Tips and Tricks :: Family Formals

Family formal photos are awful, take forever and are boring… MYTH!

Maybe a long time ago family formal photos at weddings were kind of a pain to get through, but these days they can actually be pretty fun! With all of our couples, we work out a photography timeline long before the big day. Within that timeline, is plenty of room to get through the couple’s requested family formal list. Sometimes we take these family photos before the ceremony, often after, and sometimes both. Our couples provide us with a detailed list of who’s who, and the grouping of individuals they’d like in each photo. We then take this list, and organize it into a shooting order that makes the most sense and is most efficient. Typically we’ll begin with the biggest group first, then eliminate family members as we go. The Bride and Groom don’t ever have to move once they’re in place, and we work through this portion of the day VERY quickly.

Aside from the timeline communication and organized list that help make family formals easy, the biggest piece of advice we give our couples is to do the photos in natural light. What?! You mean not inside the dark church? That’s exactly right. Break the rules and get amazing results. Let us tell you why we do the family formals in natural light…

90% of the time family formals happen immediately after the ceremony is complete, by moving the photos outside, we don’t have to wait for all the guests to meander out of the church and we get to start right away. Usually the couple, their bridal party, and their immediate family are the first to leave the church during the recessional. This group simply follows the photographers out to the determined photo location and we start right away! This means we get finished faster, and your family can go enjoy cocktail hour as soon as possible. Part of why so many folks groan at the thought of taking family group shots is because they say the photos “take forever”. Well they sure can if we have to spend 20 minutes waiting for the space to be cleared. By moving outside, that problem (and all that time waiting) is eliminated. This also means you can choose to have more photos taken and include more of your family, because we end up having more time to work with. Very often we are halfway through family formals by the time the church is cleared out.

Many couples choose their venue based on the beauty of it’s grounds and surrounding areas. So embrace the feel of your wedding day and incorporate the lush backgrounds into your family formals as well! The overall look and feel of your final collection of images will be consistent. Your family formal photos will have the same beautiful background as your bridal party photos, as well as your couple’s portraits. Your family should have the same photo shoot as everyone else! The dark churches usually don’t photograph nearly as well as a beautiful skyline, lush gardens, or beautiful archway.

Plus… everyone looks amazing in natural light. Moving photos inside a dark and gloomy church will usually cause us to use artificial light. In fact it almost always demands flash be used. Does it work when necessary? You bet! Is it ideal lighting? Far from it. Your Mom and Grandmother will thank you for putting them in more flattering light by taking them outdoors 😉

The relaxed atmosphere allows everyone to chat while they wait for their turn. When family members aren’t sitting in hard pews waiting quietly for their turn in photos, they enjoy the process! They are actually happy when it’s their time to smile for the camera, and they LOOK happy in photos! You’ll get more natural smiles out of your family when they feel relaxed and are enjoying this portion of your wedding day. Again, taking everyone outside to mingle while they wait is so much better than hushing inside a quite, crammed church.

Have a big family? Want a huge group shot? Well those churches are usually pretty limiting in terms of space. Moving outdoors we have all the space we need and won’t have to place your family members on top of each other just to fit them into the frame.

So take into consideration this tip of ours. Your family will thank you for the easy, stress free, quick family photo session on your wedding day… and everyone will love the way the photos turn out!