Planning a wedding isn’t exactly known for being easy breezy. Couples often feel a lot of stress and pressure to make sure that everything goes according to plan. This leads to a lot of frantic list making, attempting to plan every detail and often times attempts to control every part of the day – and this is where the wedding photography shot list comes in! But what if I told you that you don’t need to give your wedding photographer a shot list? In fact, your photos will even be better if you don’t! 

Here’s why you don’t need to make a wedding photography shot list and how skipping it can actually be better!

What is a Wedding Photography Shot List?

Before we start talking about why you don’t need one, what is a wedding photography shot list?

To put it simply, it’s a list of all the photographs (shots) you want on your wedding day. Couples will often make a shot list for their wedding photographer that includes everything from which details they want photos of, to what poses they want to be placed in during their couple’s photos. 

It definitely seems like making a wedding photography shot list can be helpful, but the truth is that it’s not necessary, and not making one is often better – for you, and for your photographer.

Reasons Not to Make a Wedding Photography Shot List

Here are some of the reasons why you don’t need a shot list!

No Two Weddings are the Same

One of the biggest reasons why shot lists aren’t necessary is because your wedding is one of a kind! Every couple is different – and the photos of your day will depend on so many factors.

Looking at poses of other people can lead to false expectations. This is because inevitably, your wedding day won’t look the same as someone else’s. Imagine you see a beautiful, moody photo where a couple is standing indoors and a window is bringing in natural light that creates a contrast between the shadows inside. That pose won’t look the same outdoors, or in different lighting conditions!

A pose where someone is holding up the skirt of their dress and spinning around might look great! On the other hand, if you have a different style of dress, it may not work as well! For example, dresses with flowy skirts are great for those types of photos – but if your dress is a mermaid style gown, the effect likely won’t be the same.

Along with the aesthetics or visual differences between your wedding and the ones you see on Pinterest, every couple is so different! Poses that look natural and fun for one couple may not look as candid for another. One of the most important jobs that a wedding photographer has is to get to know the people they’re photographing – and to tweak their style to match! Some couples are all about jumping on each other for a piggyback ride. However, for others, doing this would feel horribly unnatural. Your photos should reflect your relationship, and your personalities. Instead of using a one-pose-fits-all template, your photographer should work with you, doing what feels natural.

When you look back on your wedding photos, you don’t want to see a posed, fake version of you looking uncomfortable. You want to see yourselves, having fun! Your photos should remind you of what you felt on your wedding day, and what you felt shouldn’t be awkward, stiff, or uncomfortable.

A Shot List Takes You (And Your Photographer) Out of the Moment

If you create a wedding photography shot list, it’s pretty likely that you’re going to spend a lot of time worrying about checking each one off a list. Instead of enjoying the moment, you’ll be running through the list in your mind, worrying about making sure every moment happens, and thinking about which photos are left. 

This may sound funny coming from a wedding photographer, but your wedding day isn’t about photos! It’s about being present, and enjoying every moment with your partner, and your loved ones. You shouldn’t spend the day worrying and stressing about photos and poses! When you aren’t thinking about your shot list, the memories, the little moments, and the photos you’ll treasure forever will happen a lot more naturally, and they’ll reflect how you feel and how the day really went.

It’s important for your photographer to be in the moment too. A lot of my favorite photos are the ones that are unplanned, unposed, and totally candid! There’s so much happening during the wedding day, and if I’m looking at my shot list every few minutes, I’m going to miss a lot. Instead of worrying about checking things off of a list, I want to make sure I’m present with you, and that I’m doing everything I can to ensure you have the best experience! Instead of putting you in poses and treating you like a puppet, I try to take a more relaxed approach. I’ll direct you and help you out with where your hands should go, but I’ll use prompts, ask questions, and make sure that you have fun with it, so that things unfold authentically and naturally. I’ll use your natural chemistry together instead of forcing it!

Shot Lists Can Be Redundant

Another big reason why you don’t need a wedding photography shot list is because your wedding photographer should already know what to do. I’ve captured countless couples’ wedding days, so I know that during the getting ready photos, I’ll snap shots of hair and makeup being done. I know that during the ceremony, I’ll capture the first kiss, and also some photos of the guests. I know that during your first dance, I’ll be there to take photos of the two of you. Most of these things are givens, and putting them on a shot list just adds stress – to you because you need to spend time doing it when you have other wedding planning business to worry about, and to your photographer because they’ll be skimming the shot list instead of being in the moment.

What to Do Instead of a Wedding Photography Shot List

So you don’t need a shot list – but how do you make sure your photographer captures all the important stuff? 

Make a Family Photo List

Instead of a full blown wedding photography shot list with every detail, pose, and name, you definitely can make a short list. But, the only things I recommend putting on this are the things your photographer definitely doesn’t already know. For example, you don’t need to put “photos of the rings” on your shot list. However, if there’s a sentimental necklace that you want photos of before you put it on, that can be something that your photographer won’t know. Writing this down can ensure that you don’t have to worry about remembering to let them know this the day of.

Another tip I do have, is to make a family photo list with all of the combinations of people you want photographed. For example, if you have a big family, it can be helpful to write out something like this:

• Couple with both sets of parents
• Couple with both sets of siblings
• Alex with cousins
• Alex with parents
• Couple with entire family
• And so on!

Hire an Experienced Wedding Photographer

The most important thing is to hire a wedding photographer that you trust! Make sure that this person is someone that you have faith can handle everything. This way, you don’t have to stress at all about your photos.

An experienced photographer will know how wedding days go, and be ready for anything! On wedding days, you’ll sometimes find me hopping in to direct people for family portraits or give directions, and sometimes I’ll be laying low, a fly on the wall capturing a sweet, unplanned moment.

Contact me if you’re ready to plan your stress free, one of a kind wedding day!