Couples want everything at once: beautiful portraits, a few unusual shots and the sunset – and hope to fit it into one hour between the ceremony and dinner. In the end there is not enough time for any of it.
The answer is to split the session into three parts with different jobs: classic, art and evening. Each gets its own time and its own photos, and none eats into the others.
Below is what goes into each part, how much time to plan and how it all fits into the wedding day timeline.
The base of the session is about an hour before dinner. These are beautiful portraits like in a portfolio: full-length and close-up, hugs, a walk, two or three spots close together.
The timing is deliberate: you are fresh, hair and make-up are still perfect, the light is daylight. This hour gives a guaranteed result – the photos people print and give to their parents.
The second part is half an hour for an artistic image. Difficult light, shooting through objects in the foreground, reflections, hard shadows, movement.
Here I build the frame, try, change angle and light. It is not “more portraits” but the search for one or two images that become the face of the album.
Dynamic and difficult shots are expensive. In a series with motion blur or shooting in motion up to 90% goes to waste: ugly blur, missed focus, the wrong moment.
Squeeze that into the classic hour and the base suffers. So art is a separate block: the classic portraits are already done and we can experiment calmly.
The third part is 15–30 minutes in the evening. The same classic session, but with different light: warm sunset light, backlight, silhouettes.
In summer the sun sets late in Sweden, so I check the time in advance by date and place. Guests are eating, you step out for twenty minutes – and are back for the cake.
If there is no sunset – because of the weather or because the evening is already dark – we shoot with lights: string lights, lanterns, city lights and flash.
These shots do not depend on the weather and look completely different from daytime ones: the album gets another chapter – the night.
For the evening part you can change: a short dress, a different look, the groom without a jacket. Then the evening photos look like a second, separate session.
It is not a must: what matters in the evening part is the new light. But if you have planned a second outfit, that is the time to photograph it.
Classic – between the ceremony and dinner. Art – straight after, or in a pause while guests gather. Evening – between courses or before the cake; I agree the time with the coordinator.
If you only want the classic part at first, that is fine: art and evening add variety, but the base of the album is the first hour.
Send me the date and the places for the ceremony and the party, and I will tell you when the classic part fits best, whether there is time for art and when the sun sets on your day. How the whole day works is in the wedding day timeline.
The classic part takes about an hour before dinner. If you want artistic shots, add half an hour, plus 15–30 minutes in the evening for sunset or lights.
No. What matters in the evening part is the different light. A second outfit just makes the evening photos look like a separate session.
Then we shoot the evening with lights and flash: string lights, lanterns, city lights. Those shots do not depend on the weather.
You can, but then the base suffers: artistic shots take many attempts and up to 90% of a series goes to waste. Separate time protects both the classic portraits and the experiments.
Planning the day yourselves? Try my free wedding timeline planner →
