Detail Photographs On Your Wedding Day

Wedding detail photographs on your wedding day! Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re a total wedding staple.

Personally, I absolutely love wedding detail photographs, especially when I have access to really fun + funky light. They are so fun to style, move around, and capture. This is actually one of the reasons I fell in love with wedding photography. It’s not that they’re my favorite part of the day and that I, like, live for the details but I do live for how nuanced wedding photography can be. There’s so much to capture on the wedding day and details are a small sliver of that!

Which is why, today, I am so excited to chat about wedding detail photographs with y’all! Let’s go!

Cheers To You! Volume Five: Detail Photographs

Before We Get Started on This Topic!

Before we get started on this topic, it’s super important to address the big elephant in the room: Your wedding is not a Pinterest board.

What I mean is this! I love photographing wedding details. They’re gorgeous! But! That said, your wedding is not a Pinterest board or a spread in a high end wedding magazine. Many of the detail photographs you see published when browsing for inspiration are styled shoots and large weddings with styling teams and multiple photographers or shoot days. For most weddings, this isn’t a reality and, while your photographer should be able to capture some stellar details, keep in mind that most weddings do not need, like, hours for detail shots to be created.

Detal Photography FAQs

How Do Detail Photographs Work?

The easiest way for detail photographs to work is this: Grab a bag or box and fill it with details you want from the day.

This might sound a little overwhelming but it’s actually really natural. Your shoes and jewelry will already be in a certain spot so, from there, you’ll want to add anything you want photographed. So, shoes, jewelry, wedding invitations, perfume, cologne, garters, ties, etc. – they all work great for flatlay detail images. And if you have leftover flowers from your florist? Include those, too! Wedding details can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to photograph as the items will need to be arranged and photographed on a flat surface.

Want a cute photograph of your dress hanging? Make sure to grab a cute hanger! These hangers don’t have to be super swanky but a gold wire hanger or wooden hanger will go a long way over a mint green plastic hanger.

When During the Day Will You Photograph Our Details?

While every photographer will approach this differently, I like to knock details out of the park upon arrival.

That looks like this! I arrive at the wedding, say “hello!”, snag a photo or two, and then take your box of detail items to a nearby location where I photograph the items from the box. I typically do 3-5 setups of the details for variety – think one setup with the invites + flowers, another with the shoes + perfume, etc, – and, after I’m done, I’ll return the box to the getting ready room!

Do You Provide Styling Details for Our Photos?

Not really! Half a decade ago, I used to bring a styling kit with me for detail images but, over time, I just realized that I really resonated with photographs that felt more organic to the wedding.

What I mean is this! While photographs taken with cute acrylic blocks are stunning, I prefer to take photographs that include leaves from the outside of your venue. While styling mats are visually interesting, I’d rather use a more organic surface. And while I love a good ribbon detail, I prefer that ribbon to be from the ribbon of your bouquet. Detail photographs are meant to enhance your gallery and bring back the feeling of your wedding day. Because I think of them as a stage setting, it makes more sense to use details from your wedding and venue rather than items from a styling kit.

I will say, though! I am flexible on ribbons and do occasionally bring ribbon with me. It’s such a fun little detail and, since I have a lot of ribbons for my Opal and June invitation mockups, I will sometimes throw a set in my bag. I can’t help myself!

How Can Our Planner Help With Detail Photographs?

Totally up to the planner!

Some planners will completely style flat lay detail photographs and I just show up to shoot them. Other planners are completely hands off. If a large-ish gallery of detail photographs is important to you or if you hope to have your wedding published online or in a magazine, I absolutely recommend discussing this with your planner and photographer to create the best images. Also! Keep in mind that, if you want to have your wedding photographs published, the detail photographs will take longer than a wedding where publications aren’t really on the radar.

One more thought on this! Even if a publication is planned for, keep in mind that a publication is not always guaranteed. I love publications as much as the next wedding photographer (lol) but publications hinge on a lot of factors. You could have the most impeccable strawberry themed wedding with a pink wedding veil, sparkly red and pink bridesmaid dresses and cute strawberry themed wedding centerpieces with cute strawberry print napkins but, if a strawberry themed wedding was already picked up by a publication, your wedding could be passed on.

I like to think of publications as a bonus, not a feature! If you choose another wedding photographer, though, they may feel totally different.

Our Reception Details Are Super Important To Us. How Can We Capture Them?

Have your planner grab me as soon as the reception is finished!

This is often done right before the ceremony or right after the ceremony. The timeline can be tight for this and, while it’s pretty easy to take many detail photographs with guests in the room, it’s important to squeeze in an empty room photograph with lit candles before guests arrive. I’m a pretty fast shooter but, even then, if I’m not notified that the room is ready before guests start trickling in, that empty shot might not be one we get!

Personally, I’m happy with reception photographs that have guests in them. While I do prefer to have an empty room photograph and think it’s necessary if you want your wedding published, it’s not super important otherwise. Having guests in the room is more organic and just another feature of a love-filled day!

Detail Photos Aren’t Important To Us. Is That Okay?

Oh gosh, absolutely! My weddings really run a whole range on details.

Because I really focus on organic, candid moments in my photographs, some of my couples are pretty uninterested in detail photographs. On the other hand, because my photographs have a lot of color and life, other couples are super interested in details. There is no right or wrong answer to how much your details are photographed. I’m happy with whatever makes you happy!

Galleries + Links +  More

Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal | Photographers

Etsy Shops: Tee Shirts + Sweatshirts + Puzzles + Pillows | Mockup Photos