Be it a good thing or not, Pinterest has essentially turned everyone into a Peeping Tom.  How so exactly?  Consider this.  Not only are you able to see the things that people pin, your able to see the names of the boards that they are pinning into.  These very names give you clues into what a person  likes, doesnt like, thinks is funny, wants to emulate, create something like and so on.  Without even realizing it, you’ve become a cyber peeping tom.

Now that I have pointed this out, understand, I LOVE Pinterest & I have zero problem with all this.  I only bring it up as there is something I see pretty frequently that I would like to address with my lovely brides-to-be.  There is a common board name/theme I see all  to often & the gist of it is…. POSE.   Aye ye ye…  No bueno kids.  I am sure your asking yourself why I think this is not good.  Let me break it down for you.

I am sure most of you at some point or another have watched America’s Next Top Model.  Whether you realize it or not, all those bridal portraits your going to be taking, those are going to be taking on a form of modeling.  Now,  back to ANTM, no model walks on set with her single game changing pose in mind.  Her exact pose.  Her nail it or it didnt work pose.  Her drop her face, meaning shes working so hard to react that very image she thought of, she forget to model with your face, that it all ends up looking angry, a bit funny, awkward, just…wrong.  Actually I take that back!  If you have seen ANTM you have seen the results, and there are times, quite frequently, when the judges explain to the models how they have forgotten their faces.  It is this very thing I speak of.  Your so busy in your head trying to remember if your doing it right, if he is on the right, your on the left, if your hand goes here, and so on that it all comes out no where near that pic you coveted for so long.

While gathering images of other couples that you admire, in effort to understand photographic style is absolutely wonderful and a great proactive step, its the ones labeled ‘Pose’ that worry me.  The thing I think a lot of you brideys tend to not realize is that it is that spur of the moment, that raw emotion, that ‘pose’ you just naturally fall into with your honey, that really make those images something you connect with so strongly.  Striving to recreate something you saw, can only lead you down a path of disappointment.  I encourage you to be in the moment, do what feels right, right then and there.  Kiss, dont kiss, hug, laugh, dance, jump, look around, do a hand stand.  You get my point.  This my dear friends is the exact path to absolutely covet worthy imagery.  Wouldn’t you rather covert your own wedding photographs?!  While I totally encourage image collecting of all kinds, for all sorts of reasons, please please dont get laser locked on….THE Pose.  I want you to be as happy and gleefully surprised as you can be by your stunning wedding photos,  not worrying about how you ‘Didnt get it quite right’  Know what I mean?

Happy Friday!  Feels like a mega TGIF right??  Ugh, very happy this week is on its way out, or at the very least on its way into 2 days of bliss.  We need it over here.  Big hugs to my boy Casey Fatchett for stepping up to bat for me today with a post today that…well  lets be honest, we all think about:  Now that I have you dear photographer, what do we do?  Join Casey as he helps breakdown what to do with the between booking & wedding day.  PS-Casey is a total gas & you should totally be following him on Twitter if your not already!

After a couple books their wedding photographer, there tends to be a bit of confusion as to what to do next. Depending on how far in advance you sign your contract, there might be a lot of downtime, but that does not mean that there is not some planning to do. Remember, planning ahead means better photos and less stress on the day of the wedding. So what can you do?

I know that there are literally hundreds of ‘checklists’ out there for couples to look at, questions to ask when they meet with photographers as well as ‘shot lists’. These lists are pretty generic, so I am going to discuss some specific things to do before the wedding that will help you get better photos and avoid stress. (Aside: While this is written from the perspective of wedding photos, it also applies to pretty much any scheduled photo shoot – engagement photos, family portraits, headshots, etc.)

1. Be very clear about who you MUST have pictures of at the wedding and assign a ‘point person’

So, you haven’t seen your Uncle Joe in years and you really want to have some great shots of him at your wedding. Well, your photographer might not know who Uncle Joe is, let alone recognize him. So discuss who the VIP’s are with your photographer and assign someone who knows who they are to point them out on the day of the wedding. This could be a member of the bridal party, another family member, a close friend – as long as it is not you! You have enough things to deal with on the day of your wedding. They will also help corral people during the family/group portrait portion of the wedding day.

And when it comes to the group photos, every couple is different – so don’t assume that your photographer will know which groups of people you want to have your pictures taken with!

2. Tell your photographer about any potential ‘friction’ between guests

Parents divorced and don’t talk to one another? Two sides of the family make the Hatfields and McCoys look tame? One group of friends still mad at another faction for alleged cheating in a trivia contest 8 years ago and won’t let it go? It would be best to let your photographer know so they don’t try to get these people or groups together for a picture at any point on your wedding day. The resulting drama could put a damper on things.

3. Streamline your shot-list

They say that if you love some one, set them free. Show your photographer some love and free up that overwhelming generic shot-list and include the things that are really important to you. If your photographer is really worth their salt, and I hope they are, they will know to get pictures of the first kiss, the first dance, cake cutting – so you probably don’t need to put those on your list . If your photographer is particularly on the ball, they might use a smartphone app such as “SECONDSHOOTR” to organize your “must have” photos and information.

If there is something that has particularly special meaning to you (“I am hanging cameos of my grandparents on the ribbon of my bouquet,” or “My mom did all of the flower arrangements.”), discuss it with your photographer so they can focus extra attention on those things. (Ha! Focus! Sorry, excuse the terrible pun.)

Also, if there is something out of the ordinary happening (“We are doing a ‘death-drop’ dip at the end of the first dance!” or “Oh, did I mention we are going to take a flamethrower to the wedding dress at the end of the night?”), let your photographer know about it before the wedding so they can plan appropriately and get the best shot of it.

(caveat: if your photographer does not have much experience, it would be best to give them the full list just to be safe)

4. Talk to your photographer about how much posing you do or don’t want to do when you say “I Do”!

Okay, I admit, I used the word ‘do’ way too much in that sentence. Moving on, each couple has their own feelings about posing. Some people love to do it, others are uncomfortable with it. You need to talk to your photographer about whether your portraits (by yourself, as a couple, with your wedding party, etc) are going to be candid or arranged/posed. While you may want candid shots of most of the day, when it comes to the portraits you might want some Vogue-esque lighting and glamour. Or you might not want your photographer directing you at all and if they start telling you how to pose it might make you feel uncomfortable and that comes through in your pictures. Either way, your photographer will need to be prepared, both in regards to equipment and mental readiness, for whatever type of photos you are looking for – so be sure to discuss it with them.

5. Get on Pinterest!

Okay, Pinterest can be a little bit addicting – it is easy to get lost in the endless parade of pictures. However, I cannot think of a better way to communicate your personal aesthetic to your photographer (and other vendors, for that matter) than by sharing other pictures that you like. That way, your photographer knows what YOU like and can plan appropriately. They can also let you know if what you are imagining is practical or not. So add your photographer on Pinterest and share your ideas with them!

I hope you found this post helpful – now get out there and get planning!

Casey Fatchett is a wedding, event, and portrait photographer from New York City who travels wherever in the world his camera is needed. When not taking pictures, he dances like a lunatic to entertain his wife and wrangles their dog and cat. For bookings and inquiries you can contact Casey at photo@fatchett.com or  212.875.7599 or through social media.