What Your Photographer REALLY Wants you to Know

We are teaming up with Kate English, owner of Kate English Photography, to dive into the details behind wedding day and all that goes into getting the absolute best photos possible! We talk about her style and experience as a photographer, as well as big topic such as; wedding day timeline; the perfect shot list; photo hour details, preparing for flat lays, and the importance of an engagement shoot.

Meet Kate

Kate takes a documentary approach to her wedding photography. She focuses on the real moments, emotions, and little things that typically are overlooked. She shoots both film and digital, with her digital photos having a film feel to them, setting  her apart from the rest with a timeless, yet  modern style.

Kate has always had an eye for photography, and has had a camera in her hand since her junior year of high school. She decided to pursue photography as a career, attending Kendall College of Art & Design after high school (2017) and receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Art Photography. Kate made her business official in 2019 while still attending Kendall, and since graduating in 2021 it has only kept growing. 

Ever since her first camera iPhone, Kate has had an eye for photography and composition, pulling inspiration from Tumblr, Pinterest, and the early days of Instagram. During her Junior year of high school, she fell deeply in love with photography after taking a black and white film photography class. The archaic, hands on process of shooting, developing, and printing film captured her heart, and so she went on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Kendall College of Art & Design in Fine Art Photography. 

When you hire Kate to take your photos, whether it’s the most special day of your life or just a simple headshot, she provides an experience versus a transaction. Instead of just a photographer, you’re gaining a friend. She immerses herself in  your day as if she has known you forever. She is kind, attentive, listens to your wants a needs, makes you feel extremely comfortable in front of the lens, and executes your dream photos - better than you could ever imagine.

Kate’s top advice for engaged couples planning their wedding:

First of all, congratulations! Getting engaged is such an exciting time in your lives! Don’t let the stresses of wedding planning get in your way of enjoying this, often short lived, stage of your relationship (aka hire Kristen so you can enjoy every second of it 😂). When searching for a photographer to capture your day, find someone who makes is easy to be yourselves. It sounds so simple, but most couples have never been in front of the camera, and it can be quite intimidating if you don’t connect with the person taking the photos. Finding a photographer that makes it easy to be your authentic selves will allow you to fully enjoy your day without feeling like the entire day is just photos, and the photos themselves will be the best because they will look like you and your love, and all the emotions you felt on your day. Find a photographer who documents your day how it is, not a photographer that constructs your day for stylized perfection to elevate their portfolio.

Timeline Details

Your wedding day timeline is probably the most crucial element to the entire planning process. Every single moment of the day hinges on that timeline, and therefore, capturing those moments requires a solid, detailed timeline that is well thought out and full of back up plans.

You want the best photos possible, so here are some important things to remember when crafting the perfect timeline.

-Give yourself lots of time for getting ready: this will take longer than you think! Hair, makeup, outfit changes, lunch, and all the photos in between are a huge factor. You want time to brush your teeth, tidy up the suite, and fix any last minute touch ups. Also, getting physically dressed takes longer than you’d think! Boob tape isn’t always easy to apply ladies!

-First looks can help with timelines: More and more often now we are seeing couples opt for a first look before their ceremony instead of the traditional staying hidden before the big moment. This can help speed up your timeline, get you more photos, and even help settle nerves before walking down the aisle.

-Be specific: Sit down and chat with your photographer about the timeline. What moments are the most important for you to have captured? Make sure their arrival and departure times sync up with those very important moments.

Shot List 101

Having a clear, well written shot list can be crucial for the portrait portion of your photo time. Here are our top suggestions as a photographer and planner.

-Do the big family photos first

-Try to knock out the children and elderly early as well so they can go take a seat or run off and play

-Have everyone’s first and last name listed clearly, in groups… ie. (Groom’s moms side, Groom’s dad’s side…)

-Assign a “Photo Wrangler”: grab a close friend or relative and have them help gather and call out names for the family photos. People tend to wander off and finding them can be very time consuming

-Print and hand out your shot list to many people. Think moms, maid of honor, photographer, planner, photo wranglers. It also doesn’t hurt to email it to many people the night before also.

Photo Hour 101

Photo hour (usually after ceremony, or during cocktail hour) is an important time to get as many great pics as possible. These typically include family photos, wedding party photos, and couple portraits. Here are our top recommendations to make sure this time goes as smoothly as possible.

-Have a weather plan (please grab umbrellas, shawls, coats, or designate a few spaces in case of inclement weather)

-Have snacks and waters ready. Typically you are just coming off the ceremony and could find yourselves very hungry or thirsty. Have a cooler or bag packed with some fuel to make sure you aren’t starving during photo hour

-Be ready for touch ups. Have a quick go back packed with the essentials (lip color, bobby pins, hair spray, tide pen, boob tape, small mirror)

Flat Lays (Detailed Shots)

As a planner and photographer, we LOVE detail shots. They are so fun and give the photographer a chance to be creative.

Here are a few pointers when arranging your details shots.

-factor them into the timeline. Typically we like to have the photographer start with them. Set up about 30 mins to an hour for the photographer to arrive, and take detail shots while hair and makeup is wrapping up

-get everything ready and labeled ahead of time. Make sure you are prepared so you aren’t wasting time gathering things.

Here are the top items we see in the detail shots

-Dresses (steamed!) and a nice hanger

-Accessories: rings, ring box, shoes, veil, tie clip, etc

-Perfume, cologne, flowers, boutonniere

-Cute ribbon, flowers, mirror, linen, hanky, small details

-Invitation, stamper, personalized items, family heirlooms

Engagement Photos

We will ALWAYS make a stand for Engagement Photos! They are such a fun and frankly, important step in wedding planning. Here are a few reasons why;

-they allow you to get more comfortable with your photographer and being in front of the camera

-they allow your photographer to get to know you both better and understand your style

-they can be super fun and a great addition to your invitations, wedding website, and thank you notes

-and finally, you will just plain be happy you did them. This is such a fun time in your life and you will look back and be grateful you have these photos to remember it with!

Overall, we hope these tips help with your planning process! Kate is a fabulous photographer and not just limited to weddings! You can book with her and have her be your forever photographer, through all of life’s important moments! Thanks Kate.