What exactly are ‘formal photos’?

Towards the middle of the 19th Century, when photography was still fairly new and the photographers only had Large Format cameras to work with (the large beautiful looking ones you only see in museums these days) that used glass plates -before film existed – and a heavy tripod to operate; wedding couples would only ever get a small set of formal photos taken in a studio. And of course this would only have been available to the very wealthy.

As photographic technology advanced and film became available; by the early 20th Century, couples were able to have their wedding photographs taken on location, and receive some beautiful black and white prints. It was both impractical and far too costly to have more than just a few photos taken, so couples would gather for a few pictures only and these became a precious family heirloom.

The only tangible record of the wedding day, apart from the marriage certificate of course, was these formal photos. You’ve probably got one of these in your family somewhere, a beautiful photo in a silver frame on your mother or grandmother’s mantlepiece perhaps….

Around the 1950s, as colour film came into wider use, and there was a post war wedding boom, the idea of having the event photographed became a little more popular. However, it was still very expensive, and required a lot of equipment, to capture more than a small selection of photos, so the focus (pardon the pun!) was just on the Bride and Grooms and their immediate families. The photographer would capture these formal photos of their loved ones all dressed up in their finest, as well as some couple shots of the the Bride and Groom, of course. 

As photography progressed, cameras got smaller and easier to move around with and more photos at weddings could be taken. By the 1970s, the idea of documenting more of the wedding day itself was born and many people chose to have a photographer shoot a longer part of their day, from the ceremony to the speeches, to the cake cutting, guests milling around and the first dance.

Photography has continued to get more a more creative ever since, but what seems to have remained is the formal photo session; a time when the key people, close family and friends, can be posed for a clear, staged photo with the Bride and Groom. 

By the time I shot my first wedding – in 2003 – I’d already been inspired by many of the great documentary photographers at this time, creating beautiful natural work, which was, then, very cutting edge. I was using film, but because I was young and new, I had a fresh approach to my work and often people booked me because I shot all the lovely details of the day and captured the laughter of the speeches and candid moments of the bride and groom exchanging looks between them – really focussing on the story of the day.

I was competing in a market where a lot of the photographers, who’d been around a long time, were still delivering quite formal albums and not really capturing the magic of the day or telling the story through the candid photos.

But I was also doing a lot of portrait work at the time, for non-wedding clients, and shooting many groups and staged photos for PR, charities and editorial, so I was learning and honing my skills in this area too.

So, whilst some photographers were beginning to move from press into weddings (as press photographers lost their work, due to the closure of newspapers and other print media) and advertising themselves as ‘reportage’, ‘documentary’, ‘un-staged’ wedding photographers, dismissing formal and posed photos altogether; I insisted on keeping one major traditional element of the wedding photography, and that was the ‘formal photo session’. Unless a couple insists they really don’t want it, I also make sure some posed photos are factored into the day and are a major part of my wedding photography workflow.

Why have Formal Photos if they’re ‘old fashioned’?

But why do I, or anyone, keep this ‘old fashioned’ practise of taking time out to take formal photos? I have one simple answer for this – proof time and time again – that when I deliver the photos to couples and see which photos are selected for the albums and, on some occasions, get to talk to the mums and even grandmas or close family of the couple, they always choose to display a copy of these formal photos, lined up with the Bride and Groom, or Brides or Grooms.

Whilst couples, family and guests generally love all the natural fun, spontaneous photos from the wedding day and the pictures as a whole do exactly what a great photographer intends them to do, which is capture the story of the day; the only way to guarantee that special friends and family of the couple are captured, in their finest, on this important day, is to arrange for some formal shots.

So the question is whether you want to have formal wedding photos on your special day…

In all my years of shooting weddings, I have only ever had one couple say they want nothing staged at all, but on the day itself they spontaneously asked for posed photos with family and friends, so it happened anyway. So in essence, there isn’t a single wedding I have captured that hasn’t had a set of posed photos.

If you truly want your day to be completely spontaneous that is entirely up to you, of course, but please bear in mind that it means no guarantee of the most important people of your lives being captured – or captured well. What I mean by that is that, sure, your photographer will hopefully get photos of your dad making his speech, your sister laughing with you whilst you’re getting ready or your new husband giving his mum a tight hug, but you won’t necessarily have shots of them together, in one place, looking at the camera, showing their best side.

If you don’t set aside some time to arrange to have a few photos of your immediate family, your nieces and nephews, or even your urban family, then you won’t be able to have that special keepsake photo to take away from the day. And neither will they.

Of the 500 or so wedding photos you get from your wedding day, I can pretty much guarantee that whilst they are will be a wonderful collection, and you will cry and laugh at so many of them, telling the story of the day; if you, close family, or friends, have to make a choice to display just one or two pictures, it will be those posed ones that they feature in…

So How do we arrange these Formal Photos?

One of the concerns I hear from couples is that they really dislike the idea of standing around for ages having their photos taken. They been to a wedding before where this has been the case and, quite frankly, it can be rather boring!

Most couples want to get on with the fun of eating, drinking and hanging out with their guests, not spending hours posing for photos.

I talk to many couple who also find the idea of posing in these groups as ‘awkward’, ’embarrassing’, ‘uncomfortable’ (insert any adjective here!). But it doesn’t have to be that way!

My method, as a photographer, keen to deliver these photos for you in a light hearted and fun manner, is simply to make a list beforehand. Firstly, I’ll ask you to do this on your own before we have our pre-wedding consultation. Then, when we catch up, I’ll go over it with you and, if necessary, to make it flow well, re-jig the order a little, or make some simple suggestions.

Then I ask you to allocate a helper on the day, usually someone from each side of the couple’s family, who can run around and gather up the people, ready for my group shots. Having allocated the correct amount of time on the wedding day and identified some potential locations, I encourage couples to have a drink and a short chat with their guests, well I get to work setting up my tripod and checking the light is right on the chosen location for the shots, then gather a few groups, before calling you over to say cheese!

The photos are then taken, rather swiftly, swapping in different family and friends, from my list and over in usually less then half an hour or so. Quite often, because it turns out to be quite relaxing, couples ask for a few more shots and often, usually with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, or siblings and best friends, will offer some playful poses too.

Then it’s time to take a little break, stroll away from everyone for some romantic shots and them back to your guests for party time!

So you see – it ain’t all that bad!

If you want to talk to me about your wedding photography and help me make your day’s photography happen with ease, simply drop me an email to check availability and book in a zoom call. hello@flashfields.co.uk