Hate Having Your Photo Taken? How to Get Relaxed Wedding Photos Anyway

A lot of couples tell me the same thing when they get in touch: “We hate having our photo taken.” Some say it half-joking, and some are properly worried about it. If that’s you, please don’t panic. It is one of the most common things I hear, and it is very fixable.

Most people feel awkward in front of a camera because they have been asked to stand somewhere, smile on cue and hold it while someone fiddles with settings. Nobody looks natural doing that. So I try not to ask for it.

How I work, so you don’t have to perform

I work quietly, mostly from a distance, and I let the day happen around you. While you are talking to your guests, hugging your nan or laughing at the best man, I am usually a few steps away getting the picture. Most of the time you won’t know I took it.

I do still take a handful of proper portraits of the two of you. I get them done quickly, so you can go back to your guests and your drink. Keeping them short is better for you and better for the photos, because nobody gets stiff or tired of smiling.

Five things that help

1. Get to know me before the day

It is a lot easier to relax around someone you have already talked to. Before you book, we can have a chat on a call, a video call or in person, so you know who will be standing near you all day. If you book, we talk through your timeline too, so nothing on the day is a surprise.

2. Try an engagement session

If you are nervous, an engagement session is a gentle way to practise. It is a relaxed walk with a camera nearby, and you get to see what you look like in pictures before the wedding. Most people find it is far less painful than they expected.

3. Talk to each other, not to the camera

During portraits, forget I am there. Hold hands, walk, whisper something daft to each other. The best expressions come from the two of you, not from looking down a lens.

4. Tell me what you don’t like

If you hate your side profile, or you never know what to do with your hands, tell me. I would much rather know than guess. It helps me place you in the light and the position that feels most like you.

5. Choose a photographer whose style suits you

If you don’t want a day of being told where to stand, look for someone whose work is candid and unposed. Have a scroll through my real weddings. If the pictures look like days you would want to remember, we will probably get on.

What you get back

Pictures that look like your day felt: unhurried, a bit chaotic and full of people you love. They won’t look like you were told to stand still and smile, because you weren’t.

If you are getting married in Derbyshire, the Peak District or further afield and you feel nervous about the camera, send me your date and tell me how you feel about it. I reply personally within 24 to 48 hours, and there is no pressure to book.