I document moments. Fleeting, unique, unrepeatable.
There are however, always group photographs to take. Group pictures have their place within the documenting of the day and grandparents and parents often wish to have them printed and placed on the mantelpiece.
I know that this style of picture goes against the documentary philosophy, and most people hire me because they want candid pictures, but they are important. My clients all tell me they hate having our picture taken, but group pictures stand the test of time, so you should definitely do them.
Group photographs are a necessary part of the day, it’s incredibly rare to encounter a wedding where there are zero group pictures. As mentioned before, for the older generation, there inclusion is a given and the idea of not having them can cause friction – it definitely did at my wedding anyway!
The trick to efficient group picture-taking is planning. Have a read of how I approach group pictures to understand more on how they work and why I’m really good at them :)
Having a list is a must, with detailed names and extra details such as with or without drinks? Children included? partners? all of these questions and delays can add minutes per shot. If it takes four minutes per group picture, and you have a list of twenty group combinations, you can see how it can quickly spiral and take up the entirety of the drinks reception.
There is no set formula for who to include, it’s your wedding day, I’m always saying ‘you do you’ – no one should ever tell you what to do on your day.
I will make one suggestion though.
As your wedding photographer I see it as my duty to share with you things I have experienced in the past, feed the info back to you, which in turn allows you to make and informed decision.
Here is a selection of images that have been fed back to me that clients wish they had captured.
They are not group pictures per-se. They are in fact individual shots with family members. Because of this, it makes it much easier to take them, as there is only one person we need, rather then a collection. These images can be taken at any point in the day (maybe before the raving starts though).
Bride with Mum.
Bride with Dad.
Groom with Mum.
Groom with Dad
Separate pictures with siblings.
It’s not a huge list, but worth considering all the same. The bond we share with our immediate families can be amongst the strongest emotional ties we ever experience. Not in all cases, but fair to say probably most.
Its not often we consider the historical significance of photographs. Those contained in our family albums or those that exist in grandmas memory box are often taken for granted.
With digital technology it’s easy to become complacent and rarely print and frame our photographs.
It’s sad to consider. But in the past i have had wedding clients call me and ask if I have any additional images of wedding guests who have since passed away. Its often only when people are gone that we realise we took their presence for granted.
Go and hug the person closest to you, say something nice to them and why not have a picture taken with them on your own on your wedding day. It will last forever, and once you’ve got it, you’ll never have to regret not taking it.