have” shots while simultaneously trying to be creative and capture shots that I could use in my portfolio! It ended up being a HOT MESS!!! The clouds rolled in and the bride got worried and cut our portrait time even SHORTER!!! AHHHH!!!!!!
I vowed to never end in that same situation ever again!
The thing is, I can’t ALWAYS protect the entire timeline and ensure that EVERY wedding day will have hours of portrait time, and I DEFINITELY can’t manage and control the weather! However, the one thing that I can DEFINITELY control is my ability to respond and take control in stressful situations!
Over the last 9 years I’ve learned that the way I create my client’s experience through posing is the MOST IMPORTANT interaction that I have with them!! That’s when they become comfortable with me, learn how to feel genuinely confident and like themselves in front of the camera, and most importantly, that’s when they learn to TRUST ME!!
So I can honestly say that I have never had to live through that kind of horrible experience ever again! I’ve never panicked and missed the opportunity to create gorgeous portraits on a time-crunched wedding day! Sure, we’ve had our fair share of wedding days that don’t go as planned, but because of the systems we have in place, we can ALWAYS capture ample portraits that we’re proud of!
If you’ve been in a similar place, here are some tips for overcoming that overwhelming feeling that creeps in when you feel rushed and you’re drawing a blank!!!!
3 WAYS TO OVERCOME A TIME-CRUNCHED WEDDING DAY! :
Ps. If you want the full posing educational experience, we have exciting news! Our 19 Lesson KJ Posing Course is now open for enrollment after over 8 months of being closed!!! We are so excited to welcome our new class of students!!!!! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!!!!
A year ago, we promised to find a solution for those who were complaining about their R6 raw files looking dull and lifeless in Lightroom. However, due to various circumstances, we couldn’t deliver on that promise until now.
Kelly is an incredible wedding photographer who has been shooting 90 weddings a year. I know, it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true! Kelly’s success and the volume of work she handles is truly impressive.
Your sessions should be working FOR you not against you!