Note: Photographers’ Friday is a weekly blog series directed toward professional photographers, and in some instances, serious amateur photographers. All Photographers’ Friday blog posts will assume that readers have a basic working knowledge of digital SLR cameras, but if you’re left with questions or don’t understand any of the information, don’t hesitate to ask. We love e-mails!

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When we were prepping to shoot our first weddings (for friends, for free), I nervously called up the venues and asked, could I swing by to get a feel for the environment? I was going to be shooting a wedding there soon, you see, and I’d love to be familiar with my surroundings. Sure, said the venue coordinators. Stop on by.

I didn’t call or visit the venues because anyone told me I had to. I did it because I was taking my work seriously, and I wanted to be absolutely prepared. To me, part of being prepared meant getting the lay of the land where I would be shooting; another part of it meant making sure I knew the name of the venue coordinator who would be overseeing the wedding, and making sure they knew my name before the wedding started, too.

That was so many weddings ago. The way I prep for weddings has changed considerably since then — but one thing that has stayed the same is that I always, always get in contact with a number of the other vendors before the wedding gets underway. The way I see it, for that wedding, we’re co-workers, even if we all work under different company names. And co-workers need to work smoothly and efficiently as a team. Here’s my list of who Danny and I contact, and when, and why.

(This is a sneak from last night’s tasting at Highland Manor; the gorgeous tablescapes were put together by Atmospheres Floral & Decor. Much more from the evening . . . which we spent hanging out with some great couples and a bunch of amazing wedding professionals . . . is coming to the blog on Monday!)

• Venue: I get in touch with the venue coordinator, often shortly after a couple books with us. I send a quick, “We’re so excited to be working with you!” message, and then follow up closer to the wedding. I make sure I ask the venue coordinator if there are any rules about where we can or cannot go while at the venue, find out what the backup plan is if an outdoor ceremony is scheduled, and ask if there is anything we can do to help them out on the wedding day; I also make sure to let them know we’ll be sending them the images from the wedding. If I think it is necessary, and if the venue is close by, I schedule a time to visit the venue before the wedding, so Danny and I can scope out the best locations for the first look, family portraits, etc., etc. The more experience we’ve gained, the more confident we became heading into any surroundings, so we now do a good bit of our venue scouting the morning of the wedding, just before we’re scheduled to meet up with the bride and groom.
• Officiant: If the ceremony is at a church, I always make sure I get in touch with the pastor or priest who will be performing the ceremony. My preference is to find out church rules directly from the person who will perform the ceremony, and I ask if they have any requests for Danny and me. (And I offer major bonus points to the officiants who say, “It’s the couple’s wedding — I want you to do whatever they want.”)
• Videographer: Did you ever see the Photographers vs. Videographers Epic Battle video? Yes, it’s a (very geeky) joke. But no one would have dreamed up this video friction between videographers and photographers if it weren’t an all-too-common issue. So before we ever meet, I like to try to make sure the videographer knows I won’t be causing any friction! I make it clear I want to work as a team to get the couple the best photographs and video possible; I let the videographer know that I would love to walk through the ceremony site together on the day of the wedding so we can come up with a shooting plan so we don’t end up in each other’s shots, and I let the videographer know that I’m happy to have him/her directing the bride and groom during part of the time allotted for romantic portraits. It makes for a much smoother working relationship on the wedding day, and produces better results for our clients.
• Wedding Planner: Of course if the couple has hired a wedding planner, this is one of the first people I contact. I love working with wedding planners! See, whenever there isn’t a wedding planner involved, a lot of the wedding planner’s job description falls on me — without a wedding planner, I’m the only person overseeing the timeline, I’m the person trying to round up the family when it’s time for portraits, I’m coordinating with the venue staff and musicians to make sure the ceremony doesn’t start before I’m in place. So when there is a wedding planner, I want to make sure she knows I’m excited to work with her, and since she’s going to be making my life a lot easier on the day of the wedding, I want to reciprocate.
• DJ: I rarely call the DJ ahead of the wedding, but I make a point of talking with the DJ before the reception starts (or before the ceremony starts, if the DJ is also providing ceremony music). I try to get a quick feel for the DJ — and I have to say, our couples have chosen their DJs well. But just in case there’s a DJ who has some interesting ideas about lighting (please, please — no pin lights during the first dance!), I like to make friendly conversation before the night starts, and find out what the DJ’s plan is . . . so I can fend off a pin light attack during the first dance, if need be.
• Maid of Honor or Parents of the Bride/Groom: It isn’t often that I talk with the maid of honor or parents of the couple before the wedding, but sometimes they act as point people for the couple. I never make initial contact with them, though; our communication pre-wedding only occurs if they first reach out to me.
• The rest of the vendors I meet and speak with for the first time on the wedding day, or I contact them after the wedding to send them photos.

In my business, it’s just Danny and me. Except for each wedding. Then it’s Danny and me and a dozen or so temporary co-workers. But our relationships need to be a lot better than you might imagine “temporary” co-workers would need — because our work will have a lifelong impact on our clients.

~ Laura