Wedding Day Overview: Part 4 - Pictures/Posing
I would imagine for most couples, the feelings of happiness right after the ceremony would likely be close to what I feel after I see a baby goat frolicking through a meadow in any number of YouTube videos. Does it get better than that feeling? No, I don’t believe that it does. So as the couple leaves the ceremony, I and the photographer will undoubtedly scurry after them like a couple of mice who see a delicious piece of cheese on the horizon. We’re heading to the pre-chosen place to get your pictures/video work done. This could be at the reception hall, or anywhere that looks pretty enough for a picture. So, let’s briefly get into what I, your videographer, am trying to accomplish during this time.
Etobicoke Outdoors Wedding. Photo by Emma Gladman via Emma Spring Photo
Well for one, I’m just trying to find the place where the pictures are being taken. This can be considered tip number one. Make sure that if your photographer, or even you, for that matter, are the ones that have chosen the location, please let me know exactly where we’re meeting ahead of time – for my own sanity. This can save me some stress as I struggle to reach someone else at your wedding party, just so I can figure out where I’m going. Let’s assume the directions are clear and we all end up at the same spot – ready to get those photos and videos of you looking all kinds of pretty. Ok great. If the photographer and I are on the same page – we can work together to create a fantastic product for the couple – which, in this scenario, is you. How do we do this?
Any good marriage has some level of give and take - compromise. This applies to me and your photographer as well. We are both working on a tight time frame and coordination and respect for each other’s workspace are key here. They will undoubtedly have spots in mind to take photos of you. One way that I like to save time is to tell the couple, “I’ll get a video of you on the way to the picture location – just hold hands, talk to each other, and walk to the picture location at about half your normal speed.” This way I can get slow-motion footage from several different angles of the newly married couple walking and talking. This ends up being great-looking footage to include in the highlight reel. The other bonus of getting some of my footage in this way is that it is very time-efficient. We waste almost no time at all getting this footage as we would be walking to the picture location anyway.
Photo by Emma Gladman via Emma Spring Photo
It’s also important to me to let the photographer have their time with the couple. They may be walking them through different poses that they have in mind. While I may get some shots of this, I like to keep this type of “extra posed” footage to a minimum. For the most part, this just doesn’t translate all that well to video. People can easily tell when people are standing stiffly or holding a kiss for a long period of time; it just doesn’t look natural. So, what’s the workaround for this? Posing directions that are specifically done for video – that translate well to movement and being cinematic.
I like to keep this posing direction vague for the most part unless I have something very specific in mind. I’ll say something like, “Wrap your arms around each other and have a nice moment together.” While initially, you might be thinking, “What the heck does that mean?” – if you go with it and trust me, the result looks much more organic since you will fill in the blanks yourself for what it means to you. If I had given super specific instructions, people looking at the highlight reel would go, “Oh, he just told him, put your hands on her shoulders and then slowly lean in for a kiss.” So, with keeping the idea of being vague in mind, you’ll hear other directions from me like, “protect her,” “whisper something romantic in his ear,” or just “make out.” It’s easy to cringe at these when they are put on paper, but if you allow yourself to follow and commit to them, they can produce a natural, organic look to the footage in the finished film.
So that’s one of the general workflows that I like to use when it’s “picture” time. Of course, this can vary from couple to couple – as it depends on the couple. For some couples, I may try to give them more adventurous directions, like “Pick up your bride and spin her around” or “Give her a dip and a kiss.” While some may be up for this, I realize not every couple may be comfortable with these kinds of more energetic directions – which is totally fine.
For the final article in this series, we will look at what I’m doing during the reception! Until next time.