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!!!!
How special is this?! Another sweet KJ Couple turned KJ Family and I had the honored of capturing this fleeting season for them!
I want this podcast to be a place where you come to have more of a conversation with me about what’s going on in our day to day life!
Oh I just loved this session. The light, the outfit choices, the location, the family! It was all perfect and I’m so grateful for a chance to see a veteran KJ couple again!
This new AI feature in Lightroom has made it easier to now leave Photoshop behind and do almost EVERYTHING I need to in Lightroom! Wow!
I have come to realize that there have been so many people in my life who have shaped me and called me up to be the mom, wife, business owner, photographer I am today. I am sharing why I think mentorship is so valuable to every individual and invite you to consider who is helping you learn and grow!
This day was just perfection. I knew it would be from the moment Caitlin emailed me about being a part of their day. She and Devon are in the photography industry and I knew they would put a high value on the creative side of their day.