taking group shots when there's not enough time

I have a fair amount of experience with events like banquets and graduations,

but I'm about to do my first wedding on my own. I know weddings are special, and

I'm prepping hard -- planning everything out, practicing, even practicing stuff

I'm already pretty confident about. I'm a little nervous, of course, but on

balance, I am sure I'll get through the event okay and that the results will be

satisfactory. I am however concerned about one thing that I originally expected

would be rather straightforward, namely, the taking of the group shots (bride

and groom; bridesmaids; bride's family; etc.).

 

The problem boils down to when, and where.

 

The ceremony will be a Catholic wedding Mass. Mass is scheduled to start a 3pm.

It is my understanding that the church has a 5pm Mass for the parish scheduled

to follow the wedding. The priest has told the bride that they'll need to be

cleared out by 4:30 so that the church can be cleaned out and prepared for the

5pm Mass. I wish that the wedding started at 2 or 2:30 rather than 3, but that

decision has been made and 3pm it is.

 

Now, I know that the wedding Mass is unlikely to be over before about 4:10 --

and that's assuming that it starts right on time, which is an assumption that I

cannot rely upon. And I know also from my experience shooting group shots at

other events that corralling the family members, bridesmaids, groomsmen, not to

mention the bride and groom, is going to take at least a couple of minutes, if

everything goes really smoothly. In short, it looks to me like I'll have, oh,

maybe five to ten minutes to shoot inside the church after Mass, before somebody

comes along to shoo us out.

 

First question: Do you think my assessment is right? That is, if you were

shooting the wedding and knew what I have just told you about the schedule,

would you come to the same conclusion, that there's not going to be enough time

for the group shots in the church?

 

Second question: So what would you do in this situation? I can only think of one

way to deal with it, namely, shoot the group shots outside the church.

Unfortunately, the wedding is in Houston and I'm in Dallas and I don't expect to

be able to case out the premises until the day before. I'm also a wee bit

worried about the weather, although the wedding is in October and by then,

afternoons will be fairly reliably dry and there's at least a chance that it

won't be 90 degrees F and 90 percent humidity. I certainly don't want the

parties involved to abscond, so I reckon I need to shoot CLOSE to the church, if

I can't shoot in it. But I can't even use the church steps, as the congregation

for the next Mass may be showing up before we're done.

 

Third and last question: How much time do the group shots "normally" take? I

know this is a question without an answer, as every wedding is different. But I

am pretty confident that 15 minutes is too little time to do the job

confidently. I'll be prepared with my list, the subjects will all have been put

on notice beforehand that their presence is required immediately after the

ceremony, and I will have an assistant to help me round folks up. On top of all

that, I'm capable of shooting fast if need be. But doing it in a rush just

sounds to me like a bad idea. Am I wrong? Do you experienced pros manage to get

these shots done in 15 minutes or less, when you have to?

 

Am I fretting over nothing? Is this sort of problem routine?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Will Porter

In most Catholic churches we've worked, there WASN'T enough time for formals inside.

They run their services so close together, and by the time you gather the family you're left

with 5 minutes. Not a good scenario.

 

The good thing is that almost every Catholic church we've worked has ALSO has some

lovely gardens just outside. Often a memorial garden with a small pavilion, or a courtyard.

Scope out this church to see if there is a nice outdoor space where you can take the

formals.

 

Above all, discuss this at length with your clients. Some couples feel very strongly about

having the formal portraits taken inside the church, and you will need to be very VERY

clear with them about the situation so they aren't upset on the wedding day if you aren't

able to accommodate them.

I agree with Anne that there is seldom time to do everyone inside the church.

If they do a receiving line forget about having any time at all.

Most of the churches in this area don't allow for any altar returns at all so it always needs to be done elsewhere.

Sometimes a nice grouping with the church behind is the best bet.

IF I can go in I try to only do the B&G and maybe parents if it is their home church. That way you can control the timing a bit better and have the most imprtant people but be waiting for a gang to get themselves organized.

Communicate with the clients and have everyone understand that the B&G come first and anything else is a bonus.

Best of luck

 

Brooke

..."don't expect to be able to case out the premises..."<p>

Most of Houston is covered by <a href="http://maps.live.com/Default.aspx?enc=0&v=2&cp=nyr6fg71nxm2&ss=ypid.YN844x14410787&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=10464239">

virtual 3-d imagery</a>. Google has StreetView available for Houston, and there's also GoogeEarth, of course. It should be fairly easy to scope out the area before you get there, pick out a few likely areas, then make a final selection when you arrive.<p>

Plan to take a photo of the "bride and groom Only" right after the ceremony in the location they want it: up on the alter is the logical place so future generations see the location of the ceremony.

