Although you can’t always tell, the vast majority of people hate having their photos taken. They feel awkward and ungainly and just… downright uncomfortable. But, believe it or not, getting your photo taken doesn’t have to feel that way! It’s all down to the type of photographer you choose to go with, how much trust you place in them and understanding how to work around your discomfort. 

The challenges with getting comfortable

There can be a lot of reasons a person may not feel comfortable in front of the camera. From self-esteem issues to simple self-consciousness, having a day where you’re on camera all the time can seem unsettling. These basically stem from either not feeling comfortable in your own skin or not knowing what to expect.

Not feeling comfortable in your own skin

Something we come across quite often is brides (sometimes grooms too, but it is definitely less common) who have really particular ways they want to be seen. Or who have never had a photo of themselves that they like. And self-esteem issues like this can be really difficult to overcome. There are a few things you can do to start overcoming this, but it is a very personal journey. A couple of ideas to nudge you toward feeling comfortable:

• Wear a killer dress or suit – Make sure that whatever you wear on your big day makes you feel like a celestial being on top of the world. It’s hard to hate photos of yourself in your favourite outfit.
• Start practicing body neutrality – For some, body positivity isn’t a practical first (or even final) step toward self love and acceptance. Body neutrality focuses more heavily on loving your body for all the things it does and gives you, like being able to show up on your wedding day.
• Surround yourself with positive people – Having the support of the people around you, lifting each other up in your interactions, is a really important part of  feeling comfortable in yourself. Don’t let people who want to tear your down take hold.
• Just focus on the day – Yes, there will be photos of yourself from the wedding day and you will like some of them more than others. But if you spend your day focused on having fun and enjoying time with your loved ones, most of your photos will simply reflect your joy on the day.

Not knowing what to expect

One of the most common reasons that people are scared of being in front of the camera is the preconceptions that they have of wedding photography. And what a wedding photographer does. After all, most people have never been photographed in that way before.

Often, people assume that we’re going to be getting you into all sorts of awkward, difficult-to-hold poses, doing difficult and uncomfortable things, and trying to make you laugh with very cheesy jokes. Maybe even spending most of the day telling you and all your guests to smile for the camera and yelling “look here, look at me”. 

But here’s the good news! That’s not the case anymore, at least not for us here at Eyes Closed Head First. The ideal situation for us (and yourselves) on a wedding day is one where you barely notice that we’re there at all. We want you to feel completely comfortable and enjoy your wedding day exactly as it was supposed to be. That means we’ll spend my time mingling with your guests, making sure that people are comfortable with me around, and getting to a point where people think of me more as a guest than a photographer.

This means that you’ll have lots of photographs of your loved ones having an amazing time and just enjoying themselves rather than feeling as though they have to pose for me all the time.

So how do we pull this off? The key is in the article title: documentary photography.

What is documentary wedding photography?

Documentary photography is something that you’ll see mentioned a lot on different wedding photographers websites. It’s a difficult one to understand intuitively because a lot of photographers just use it as a casual term for when they take photos that aren’t necessarily posed or studio based. 

However, true documentary photography means no posing and no direction. Nothing but recording the actual moment as it happened, where it happened. Taking the tiny slice of time that moment represented and capturing it through the camera in our hands.

Documentary wedding photography is about having a record of your day exactly as it was, with all the joy and love that comes with it. It’s about seeing all of the moments, big and little, that make your day special and unique and having a document of that for you now and in the future.

How does this make me more comfortable in front of the camera?

So why is this important, especially for people trying to feel more comfortable in front of the camera? Well, the key there is that documentary photographers are going to be spending most of our time ducking in and out of situations, having conversations with you and your guests and making sure that everybody is happy and comfortable in our presence. That way when we see a moment, people don’t even notice us capturing it.

Documentary wedding photography means photographing the day as it happens, that way you don’t have to look back at a bunch of photos and wonder “is this really what our wedding looked like?”. When you see your gallery you’ll see exactly what your wedding day was and you’ll see how beautiful and meaningful it was to you and your guests.

And that means photographing you as you really are too. All of the fun and emotions, all of the activities, captured in a way that feels real to you, that feels like you. So you don’t have to feel self-conscious or like you’re putting on a performance. Instead, you get to sit back, have a great day and then have a joyful gallery delivered.

So how do you pick a real documentary wedding photographer?

The key thing to start with is to make sure that their portfolio shows not just posed couple photos, but lots of documentary style candid photos of the guests and wedding party. This can be easier to see on some photographers websites than others, just make sure that when it says documentary on their website, it’s backed up by a portfolio filled with candid documentary photos.

Read more: What to expect from a photographer – from booking to delivery

Common questions for documentary wedding photographers

Do you still do couple photos?

Yes, but only if you want them! I’m a strong believer that on your wedding day you should only be doing things you actually want to do. So when it comes to couple photos, the three of us can pop off to somewhere scenic and spend fifteen minutes getting some gorgeous shots of the two of you enjoying each other’s company, without the pressure of an audience or any vogue style posing.

Or, if you just aren’t into that, that’s ok too! I’ll still be looking out for special moments the two of your share throughout the day. So be sure to spend time with one another. 

Do you do any formal (group) photos?

Again, do you want these? Always ask yourself, are you including something in your wedding day because you think you’re supposed to, or because you want to?

If you do want these though, then we can definitely do them.

There’s a couple of things to think about here, your guests will already be captured in a natural way throughout the day, especially the ones closest to you as I’ll be around them more often anyway. 

But if you’d like some formal photos of specific groups, I’m more than happy to help there! These can be important as a historical record, and it’s rare you get so many people in one place in your life. 

Just try to bear in mind that during this time you’ll be stood in one place, not mingling with your guests. And no matter how efficient you think your groups will be, these will always take more time than you’re imagining. So try and keep the group list to 4-5 photos so you can get back to partying asap.

Do you still edit your photos?

This is a fair question, the key to documentary photography is accurately reflecting the moment in front of you, so surely editing photos is a no-go right?

My approach to photo editing is a very simple one, I like the photos I take to be a true to life, colour accurate expression of the moment I saw. That being said, what comes out of the camera doesn’t always reflect this neatly, so I apply basic exposure and colour editing to all of the photos that will end up in your gallery.

I do not, however, do retouching or huge colour shifts. You will look like you and your guests will look like them. 

I’m still worried, how do I make this easier?

The key here will be getting to know your photographer and making sure you’re comfortable with them. Are they someone who will set you at ease on the day? Will you be able to focus on just having fun and hanging out with your loved ones?

If you want to get to know me, a good place to start is taking a look at my reviews to see how everybody talks about me putting them at ease. This is because I make sure my clients know who I am, and how I work, right from the get go. If you’re worried about being on camera, getting friendly with your photographer makes it easier to trust them, and easier to not notice them when they’re snapping away.

You can also do things like opt for an engagement shoot (doesn’t have to be of your engagement, it’s more like a celebration of it) which will give you a taste of what working with a photographer will be like and will hopefully set your mind at ease about how they’ll capture your image. 

If you’re the kind of couple who wants to worry less about photos, and enjoy their wedding day to the max, hire a documentary wedding photographer and you’ll be able to feel much more at ease on your big day.

If you’d like to talk more about my approach, and how we can help you, get in touch!