Is it Friday already? I’m a little behind on work this week thanks to the snow day! We are absolutely loving Colorado weather. I think a lot of people are ready for spring already but we dig rock climbing in t-shirts one day and skiing fresh powder the next. Adaptability. It’s a good lesson for Colorado living and a good lesson for weddings, which is why you will see that theme in this post on wedding photography tips for destination weddings, the 4th in our 5 week series on wedding photography tips.

Wedding Photography Tips for Destination Weddings

take advantage of the beauty:

You’re traveling to a location to get married, you might as well take advantage of the beautiful location. Our first wedding photography tip for destination weddings is to put some thought into your wedding photography. If you are reading this, you probably already are so you’re ahead of the game. You’ll find a million resources out there regarding how to choose a wedding photographer and what questions to ask them. You can do all of those things if you want to but my main tip is to think about how you imagine your wedding. Photography allows you to be brought back to that day, but only if your photography matches your vision. Choose a photographer whose style you enjoy and appreciate. Then, ask that photographer what you can do to get great photos. For example, we tell couples that one of the main things is to schedule time around sunset if possible to take some scenic portraits. This is especially true for destination weddings because you want to be able to look back at the photos of the day, the place, and the people. If your destination has something unique about it that is part of the reason you chose it, let your photographers know so that they can incorporate it into a photo for you. Pose in front of a beautiful backdrop.

scouting:

As destination wedding photographers, we do A LOT of scouting of new locations for weddings, portrait sessions, and other adventures. We are always shooting new venues which is awesome for fresh creativity. The challenge of photographing a new location is exciting to us. Getting to know a new area in order to tell a story there is something we really enjoy. Our process involves some online research followed by an in person scout trip. We find that you can get a good idea of a location online by looking at photos. You can see what areas look pretty and sometimes even what the location looks like a certain time of year. Doing some online prep work can help you narrow down what spots you like. The next step is seeing things in person, that often changes some things completely. Maybe what you saw online no longer exists, maybe the light is totally different, or maybe you find something that you like even better! If you can, we suggest taking a little scout trip when planning your wedding to get a taste for what backdrops you like for the ceremony, reception, and portraits. We’ve even had couples decide the final location the day before a wedding after they had they chance to hike around and see what they liked best. If you need a permit for your ceremony or if you have a big guest list, that option might not work which brings me to our next tip.

lean on us:

You’re planning a lot of details for your wedding day, remember that your vendors are here to help. That is especially true in the case of a destination wedding. When it comes to photography, you’re not just hiring someone to hand you pictures. You are hiring a photographer for their experience taking photos in a variety of environments with a variety of lighting conditions and for their ability to scout, plan, and the adapt. We can give you tips on how to scout a location and that is helpful. In addition, we can do some scouting for you. If you don’t have the time or ability to scout the location, then know that your photographers can help you make educated decisions. On top of that, we all have to adapt. You can plan and prepare but in the end, you are planning a destination wedding. Part of the fun, part of the adventure is to adapt to whatever last minute changes take place.

Thanks for stopping by for week 4 of our 5 week Wedding Photography Tip series! Stay tuned, we’ve got one more week of tips and then we’re off to the races. April will be busy so we will be sharing some weddings and engagement PhotoDates!

Wedding Photography Tips: