Every bride wants the perfect pictures to look back on and remember her wedding.  Flow North Photography’s Eric Zetterholm and Kevin Malone share the answers to our most asked questions regarding wedding photography:

1.  What are the hottest trends you’re seeing with wedding photography?  

One trend that really excites us is that couples today are steering away from the “traditional”, posed photography.  Instead, they want photography and artwork that expresses a more intimate and personal style.  Traditional photography still has its place and many weddings are a combination of both.  However, couples are spending more time with their photographers to capture the essence of their day in multiple photo shoots.  These might include the day before with family and friends, rehearsals, rehearsal dinners and special times with the bride and groom. 

This trend works particularly well with our style of photography, i.e., capturing big, artistic, architecturally-based images.  It provides us an opportunity to work together with the bride and groom to express their individuality and personality. 

 2.  How would you describe your wedding photography style?

We think of the wedding day as five distinct photographic events – The Bride’s preparations; The Groom’s preparations; The Ceremony; The Reception and The Creatives.

In the first four parts, we aim to document the wedding in a more natural, photojournalistic style. We’ve found that it is very difficult to do this well with only one photographer; thus, we provide at least two photographers at every wedding.  Typically the bride and groom get to see only a small part of everything that happens on their wedding day.  It is our job to make sure we deliver the quality images that allows them not only to remember the events and people they did see, but also to gain a fresh perspective with photographs of those they didn’t see.

The last part, The Creatives, is a time where we get to spend an hour or two alone with the bride and groom (and a few others, if they so desire) shooting with the larger, artistic images in mind.  The location for this shoot can be at the ceremony location, at a park, in an more urban setting, or at a location that has particular significance for the couple.  In any event, the bride and groom know that we will have spent a fair amount of time before hand thinking about how to best transform this location into a piece of artwork that they’ll be proud to display in their home for many years to come.

 3.  Can you describe your favorite wedding related shoot? It could be engagement pictures/bridal portrait/ceremony/reception/etc.

Each time we have the opportunity to photograph a wedding, we can always take away something unique.  One memory in particular is of an outdoor wedding we shot in Asheville, NC at High Vista Country Club.  It is a beautiful setting and very picturesque.  The night before the wedding we spent time with the family at the venue for the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner.  We walked through the photography planned on the wedding day and had a great feel for what we needed to accomplish.  What we did not count on was a rain shower, right after the ceremony, on the wedding day!  But, as photographers, we turned an otherwise devastating situation into beautiful memories. When we look back on this day it reminds us why we love what we do. We love being artists and we love photographing weddings, especially when we get to face the unexpected!

 4.  What questions should a bride be sure to ask when she’s looking for a wedding photographer? 

I’ve touched on these a bit in my other responses, but the big ones are:

a) Style – What style of artwork do I generally like?  Is the photographer’s style consistent with how I’d like to showcase my wedding?

b) Personalities – Does my personality harmonize well with the photographers’ personalities?  After all, other than family members, the bride will likely spend more time with the photographers on her wedding day than with anyone else, so it’s important they get along well.

c) Albums – How will the images of my wedding day be preserved?  What size wedding album does the photographer offer, how many images will be in it, and what leather options are available for the wedding album?  

d) Coverage – Will the photographers be able to adequately cover all of the events that happen on my wedding day?  How many photographers will be available and how many hours of coverage will the photographers provide?  

5.  What are some of the biggest mistakes you see brides make regarding their photography?  

If I could encourage brides as they plan their weddings, it would be in two areas.  

First, I would encourage them to place a high value on the photo album.  The photo album will be their first family heirloom.  Not only will it be one they cherish, but also it will be one that is handed down for generations to come.  We love talking with brides about our photo albums because they are hand-crafted, works of art.

Second, I would encourage brides to include the photographers in the planning of their wedding day as early in the process as possible.  There are many aspects of a wedding day that are important – from the rehearsal to the honeymoon.  But the way these memories are captured is special and unique to each couple.  So, it is important to include the photographers in the creation of  the vision for the day so that they can execute a plan to capture the day in beautiful photographs that will be enjoyed for many years.