Wedding photography decisions

So most couples are after the same thing these days in that they want the story of their day told without too much intrusion and in a natural, relaxed and honest way.

Nobody really likes having their photo taken and most professional photographers know this.

Meet with the photographer either in person or more commonly now, via skype, tell them your fears and let them respond to them. Then choose based on that. Some togs will take you off for an hour, some for 10 minutes so that's the first thign you could ask tbh.

It's very common for couples to think they're supposed to stare at the camera and grin maniacally for 30 minutes - an hour, but the reality is a good photographer will be engaging, entertaining and work in such a way your photos will be over in 15 minutes and you'll have a lovely natural selection of photos to treasure.

We all shoot the same sort of stuff nnowadays but HOW we shoot it and how we fit in is the biggest determiner of the experience.

I think it would work well for you because you're not posing for the camera so it feels much less artificial and nerve-wracking. The best thing to do is to look at the photographer's work - do they look the kind of photos that you'd like to have of your own wedding? - and then make an appointment to meet with him/her.

We've chosen a photographer who does mostly documentary, because we both hate the idea of loads of posed shots. We both liked his work on the website and when we met with him, it really clarified that he had the right approach for us. You can learn a certain amount by looking at a website or facebook page, but meeting the photographer in person is the best way to know if they are the right one for you.

Another helpful thing is to check out facebook reviews - for our photographer, there were loads from brides & grooms who had been really anxious about having their photos taken but ended up being fine with it because the photographer made them feel so relaxed. So this really encouraged us that he was the right one for us!

I would say that at least 50% of my weddings either the groom or the bride - or both tell me that they do not like -or are uncomfortable but then after the wedding say they hardly knew I was there, and I do not describe myself as a documentary photographer -- I am a wedding photographer. I find that most weddings are a massive mix of documentary/ portrait/ fashion /and landscape.

Be careful because there are some that use the I" am a documentary photographer" angle but when I actually look at samples of their work almost every single shot is what I would recognise as still being posed.

To do it properly is a real skill and its not just about pointing the camera. Real "full on" documentary style wedding photography done right is an art in its self.