your shot list is someone else’s wedding
Hot take: the shot list you saved from Pinterest is a list of photos from someone else's wedding. They were great photos, but they were of other people, at another venue, on a day that already happened.
I get why couples make them. Planning a wedding is one long checklist, and a list of photos feels like one more thing you can get right ahead of time. But the moments you'll love most aren't on any list, because nobody could have planned them. Nobody writes “bridesmaid breakdances in front of the fireplace” on a shot list. It just happened, and somebody was paying attention.
what a shot list actually does
When I'm working from a list, I'm looking at the list instead of at you. Every minute spent recreating a photo from a stranger's wedding is a minute I'm not watching yours: the nervous laugh before you walk out, your dad quietly fixing his tie for the third time, your best friend losing it during the vows.
The list makes the day look like everyone else's day. Paying attention makes it look like yours.
the good stuff isn't on the schedule
A groom picking up a guitar on the couch an hour before the ceremony. Three friends in robes who can't stop laughing at something I'll never be told about. Rain on the windshield of the getaway car. A bride perched up on the bar with a drink. None of it was on a timeline, and all of it says more about the day than a staged photo ever could.
Unplanned doesn't mean things going wrong. Rain, wind, a toast that runs long, a dance floor that takes over: those usually turn into the best stories of the day, and often the best photos too. My job is to stay easygoing, think on my feet and make the most of whatever the day hands us.
your photos should look like you
When I photograph what actually happens, your gallery ends up showing who you are and what matters to you. The dog who absolutely had to be there. The henna, the bangles and the garlands your family has worn for generations. The friends who turn a driveway into a party. Those things aren't on a stranger's list, because they're yours.
Years from now, these are the photos that get pulled out and passed around. Your kids won't care whether you did the trendy pose. They'll care that their grandpa was laughing, and that you two looked like yourselves.
so what do I actually do all day?
- Couple portraits: this is the one time I'll pose you. A little direction goes a long way here, and we'll keep it relaxed.
- Family photos: the one list I do love, because it keeps things fast. Here's how to build a 15-minute family photo list.
- Everything else: I blend into the background and catch what actually happens.
what to send me instead of a shot list
Skip the Pinterest board and tell me about your people. This is what actually helps:
- Who matters most: the grandmother flying in, the uncle who will absolutely start the conga line, the friend who introduced you.
- Any traditions, heirlooms or small details with a story behind them.
- The thing you're secretly most excited about, even if it seems small.
- Anything you're nervous about, so I can help you not think about it.
Your story doesn't need a checklist. It just needs someone paying attention. If that sounds like your kind of wedding, check if your date is open.
