Mental (and verbal) Review

Saturday I was shooting a wedding and we did all the photos ahead of time. It is a great way to go, because you get everything done before the ceremony, so there is not rushing through the process because the church lady is gonna kick you out or they have to get to the reception right away.

It can be very confusing because while everyone is there, they frequently are not "right there" when you need them. This makes for a disjointed flow to the shoot and you really have to be on top of you shot list, either mental or written.

Saturday, I found myself doing something that I guess I do all the time. But for some reason, I took note of it this time. When we were about to wrap up the shooting, I went to the bride and groom and verbally reviewed my shot list with them. It went something like this.

"Ok, let's think now. Sally, we did you by yourself, you with your mom, you with your dad, you with your mom and dad, and you with your mom, dad, and brother (I knew in advance there were no grandparents). We did you with each of your attendants, and then a group of the bridesmaids with you. Oh, wait we skipped that, so we have to do that yet.

"Then we did Bill by himself, Bill with his mom, him with his dad, him with his mom and dad, and then we added in his sister to the group. We did him with each of the guys, then the group of the guys with him, Right? OK

"Alright, we did the two of you with your folks, his folks, your family, his family, and the entire wedding party. And we did a bunch of shots of you together at the beginning.

"So, we still need to do you with all the girls, oh and Bill with Sandy (his cousin who was the flower girl). Is there anything else? Great let's get 'er done!"

That simple, quick review revealed that I had missed a group shot (because someone was missing at the point where I would have normally done the group) and that the flower girl was related to the groom (which I did not know). And I got the chance to ask if there were any other photos she (and the groom) wanted.

Knowing your shot list inside and out and being able to quickly and easily communicate it is essential. This is the shot list I have used for over two decades, and is still the bare minimum you need. It has an easy flow and can be verbalized quickly and checked off with the couple.