Wedding Crisis Control

Get Perfect Pictures

• Sure, you want great wedding photos you can cherish after your big day, but you also want to have time to enjoy the day and not spend most of it standing around posing.
  
  

•  Lisa Lefkowitz, a photographer in San Francisco, says it’s important to devise a plan. Make a list of your must-have portraits: like you with your groom, of course, and with your wedding party and immediate families, and note how much time should be spent on each. Then discuss the shots with your photographer. “If it seems unrealistic time-wise, you should edit down the number of shots, or shift things around,” says Lefkowitz. “It might be preferable to have formal shots taken before the ceremony, so then after you’re married, you can go straight to celebrating with your guests.”
  
  

• Also be sure everyone who’s in a must-have photo is where they need to be at the right time—make sure your VIP wedding-party members’ schedules include photography details, and put someone in charge of guest-wrangling when it’s time. A detailed photo shot list that includes who needs to be where (and when) is the first step to great picture results.
  
  

• When it comes to capturing the details you’ve worked so hard to plan, it’s key to have a list of the still-life shots you want: the cake, the centerpiece, your wedding gown on the hanger, place cards, bouquets and more. “Some things, like escort cards, are time sensitive, so it’s good to know when they’ll be placed, so the photographer can get to them before the guests do,” says Lefkowitz.

Photo Credit: Bull Portraits