Things you shouldn’t ask your wedding photographer!
Do you know about wrong requests from the wedding photographer? Is it rude to ask the photographer when the pictures will be ready?
Being a wedding photographer in general and being a wedding photographer in Chicago is something I enjoy a lot. I have talked about what I do and why I love wedding photography many times in my blog posts.
Read more: what wedding photographers do?
I love art and I love to tell stories. Wedding photography provides me the opportunity to tell stories artistically, at the same time, I get to make people’s memories everlasting which is the core of the philosophy of why I do what I do.
Whether it’s capturing a glamorous Chicagoland wedding or a simple backyard ceremony – I find joy in every minute until a person comes and asks me something irrelevant. LOL!
Read more: How to Turn Your Home into a Personalized Wedding Venue
4 Wrong requests from the wedding photographer
Do you know what to ask a wedding photographer and what not to ask?? I am sure many wedding photographers will identify with this.
I gathered some of the common things that happen in almost all of the events I shoot. Here we go:
1-You won’t mind my friends getting a few shots with their cells, right?
This wrong request can bother a photographer greatly when you interfere with their shooting flow, but it is not the reason why this request doesn’t work for me while I am shooting.
I understand! People like to post images on Social media right away even though we all agree that professional photographers and professional cameras take better images.
It takes a few weeks to receive the pictures and sure a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Right? But there is a problem here: People get distracted and in the end, no one will have a proper image that everybody is looking straight into the lens. Especially in the large group pictures, each family is looking into the lens of the cellphone belonging to their family or friends.
Imagine if my answer to such a question were yes, there would be a line of people with their cellphones next to me (or behind me) taking images and people are looking away at every single one of them. Eventually, I am responsible for not taking solid family formals and group shots and as a documentary wedding photographer, I cannot afford such neglect.
Here is how I handle the situation as a professional wedding photographer: I bring my camera down and I definitely let them take as many shots as they want.
Sometimes, I manage the crowd to take better pictures. For example, I ask people to look into this camera first and then the second and third, etc. Once they all have their images, now I bring my camera up to take my shots and ask them to look straight into my camera. Everybody’s happy 🙂
2-You can Photoshop it out, right?
When you make this request, be sure that the first thing that goes through the wedding photographer’s head is, “Miracles are charged separately.”
All the good wedding photographers in Chicago, indeed dedicate considerable time to post-production and editing but eliminating wrinkles, correcting hairstyles, or adding Uncle Bob to the group picture taken at the end of the night because he left early – are all additional jobs that require time and sometimes more expertise beyond what I have.
Read more: choose your wedding storyteller wisely!
At the same time, My photos are known for their storytelling quality, and storytellers tend to take pictures that are more true to life.
For example, the family picture without Uncle Bob in it, tells the story that he left early, to let the dogs out to pee. Lol! You sure have many images of your favorite Uncle Bob at your wedding but he is missing in that particular one, for a reason and you get to remember not only him but also his adorable puppies for the rest of your life 🙂
So never make the wrong requests from the wedding photographer!
Read more: Tips About Family Pictures on the Wedding Day
3-Can you send the photos that you took of me to my email?
Trust me; there are no wedding photography packages that include the service of emailing photos to the guests since it will take time to write down your email, and the number of the photo in which you appear, and then be aware of remembering to send you the pictures. Instead, you can just ask the newlyweds as they will have all the wedding photos of the event.
I always deliver the files via a password-protected online gallery and the couple will inform you once the images are ready and you can download your images then.
Read more: Delivering the Wedding images to my clients Quickly!
4-Can you give us the RAW files?
This is another Wrong request from the wedding photographer. All will agree that this is like asking the chef at the restaurant to give you the ingredients so you can cook them at home.
The art of photography includes a process of editing, which completes the work by giving it a distinct style – which is also the photographer’s personal signature and brand.
As an experienced wedding photographer in Chicago, I can say that this form of art requires many technical, compositional, and creative skills.
It requires being observant, patient, and constant, knowing the behavior of light, investing in equipment, and many more things! So maybe all you can do is let the professionals do their thing instead of asking to have the RAW files.
Read more: Why Your Photographer Won’t Give You the RAW Files
What do you ask your wedding photographer?
Is this interesting? Then feel free to read more blogs. If you are looking for ‘wedding photographers near me,’ check out my portfolio and book your wedding photo session for your upcoming event.
