Are you worried about having your photo taken at your wedding?

First off, don’t panic.  You are not the only one to be worried about wedding photos.

Your wedding is likely to be one of the only times in your life where a professional photographer will be training their lenses entirely on you.

Unless you are a professional model, in which case you can stop reading now.

Actually no, don’t go away just yet.

I have known even professional models be nervous about having their photos taken on their wedding day.

After all this is not a controlled, studio environment.

So, on top of all the usual wedding stresses, how are you going to cope with the extra stress of having to always look amazing on your wedding photos?

Why are you worried about wedding photos?I take a keen interest in understanding people’s motivations. I find it helps me to understand what make photos resonate on an emotional level.

So when someone tells me that they are worried about wedding photos I like to try to find out what the actual concerns are.

Like many fears, there is often a simple workaround that can help to alleviate the concern.

More on that later.

All the photos in this article were taken by JLM Wedding Photography 

Common Concerns

Quite often it comes down to the fact that people just don’t like the way they look in photos.

If that’s you then you are not alone. We are all hyper-critical when we look at pictures of ourselves.

We see details that nobody else would ever notice, scrutinising every crease and blemish until we convince ourselves that we look horrendous on photos.

Another common concern boils down to couples not knowing what to expect.

Traditional wedding photography involves a lot of posing, forced smiles and standing in awkward positions.

It would not be unusual for people to be worried about having to smile on demand or look natural in such a forced environment.

I’m lucky, I have my own carefully crafted ‘camera smile’. That one smile I can always pull out of the bag at a moments’ notice when I spot a camera pointed at me.

Fortunately, I spend most of my time behind cameras.

It is also pretty common for people to simply not know why they are so worried, they just are.

The Wedding Photographer for people who don’t like having their picture taken

I will share with you a few coping techniques, first I want to talk about what makes me qualified to help.

It seems that my style of photography and the way I approach weddings appeals to more relaxed and laid back couples.

This is example of the feedback I have gotten.

“Both myself and my husband are not the keenest on having our photos taken…in fact it was the biggest concern for me in planning my wedding.

I found James’s website through a search and read his blog on his website, showed it to my then fiance who said he sounded perfect for our day.

It was better than perfect.

I would recommend him for anything that needed photos taking.”

You can see the full review on my Facebook page.

It seems that my approach of standing back and letting the day unfold in front of me without interfering is very much appreciated.

So, how can you fight your fear of photos?

Everyone is different, so what works for one couple won’t work for everyone.

In my opinion this comes almost entirely down to choosing the right photographer.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying that’s me, this isn’t a sales pitch.

You will probably start to feel better once you have found your photographer.

It should be someone you feel comfortable with, and happy to br around.

It is also important that you feel confident that they know what they are doing.

Meeting your photographer and getting to know them will go a long way to relieving any anxiety the you may have.

There should be no reason why you can’t discuss your hesitation with your photographer.

A few discussions and you should be good to go.

Try an Engagement Shoot

This is a little bit like exposure therapy.

If you’re uneasy about being in front of a camera on your wedding day, get some practice first.

I have done quite a few engagement shoots where the couple had initially been uneasy in front of the camera.

By the end of the shoot they were relaxed and enjoying it, and by the time we got to doing the couple’s portraits on their wedding day it was like working with a pair of professionals.

It worked for Aimee, find out why she 100% recommends having an engagement shoot.

There is nothing to fear but fear itself

Here comes the motivational wrap-up :-).

The more you worry about your photos, the more you will look worried on your photos.

Make sense?

I know this is easier said than done.

My closing bit of advice is to trust your photographer.

You chose them because you know they will do a great job.

Just enjoy your wedding day, you can look at the photos later.

Hope that helps you.  Any questions give me a shout.

See ya next time,

James