A Quick Overview of my Process
The before, during and after of *almost* every wedding or lifestyle shoot.
When I first started out as a photographer my only objective was to learn ~as much~ as I could from whomever would let me!
I remember jumping up and down on my res-room bed when a photographer I had been eyeing agreed for me to come along on an engagement shoot at Lanzerac Vineyards—it was total bliss... I think I was half hiding behind a tree most of the time just observing #awkward. But since then I built up more confidence as I started second shooting at weddings almost every other weekend while finishing up my Visual Comms degree.
Throughout my first job as Designer at The Pretty Blog, through to starting another business with a friend in the big city, weddings used to only be my moonlight gig… until Covid hit a big *shabam* and my plans to take Studio A full-time was pushed to the forefront.
My experience shooting for many other photographers with various different styles and clientele as well as my experience in the business world has taught be a lot of lessons that I've translated into how I approach my work and my clients.
In this blog I'm going to give you a quick glance at what happens before, during, and after each shoot and what you can expect when booking your wedding with me. I'm not going to bore you with all the technical details, but I really want to take you alongside me so you can better understand how I serve you throughout our time together!
Yay! You’re engaged—now what?
Planning a wedding really can become all kinds of crazy! From budget planning to heated family meetings, finding vendors who see the same vision as you do AND trying to still enjoy the engagement feels.
It can so easily become such a stressful process, that why I made it my TOP priority to make working with me as easy and stress-free as possible.
Before you're even booked in I do my best to make you feel as comfortable as you do with your bestie. ‘Cause let’s be honest your wedding photographer is someone who is intimately involved in your wedding day and your story and so I want to make sure when I'm in those moments on your day you can trust me — and that starts waaaay before D-day!
When you're booked in I'll guide you through all the planning necessary for me to perform my job seamlessly - from working out the perfect timeline to getting ready venues and figuring out all the family dynamics, I help you make it a fun and stress-free process!
There's a reason why I include a complimentary engagement shoot in every wedding package—you feeling as comfortable as possible while I’m on continuous shutter is my goal!
The BIG day
There's a few things I always do the before to make sure everything on my end is smooooth:
check in with you a few days before to go over any *last* minute details
double (triple) check the timeline
prep all my gear (charge, clean cards, clean lenses, pick up any rentals, etc)
brief my second shooter on any specific details and timings
get in a ton of sleep!
After I've rehearsed your timeline for the 10th time, I'll be on my way to your destination come say hi to you and get started documenting your day!
My priority for your wedding day is to bring calm and peace to what can sometimes be a whirlwind of a day! I don't like to dictate and force a specific "wedding" schedule or "this is what's supposed to happen now" on your wedding day, I prefer to let things unravel on the day and to document it as is. No two weddings are the same, and yes there's a rough framework as to how it usually goes - but I'm not going to tell you to do anything that you don't want part of YOUR day.
For lifestyle shoots I have a similar prep routine, but on the shoot it's way more go with the flow as I'll direct you into interacting with your partner or your family in a way that feels natural and fun.
After kicking off my shoes at home (and half-forcing my husband to rub my feet), I download and back up all the pretty pictures, ready for selections the next day!
What happens now? When do we see the images?
These are questions I get after practically every shoot—weddings or lifestyle! And it really depends on which season we're in and what kind of shoot we did. Let me explain :)
For weddings I always tell my clients they can expect a waiting period of about 6-8 weeks for their full gallery. You'll always get a small preview within a few days and here and there I like to sprinkle in some surprises as well (giving gifts are one of my ultimate favourite things to do!). For lifestyle shoots you can expect 2-3 weeks (except during wedding season, then my wedding clients get all my attention and you might have to wait a few extra weeks —soz!).
Here's a quick breakdown of my post-processing routine, it's not set in stone, but this is my average workflow.
I'll do your preview selection
Then I'll edit the preview—I take my time here though as here I'm determining the edit (the mood and style) that I'll use for your entire shoot/wedding.
After that I'll load you onto my project management system and I work down my list in order of priority to get all the culling and editing done for each client on time.
When it's your turn I'll make the full selection of my photos as well as my second shooter's images and I'll import them. I like to divide up all the images into the different parts of the day to make sure I haven't over- or under-selected for any given section—and it’s my weird way of gamifying my process!
Then I just work work work until it's alllllll done.
I'll export and compress all the files (so they don't take up your whole harddrive) and I'll upload them to Pic-time for you to view, share and download at your leisure! (For the photographers readings this—hello!!—here’s a Pic-time coupon code UFHJXD)
If you had an album included in your package or if you booked additional albums, this is where the selections and design phase starts (honestly one of my favourite parts!). THIS is where the photos truly come life! My albums are all designed my me and printed with the highest quality materials to ensure it outlives you! I literally cannot recommend getting a professional wedding album designed enough to anyone! It’s totally worth the investment.
Aaaaand there you have it, friends! I’d love for you to reach ou tot me if you have specifc questions about my process or if you’re photographer just starting out and you need some advice on how to streamline your own process—I’m here for you girl!
