Nervous about being photographed at your Wedding? Try these things:

Getting a little anxious about the photography part of your wedding? Trust me, I know where you’re coming from! I am an extremely camera-shy person (hence why I work behind it!), so I completely understand the nerves and reservations that many couples have when it comes to their Wedding Photography.

Not many people are used to being in front of a camera, photographed for pretty much a whole day, and it can be quite nerve wracking. But you’re in good hands! If this sounds familiar and you’re quite camera-shy like me, then check out my tips for getting more comfortable about your Wedding Photography in time for the big day.

Book an Engagement or Pre-Wedding shoot with your Photographer

This is going to make a massive difference to how you feel about your big day. Getting a practice run with your photographer before the big day is a great opportunity to get comfortable with them, understand how they work and how they will pose and shoot you on your wedding day. You might even find that this removes some of the initial worries you had.

Some photographers will offer this as part of their packages, and some may do one for you as an additional extra. It might come at a little bit of extra money, but if you are feeling really uneasy about being photographed, it really is going to be worth the spend.

Have as many pre-meetings as they allow you to

Pre-Wedding meetings are usually a pre-requisite for most photographers, it’s a chance to plan out your wedding photography with you. Maximising on the amount of meetings (whether that’s in-person or virtually) you can have with your photographer before the day give greater chances of appeasing you if you’re nervous. The more communication you have with them, the more informed you will be, and the more relaxed you will feel about what’s going on.

Make sure you tell them how you’re feeling! They’re on your team at the end of the day, so it’s super important that you let them know if you’re feeling anxious. It’s their job to make you feel as good as you can about the photography, and adjusting their service and process to try and make you feel more at ease.

Meet up with them in person if possible

If you do have the ability to meet your photographer in person before the wedding, I highly, highly recommend this. Virtual meetings are great, but experiencing someone in person helps to create a greater connection, and the better the relationship between you and your photographer, the more comfortable you will feel with them taking your photos. It can make a big difference meeting them face-to-face, so really worth considering if it’s possible for you.

If you do decide to have an Engagement or Pre-Wedding shoot, this is the perfect opportunity for an in-person meet up. If not, try requesting an in-person meeting with your photographer before the big day to see if it’s something they can do for you.

Familiarise yourself with their style before the wedding

If you’ve picked your photographer already, you will more than likely have liked their portfolio and style of photos (well atleast I hope this is the case!). Their portfolio is an example of what shots your photographer will be capturing of you on the big day. So take a good old look at these, look at what the couples are doing in the photos and it may even be an idea to practice and try to re-create some of these poses with your partner at home. It may sound a little weird, but it’s a way for you and your partner to get accustomed to embracing eachother and moving around together in ways that you might be doing for your couple portraits on the Wedding Day.

And of course, your photographer is your friend on this one. Speak to them about their approach to obtaining your photos, especially the couple portraits, so you can pre-empt his direction for you both on the day. The more you know about what’s going to happen, the better the chances of calming those nerves.

In the lead up, try to be in front of a camera as much as you can

This is one you can task your friends, family and even your partner with. In any get together, meet up or family gathering that happens in the lead up to the wedding, ask the people around you to take photos of you on their phones. It will get you more accustomed to being infront of a camera lens and is a nice way for your loved ones to help you with the task of getting comfortable in time for your Wedding Photography.

This is one you will have to embrace yourself though! Think of it as small preparation for you big day. Commit to this one and make sure your friends, family take lots and lots of photos of you at these gatherings. And don’t forget to look at them afterwards! This is a very important part of the process, and if you do see some photos you quite like of yourself, often this can reduce some of the anxieties when it comes to the real thing.

Speak to your network about their Wedding Photography Experience

Hearing other peoples’ experience of how it actually went can be super, super helpful. Speak to people that you know that have gotten married and have had a Wedding Photographer for their wedding. See if there was anything that helped them and get a real insight into how it actually goes from the couples’ perspective on the big day.

Speak to as many as you can! The more stories you hear from those who have been through it and can share their honest thoughts and experience, the better it will be for you.