 

Then, have your list ready and capture the next important photo: let the bride and groom set the priority and have them do it well before the wedding.

 

If time permits then get the next important photo ... tick, tick, tick get the next one ... tick, tick, tick .... get the next one until you're outta' time.

 

The family has the list and you have the list: IF they want these photos then time is Important and you'll be ready for them as soon as they get there; this can require planning.

 

Then, when the ceremony starts late and the families are filled with Joy and arrive to late for any of the formals at the alter ... proceed to plan two where you've planned the alternative location and all can relax and get the needed images.

 

You've got Plan A.

 

You've got Plan B.

 

The family is relaxed and grateful because they see you're in charge of the photography: this is important, they are seeking leadership at this point.

William the last wedding I shot was catholic and I dealt with the same time restraints. However I got almost all shots in the church. The wedding was at 3 and I started shooting formals at 1:30 - 2:30 taking the groomsemen and groom and his parents and grandparents as they were ready. I even got Brides shots alone and with the girls right before people started coming in. After the wedding all I had left was B&G alone, with the wedding party, and with both sets of parents. I sat with the B&G before the day and made a detailed list of all the formals they wanted and explained the time restraints and how it was impossible unless most were done beforhand. Everything turned out. And as Anne said they had a lovely garden outside to get some extra photos in. If you plan ahead and get on board with the B&G every picture should be possible. dont forget to let the parents an grandparents to be there early as well.

William,

 

I am in Houston. Where is the wedding taking place? I may have been there. At the last Catholic wedding I photographed the mass lasted longer than expected and I was left with no time for formals. I was able to take 3 photos before we were sent away - the next wedding was being seated. Luckily the reception was in a historic building so we got some nice group shots there. I agree that communication is key. You'll defintely need an alternate location!

Thanks to everybody for these very useful suggestions.

 

I am meeting this coming weekend with the bride and groom to take the engagement photos and to hash out all the details of the wedding itself. I will negotiate the list of group shots with them and we'll work out all these details.

 

It had occurred to me that it might be possible to do some shooting before the wedding, but I may be handicapped here by an overly traditional attitude toward these things -- and by my own experience with weddings (mine and those of friends and relatives), which tells me that the time before the wedding is usually fairly stressful. Does it really work to ask everybody to get there early? My fear is that you'd get 80% of the people there an hour early, but be unable to take the shots because one of every five people required simply didn't show up. Also, isn't the bride supposed to be under wraps until she walks down the aisle?

 

Sarah F., the church is actually in Sugar Land and I don't have the street address handy. I'll check out the church via live 3d maps on the web (brilliant idea, that!) and see what I can see outside the church.

 

Thanks again,

 

Will

"Does it really work to ask everybody to get there early? My fear is that you'd get 80% of the people there an hour early, but be unable to take the shots because one of every five people required simply didn't show up. Also, isn't the bride supposed to be under wraps until she walks down the aisle?"

 

Yes, in my area, most brides want to be "kept under wraps" until the ceremony, but this doesn't stop you from getting some of the formals out of the way. I get the bride with just her bridesmaids, her w/ her family, individual shots of bridesmaids, (whatever shots on their list that can be done without the two of them together) etc... And the same for him- I just schedule to do the bride with her attendants before the groom gets to the church- that way she also has a bit of breathing time before the ceremony when I am off getting those same shots with the groom. As for some people not showing up on time, it has been my experience that there are always late people. But you can't let that stop you. You cannot force people to be on time, but you can work with what you've got & as far as I'm concerned, every shot that we can get done prior to the ceremony is valuable, so I would rather be set-up and waiting for people who are late so that when they finally arrive I'm ready.

You're saying the ceremony is going to run 1hr 10minuts for a catholic mass? Unless the priest does an extremely long homily, the ceremony's around here, run about 40 min with communion.

 

As mentioned above, try to get some of the guys shots out of the way before the ceremony. You don't mention if the reception location will have an area to do formals in or not. You may want to use that location.

Bob Donlon writes: "You're saying the ceremony is going to run 1hr 10minuts for a catholic mass? Unless the priest does an extremely long homily, the ceremony's around here, run about 40 min with communion."

 

Don't doubt your report. But I'm a practicing Catholic who attends Mass weekly and I've lived in many different places around the country, and in my experience for the last many decades, forty minute Masses are very rare -- that's really quick.

