Why It DOESN’T Matter If Your Photographer Has Photographed Your Venue Before!
Written By: Elle Simpson
“Have you photographed a wedding at my venue before?” This question is so common coming from brides when they are first reaching out to inquire about wedding photography packages. I’m sure that each photographer has their own opinion about this topic, but I want to explain a few reasons why it is not a disadvantage to work with a photographer who is new to a venue, and why, sometimes, it can even be an advantage!
First of all, as a photographer, we are familiar with many venues, even the ones that we have not personally photographed. Many of us get excited to shoot at new venues because we are already familiar with the venue online and can’t wait to have the chance to shoot there ourselves! So, that said, we are likely already a little bit familiar with your venue. In situations where I haven’t heard of your venue, I typically do a little research online before your big day! I like to make myself familiar with the style and type of the venue to make sure I have an idea of what your wedding day will look like. Checking out the social media pages for venues can show photos that give me clues to why you picked your venue!
The biggest reason why there’s no need for concern is because an experienced photographer will be fully trained and capable of choosing the best locations for photos at your wedding based on lighting and appearance, and this has nothing to do with knowing the ins and outs of a venue prior to arriving. The best photo location can depend on the season, the time of day, and the weather forecast for the day. One location at your venue can look completely different in the spring than it does in the fall. Our job as your photographer is to choose based on those factors on the day of your wedding, not to choose based solely on the appearance of your venue. Shooting at a venue on a previous date would mean those factors were likely different, so the photographer is not necessarily at an advantage just because they’ve worked at the venue before. BUT, your photographer should be able to make these decisions on the spot based on what the settings are on your wedding day! The Flat Ridge Photography team usually arrives slightly early to take a walk around the venue and make sure we know all of our options before choosing locations for the day.
There’s even an argument to be made that there’s a potential advantage to shooting at a venue for the first time. Sometimes if you shoot at the same location over and over again, it can be more challenging to have creative and new ideas for locations. Not that it can’t be done, but it requires more effort and creativity to see the venue in a different way in order to make sure each couple’s photos are unique.
There will likely always be a location or two at your venue that is so awesome that everyone takes some photos there. Like if there’s a gorgeous barn to stand by, or a covered bridge, or a romantic wide stairway. These shots will be easy to capture, whether we’ve shot at your venue before or not. BUT for the rest of your photo locations we prefer to come into the day with a fresh perspective so that we can make the best choices based on the perfect lighting and perfect timing for your wedding day. So, typically, it’s better to go into the day without predetermined photo locations in mind. That’s the best way to make sure we capture the most epic photos of your wedding day.
