Wedding Day Timing for Location Photography

Wedding locations set the theme for many of the pictures in your wedding album. If you’re planning your wedding photography, Melbourne offers an unlimited number of prime locations from which to choose. Parks, gardens, city and beaches are all popular. Before you start making a short list, ask yourself if the chosen location wil complement your wedding- for example board shorts and beach shoes look fine on the beach, but might not look so fine in the city shots as you look back over your wedding photos in the years to come.

Is your wedding photography location unique?

Consider too, whether or not you might be doubling up on locations. If you are having your wedding in a city church, then heading to  reception venue with nice gardens, stopping off in a park on the way is only doubling up on a similar look- your time might be better allocated using a different location- such as a bar, beach or other location which contrasts sharply with those already available to you. 

Cut down the number of stops- and increase the number of shots!

Stopping, getting out of the car, arriving at the shoot location and the process of moving off again all take time. We’ve had weddings where couples have unrealistically planned too many photography stops around Melbourne, and this meant only a few photos were taken in each spot. One couple (on the insistance of their parents) visited three different garden locations, which were very similar to each other, not offering anything unique which would warrant an individual stop. The shots all looked as though they had been done in the same location, as the three seperate parks were essentially, clones of each other.

How much time per wedding photography location on the day?

This depends on your expectations of photography. Without counting travel time, or getting from the car to the location and back to the wedding car again, thirty to forty-five minutes per location should be allocated. When factoring in travel time in between stops, allow for thirty minutes to just disappear- believe me it will and you will be lucky if it is only thirty minutes. People need drinks, breaks, adjustments- none of this seems to come into the pre-wedding day timeline planning, and it sneaks up and takes you totally by surprise on the day.

Are You Confident with your Plan ‘B’?

Ensure your backup locations are beautiful- don’t imagine for a minute, that you will never need a backup plan, until the day is over, and you didn’t need your backup. ONly then will you know that the extra location was unnecessary. Even if the weather forecast is for light winds and a glorious day- this seasoned Melbourne wedding photographer is letting you know that we live in the city of climatic instability- and you should always be prepared.