 

Nevertheless, even here in Dallas, where we routinely attend Mass at three different churches, the time Mass takes does indeed vary. Depends not just on the sermon, but on many other factors such as the number of people receiving Communion, the priest's pacing, depends a lot on the music, and there are some choices that the priest can make in the rite that also make at least a small difference to the length of the service. At the church where we go most often, there's a lot of music and we sing all four verses of every hymn. Normal Sunday Mass never takes less than a full hour and frequently takes longer. I don't think I've ever been to a Catholic wedding Mass that took under an hour. But there's a first for everything and the only way to make a good guess is to ask the priest who will officiate. I've talked to the bride, who's talked to the priest, who told her that he expects they'll be done in about 1 hr 10 mins. That sounds reasonable to me, and I'm stuck with that info -- although I know that on the actual day of the event, anything at all can happen!

 

When I was in college in the early 70s, there was a priest who said the Latin rite at 10am Sunday Mass. He got through the entire Mass in about 20 minutes, including a brief sermon -- no kidding. It was a very popular service. ;-)

 

Will

I would say you have to plan on doing group shots outside the church. With the receiving line, you'll never have the time you'll need to do it inside. In reality, you'll probably not even start until 4:30, and that's if you are lucky. <BR><BR>

 

I would talk to the B&G and explain that given the timing, it is not possible to shoot the family shots inside the church, and you'll have to do it either outside (weather permitting) or at the reception. In certain ways doing it at the reception will be easier, since rounding up everyone may be difficult after the ceremony, and you run the real risk of someone disappearing. You may also look into local parks - the couple should be familiar.<BR><BR>

 

If you are curious about the church, you can try finding it online and seeing if they have pictures, or call them up and ask them if they have an outdoor location which is useful for the type of work you are doing. Same thing for the reception hall if you have not been there before.<BR><BR>

 

As far as total time - depends on how many family. All parents/grandparents/sisters/cousins. I would say 30 minutes right there if well organized, 45 if they start adding in cousins, aunts, etc..<BR><BR>

You can try to do the formals before the ceremony, but you WILL run into the problem you describe--people not being there on time. Also, just as you have restrictions for formals after the ceremony, you will have restrictions before the ceremony, as to when you have access for photography on and in the church. Before-the-ceremony sessions only work if you have access and the couple is really behind the idea, and will, in turn, get all their relatives there on time.

 

I do what William Morgan suggests--start with the priority images right after the ceremony and get as far ahead as I can. The priority images are couple together, wedding party with couple, each immediate family with couple. Sometimes, the church coordinator can let the time limits slide a little, sometimes they can't. It also helps if the parents and couple themselves deal with the church coordinator, since they have more "pull".

 

As for church steps or grounds--I just use whatever I can and deal with whatever lighting is present, even sight unseen. You know that if you don't get these shots at the church, your chances of rounding up people later at the reception are iffy. Better to have the safe shots done, even if you re-do them later at the reception, should you be lucky enough to get the opportunity.

This is also a big problem that I run into a lot of. When I meet with my bride for the first time before they book me, I always ask what the time line is for photos. B/G?s are not really aware of how much time it takes to do formals, so I offer advise to help them. Always ask these questions ate the meeting

 

How many is in the wedding party?

Are there kids in the wedding party?

How big do you want to go on the family shots?

Are there grandparents, if so how many?

 

This gives me an idea on how long I will need for pictures and them I let them know. I also always give them a check list of what images that normally taken at a wedding. This really helps give them the idea of the pressure that I?m under to get these images done. If you like I can e-mail you my check list if it will help.

 

Talk with your bride and together come up with a time line to take the photos. Late but not least its not up to you to decide when the photo?s are take and how much time is made to take the photo?s. That is her final decision, its her wedding day. Do what you can in the time you have, go with the flow of the wedding day and do stress out. I?m sure you will do fine.

Thanks again to everybody, and to Dave, Nadine and Jamie who added the most recent replies. Even when y'all don't quite agree with one another, it's useful -- because it just reminds me of what I know intellectually already, that's a lot about shooting a wedding that's just unpredictable. That's part of the fun and the challenge.

 

As I think I mentioned earlier, I'm meeting with the bride and groom this weekend. I posted my question here now because I wanted some help thinking this through on my own beforehand. I'm in a better shape now to talk to them about this issue, and I know we'll work out something.

 

Thanks a bunch, everybody.

 

Will