With wedding trends being shared on social media to Pinterest boards the possible wedding inspiration out there is endless. You’ve hired your wedding photographer and now your day is getting closer, you want them to do their best creative job and also some how align with what you’re envisioning too. How do you communicate what you’re hoping for with your wedding photographer?

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Inside the episode

I originally outlined this podcast thinking I would record and release this by January 1st, 2024. Can we call take a moment to laugh about that? But the good news is that I’ve let this idea of wedding visions and mood boards simmer in my mind while I worked through my slow season goals and I think I have a better mindset around moldboards and inspiration images than I ever have before!

One point to note, as a wedding photographer my job is to be an artist and a historian, a creative but also providing all of my clients with a consistent product. So receiving inspiration pictures, shot lists, Pinterest boards has always been a nervous moment for me. I would immediately feel like the clients expected me to copy all of those images, and even worse when I would get inspiration pictures in a completely different style than how I worked – like getting photos that are all dark and moody when I deliver light and airy images… I am still working this out and every time I get inspiration pictures I still have to remind myself that clients aren’t sending these because I am not good enough or because there is a problem and when my inspiration and vision more closely aligns with my clients’ vision I can actually be an even better artist for them.

1. First, what is the importance of communicating your wedding vision with your photographer
   • While you are planning you are actively developing a dream and vision for what you hope your wedding day could look like and include.
   • Your vision keeps developing even after you hire your wedding photographer.
   • How you communicate your vision with your photographer can make or break the feeling of trust in the relationship. You don’t want to show up to your wedding day worrying that your photographer won’t capture what you want, and your photographer doesn’t want to show up worrying that you don’t trust them to do what you hired them to do.
2. So let’s start by sharing two less than ideal ways to share your vision to your photographer, especially if you’re working with myself or my team!
   • A shot list
     • You have probably seen these before. The article titled something like ‘the 120 pictures you need on your wedding day’…
     • Can I just add in that assuming you are working with us, or a semi-experienced wedding photographer… we know to get a photo of your first kiss… and you walking down the aisle… and your first dance. I promise we aren’t clueless.
     • Now for our business I do try to get to know our client’s plans and take notes of important moments. Because if your grandmother helped alter your wedding dress and is going to be the one to finish your bustle I absolutely want to be there to capture that! 
     • So I essentially type my own ‘shot list’ during my final check in phone calls with our clients, but I create that list by talking with them specifically not weeding through a random website’s 100 must have list where a good number don’t even apply to your wedding day and plans
   • A Pinterest board
     You know the one we started when we were 12, fast forward 10-20 years later that board is truly just a historical record of wedding trends from converse to neon colors to tight updos and tiaras to now the low loose whimsical style. So, when you share your 10 year old, completely uncategorized Pinterest board with me with 2,514 pins what do I do with it? How do I know what is important and what doesn’t apply?
     • On the other hand I do see Pinterest as a very helpful resource to save your most important wedding plans. So if you do want to organize your inspiration on Pinterest consider creating a fresh wedding photography board, and keeping it very minimal and cohesive.

3. Now let’s talk about great ways to share your vision with your photographer. In my current opinion – Mood boards or a select number of inspiration pictures are the best options!
   • So mood boards are (defined from a google search) – a collage of pictures, materials and text that references elements of a final design’s style
     • Isn’t that a fun way to think about a wedding, a final design? I have been very interested in viewing weddings about more than just a list of photos to accomplish but a story to tell and a history to document. This concept makes you a designer, pulling a concept together and hiring vendors to fill the pieces and then the day itself becomes the final design based on the styles you chose throughout the process! Maybe this is my nerdy artsy and design side coming out here but I think this concept is exciting! 
     • Think about incorporating your colors, maybe even letting your mood board determine some of your wedding color pallet. Incorporating words that you hope your day inspires- joyful, whimsical, bold, quiet, relaxing, adventurous, ethereal, classy, elegance. Incorporating more than just posed pictures but also a picture of your cake, reception decor pieces, a ceremony moment you hope to have (like the kiss back down the aisle), a detail picture etc.
   • And if you don’t have time to put your pictures into a mood board then sharing a very small number of relevant images in an email is a great way to share your vision!
     • A small number, 3-7 images are much easier to remember compared to 50!
     • Think of these as photos that you can’t live without and that you would love to frame and display in your home.
     • I actually just did this for one of our Spring brides. She sent me an email with inspiration photos and I knew I wanted to be able to quickly reference them during her day so I put them in canva and made my own mood board for her day.

4. So if I’ve sold you on my slightly nerdy obsession with the mood board and you want to make one too, here are a few practical ideas for how to make and put together a mood board.
   • Start collecting inspirational pictures, words, textures, colors. Probably a Pinterest board!
   • Once you’re ready to start putting it together take screenshots of the pictures and upload them to canva. This is basically a free version of photoshop. It’s very user friendly! 
   • Search for mood board and you will find so many templates to choose from. Then open the design and start adding in your images that you uploaded to see how it looks together. Customize the colors, add words you name it
5. Shameless plug here, I made a mood board template for you!! Here is the link to the mood board template! I have a couple options, one more organized like a grid and the other with odd shapes, more organic feeling. I even included a list of words that you could consider paring with your event plans.
   • I think mood boards are a fun idea, no matter if you use my template or not! Canva has tons of options if you search for mood board.
6. So to wrap this up let’s talk practical communication to your photographer. I don’t know that I have really matured in how I have received this communication but I’ve been so blessed to learn from how my wonderful clients have been communicating their ideas with me already.
   • Short summary, you can use any of the photo idea sharing methods as long as your communication is clear, positive and trust inspiring.
   • A simple acknowledgement of- ‘I am glad we are working with you and can’t wait to see what you create from our inspiration’, goes SO far. Acknowledging that every photographer is different and so is every wedding day but these are the photos you’re most excited at the idea of having after etc. Or even sharing why you like certain photos- I like how free and relaxed the couple looks in these images, or I like how small the couple is in relation to the environment etc. 

In Conclusion

So I hope this episode gave you good insight on how to develop and communicate your wedding vision with your photographer and maybe even other vendors too. If you make a mood board I would love to see it! Especially if you’re a current client of mine! Thank you so much for listening! 

Here is the link to the mood board template I created for you to use!

xo, Taylor Nicole