Taking Time for Portraits | Wedding Tips | Ann Arbor Wedding Photographer
I treasure portraits: Portraits of my husband with our children, portraits of myself with my three little sisters from years past, the big family photo from my own wedding of us with all my aunts and uncles and cousins.... What portraits do you treasure? Not every wedding photographer takes the time to gather loved ones and friends for portraits. To be honest, it’s challenging! Taking time for portraits requires some planning before the wedding on my part and with the bride and groom, but I’m convinced it’s worth it.
Yes, most of my time on a wedding day is documenting what happens - it’s taking a step back and just capturing the small natural moments that occur, the stories that transpire. It's capturing these moments so you can remember all the small little details and stories on your wedding day. But what about taking the time to capture what will be family heirlooms - portraits of the loved ones gathered for your wedding day?
How do I make sure these portraits take place? I work with each and every couple before the wedding to ensure the itinerary of the wedding day has space for the portraits they desire. Often family portraits immediately following the ceremony can be a tense time in the wedding day. I recommend keeping those family portraits to a minimum. Normally during that time slot (usually 20-30 minutes) we only capture both immediate families, parents with the bride and groom, and grandparents with bride and groom).
Other portraits often are fit in before the ceremony or at the reception. It is at those times when I might capture siblings of the parents of the bride/groom, all the cousins together, families of siblings of the bride and groom (see below with the cute twins!), and groups of friends (like the group of Albion College alumni seen below). I loved that Michael and Anna set up a specific time at the cocktail hour at UMMA (University of Michigan Museum of Art) to have portraits taken of family/guests as they desired (see first picture below). What a wonderful gift for their family and friends!
I believe these photos are treasures whose worth cannot be quantified! I strive to create portraits in beautiful settings that would be hung proudly in any home!
What portraits will you try to capture on your wedding day?
If you have any questions, please send me a note or comment below!
~ Melanie Reyes | Ann Arbor Wedding Photographer | melanie@melaniereyesphotography.com
