I HATE having my picture taken

What to do if you hate having your photo taken

I hate having my photo taken. Just six little words. And probably the most common thing that couples tell us before their wedding, so you're not alone. If we're honest, we don't like having our picture taken and were pretty scared of having our wedding photos taken too. But now we have a fantastic record of our day and wouldn't swap them for anything (thanks, Paula!).

We're pretty sure you will feel different on your wedding day. Why? Because you will look amazing! Seriously, you'll get into your wedding clothes, look in the mirror and think 'Holy shit, I'm pretty damn hot.'  

Have a look around our website at how the couples look in their portraits. These are all real couples photographed at real weddings. They are not professional models, but they all look like they could be. Most of them had said those six little words to us at some stage before the wedding. 

Our job is to make you comfortable, not just to take pictures

Putting people at ease during their portraits is not just part of our job, its something we love. The most satisfying thing is when someone who says they hate having their picture taken, ends up enjoying it. We love the moment that you realise 1) this is piss easy and 2) you look awesome in the pics.  

Just like you (and Chandler Bing), we HATE forced smiles. In all our years of taking wedding pictures we have never uttered the words, "can you smile?" No, if we need you to smile it's up to us to make you smile rather than tell you. With that being said, it's your wedding; being surrounded by all your friends and family while prosecco is flowing, you'll find it difficult not to smile. 

You don't need Photoshop

Another six words we hear are: I hope you're good at photoshop. We are good with Photoshop, but you won't need it. No amount of photoshop will adequately fix a portrait taken in crap light and an unflattering pose.

An experienced photographer carefully chooses where to take pictures to use the most flattering light as possible. This means no squinting, no awful shadows or weird colour casts. Good light does more for how you look in a photograph than any editing ever could.

Most of the day, you won't be posing at all

With our style of photography, very little of your wedding will require you to pose. When you're getting ready, getting married, talking to guests, giving speeches, dancing, we will just be capturing things candidly. In fact, you'll probably spend more time posing for guests' smartphone pictures than you will for us. The only time you will need to 'pose' is during formal group shots and for your portraits. 

Formal shots are easy, you just look at our camera, trying to ignore any hoards of guests that might have gathered, and smile. This part is over quickly, and we try and make it as fun as possible. 

For the portraits we require a bit of posing, but not too much.  We like to put you in a place or position that works for us in terms of lighting or backdrop, and from there you can act freely, so everything is as natural as possible. We have really simple goals with your photos; to have a bit of fun and to make you look cool as f**k. 

While we love when our couples get super close to each other, this isn't for everyone. Some like to look at the camera while others prefer not to. The important thing is to do what's comfortable. As long as you feel relaxed you’ll look relaxed.

We curate carefully — and nothing goes public without your say

Unless you have an unplugged wedding where guests are asked not to take pictures, there will be a lot of unofficial photos. They'll mostly be taken with smartphones. Some will be blurry. They'll be taken in all kinds of light. Your mouth could be open, your eyes closed but they'll still get uploaded to social media.

As well as being experienced wedding photographers, curation is a large part of our job. We take a lot of time to weed out any photos that might not be flattering. The final edited pictures are then uploaded to a private gallery that only you have the password to. We only share them on our website/social media with your consent. 

A note for grooms

We shouldn't say this, but it's usually the groom that has the most concerns. And that's ok. Sometimes it's a macho thing where they might worry about their friends slagging them. Other times, its genuine nerves because they've never done anything like this before. We tend to take our portraits away from prying eyes so you won't have an audience watching on. And remember guys, you're not just doing this for yourself, but for your partner. 

Consider an engagement shoot

If you're genuinely anxious about wedding photos, an engagement shoot is the single best thing you can do about it. The most common thing we hear afterwards from nervous couples is: "actually, that wasn't too bad." Dare we say, some actually enjoy it!

It's an hour or so in a relaxed setting, with no wedding-day pressure attached. You'll come away knowing what to expect, more comfortable in front of the camera, and with a set of photos you'll actually like. By the time the wedding comes around, the portrait session will feel familiar rather than daunting.

Try to think of it differently

The best reframe we can offer: your portrait session is a little pocket of time, just the two of you, away from the chaos of the day. No guests to talk to, no schedule to worry about, no one needing something from you. Just a chance to take a breath, be together, and take in what just happened.

Looking back, most couples tell us it was one of the least stressful parts of the whole day.