'Wedding Workflow'

Basic Workflow for Weddings

The word ‘workflow’ is a very important concept in the world of photography. Every shoot, project, or job—anything and everything requires a smart, smooth workflow for quality and timely deliveries to occur. If your workflow is off or you forget something, either in pre-production or in post, lots of problems can arise. So to be sure each project is completed with care and excellence, a strict guideline must be adhered to.

It all starts with the first call or e-mail—the initial interest of the client. A wedding photo-shoot happens in multiple steps. This usually begins with a consultation in person and a brief portrait shoot (these images can be used for invitations or social networks and web-pages.) The main reason for this, is to give clients a feel for the photographer—who they are, how they work and at what pace. This is important for both, the photographer and the Bride & Groom, as it will eliminate many wedding-day ‘technical’ questions.

On the day of the wedding, it really depends on what the photographer was hired to do. We will assume, for now, that the couple hired the photographer to shoot only pictures and he/she has an assistant for only part of the day. With this being said, most photographic works captured at a wedding will be in the majority, photo-journalistic. Much of the prep-work will be documented, including detail shots of flowers, arrangements, cake etc. Then, spending some time with the Bride and Bridesmaids and spending some time with the Groom and Groomsmen, both times documenting their preparations and getting them aside for some fun, group photographs. 

During the ceremony, the photographer needs to make an attempt at capturing the best angles and at the same time not block anybody’s view (basically be invisible.) There’s a set of particular images that have to be captured, so the photographer needs to be everywhere at once-- this is where an assistant or second shooter comes in very handy. After the ceremony, if time allows, the newlyweds will break away from the wedding-party for about thirty minuets to go shoot some intimate portraits, and some fun works with the Groomsmen and Bridesmaids.

The reception also has some important shots that need capturing but allows for the photographer to be more visible and start shooting some more modern, fun and flash-driven images of the wedding-party having the time of their lives. During this time, the assistant to the photographer can be running a ‘photo-booth’ or help clean up gear so the photographer can continue to shoot to the last minute he or she was hired to do so. All this and more, should, with correct planning and a sturdy ‘workflow’ come together for an emotional, satisfying and all around fun experience for everyone involved.

The pre-production and post-production workflow are a whole'nother world. We won't talk about that for now, but future posts will explore the topics. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or concerns. Learning and growing as a business person, artist and entrepreneur requires all kind of trial and error, so any guidance is always appreciated.