Wedding photographers are one of the most visible vendors that you’ll see on the wedding day. We’re there in important moments, and little, quiet moments. We are in constant sight of guests, the couple, and the wedding party. For some parts of the day, we’re directing people and making photos come together. There’s a lot that you see that we do, but there’s a lot that we do that results in an elevated experience, and I wanted to get into some of those things here.

Gathering inspiration

We use lots of our time being open to the world, searching for inspiration. Many times it comes from places that you wouldn’t expect. I get a ton of inspiration from watching movies and combing through my Pinterest feed, but I also feel so creative and inspired when walking through a vintage store or an estate sale. I think that the items that people surround themselves with in their everyday lives tell just as much a story as the kind of a wedding someone plans.

Seeking out inspiration beyond trends and beyond wedding-specific inspiration has been immensely helpful in my photography work, because it’s honed my own taste and approach outside of much industry influence. I want my voice to shine through, and for people to know that my work is unique, and separate from others.

We put so much time in finding out who our clients are, what they like, and what their tastes are in order to create work that feels true to them. We ask our clients to give us a movie to watch in preparation for their wedding, and let us know what songs feel like their love story to them. Even if they aren’t artistic, our couples have art that they connect with, and we want those things to reflect in their photos.

Scouting locations

Finding the perfect locations for each photo moment is a huge skill, and takes time to learn. Sometimes things aren’t exactly perfect, and we have to pick the best case scenario to maintain the right look and environment that we want for photos. It’s also important to consider who your clients are in choosing a location. Will they thrive somewhere private, or do they not mind other people walking around? Are they more themselves with their loved ones around them, or do they want to feel like the only people in the world?

We spend so much time scouring Google Maps, Instagram photos, and location websites. We want to determine what the light looks like, what the land is shaped like, and what the overall vibe is to a place, all before we step foot on the property. Once we’re there, we arrive early to go through and check what we’ve researched, and be open to finding another perfect spot for photos. Additionally, if there’s a sentimental spot, we have to find ways to incorporate that for our couples if the conditions aren’t optimal. And this is all before we pick up our cameras and meet our couple.

Maintaining a vibe

This one is a little more abstract, but photos can influence so much of what the overall vibe is like in a room, and it’s up to us to maintain or move that vibe. In order to capture real, genuine moments, everyone has to feel comfortable with us, and confident that we know what we’re doing. It involves making friends, putting people at ease, and showing up with an assurance of what we want to get done.

The images you create are a complete product of the environment, so it’s up to us to make that environment what we want it, in order to get the desired result. For Maggie Dunn & Co, we want the photos to feel relaxed, candid, and easy-going, so we work really hard to create an environment that feels that way. We show up with minimal bags, we make sure everyone knows us, we look fun and happy, and we have a plan. Even if it takes some time to settle in, we know that creating an easy-going vibe will result in easy-going photos. I always say, I never want photos to be a source of stress, and ideally it’s something that you look forward to.

Seeking spontaneous moments

A huge unspoken skill that great photographers have is being open and ready for anything to happen. Great wedding photographers have a plan, know how things will go, anticipate moments, but they also know that anything could happen, and are ready for that perfect moment, that perfect glance, or that perfect light to appear and delight everyone.

Great artists have a vision, but are ready for things to unfold, and are able to allow those things to happen. They know when it’s great, and don’t try to steer things back on the path when the unexpected thing could be so much better. It’s a huge skill to balance the planned with spontaneity and not everyone has it. When you’re looking for a photographer, you might be able to notice if they have work that feels surprising and exciting, mixed with work that feel expertly directed.

Communication with vendors

As the documenters of the day, we end up with the whole portfolio of the entire wedding day, which your vendors rely on to market their own businesses. We work with vendors before and on wedding day to maintain a great experience for us and for our clients. This day wouldn’t exist without them, and we hopefully would love to work with them again.

We take time to log each vendor that we work with, and have their name, address, and contact info on file. This is helpful for us to be able to communicate with them again. It’s also helpful for our future clients when people need referrals for vendors and we can make a connection.

At the end of the process, we send out a curated gallery for each vendor, so they have images that they need for their business, but they don’t have access to our couple’s entire personal gallery. We do all of this communication and data collection without our couples having to do it for their vendors.

Overall, when you invest in your photographer, you’re investing in a lifetime of an artist’s experience. Every wedding before, and every shoot before, has led up to what a photographer can bring to your wedding. You’re not just paying for someone to take photos and capture memories for you, you’re paying for someone who knows how to look for important moments and anticipate them.

You’re paying for all of the time, work, and energy they put in towards crafting artistic skill and refined relationship navigating. When done right, it appears effortless. Speaking for myself, it’s a job that I’ve put everything that I have and know into, and something that I’m so excited to share with new couples getting married each year.

If you’re interested in connecting about wedding photographer services, we’re always happy to hop on a consult call and see if we’re a good fit for your project. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

xx, Maggie