do photographers already know the good photography opportunities at your venue?
what if they havent been there before? wont we just waste lots of time looking for the best place to take photos? is this the kind of thing they should research prior?
Question Asked: 24/07/2017
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
Most Helpful Response
(12) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
Answered by: 7 Experts
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Once I know the address of the venue I like to go out and take a look around then make notes of the best places I think that would create great wedding photos I like to look at venues with an artistic eye also keeping the formal shots in mind , making sure that everybodys safety is priority.
Hi there! I def like to be super organized and know where to go for photos on the day. I dont necessarily need to check out the venue before
hand as a good photographer should be able to spot the good backdrops immediatly. It is def something that is the photographers responsibility!
Hope that helps!
Hello Brides & Grooms to be,
For us, we are familiar with most wedding venues in Brisbane, Gold Coast and surrounding areas having photographed over 500 weddings. However if we're booked for a wedding at a venue that we haven't been to before, we would do lots of online research plus talk to the wedding coordinator of the venue to see if there are any rules they have at that venue and also to see what time is their usual time for the commencement of the reception. We would then visit the venue a month or so before the wedding so we're well perpared. However if for instance we're booked for a destination wedding, e.g. next year we're flying to Samoa to photograph a wedding and there's no time to be able to do a location search beforehand, we would do lots of online research of the area and talk to the wedding coordinator on the phone plus on the wedding day we would arrive earlier than planned to quickly check out the location. We've been photographing for over 15 years so it doesn't take long for us to work out exactly what we'll be doing on the day.
(42) · Melbourne & Surrounds including Mornington and Yarra Valley
Posted: 26/07/2017
What I would do and as should most professional photographers would is, if we haven't already been to that venue before, we sould first google the place, look for any previous wedding photos, any spots near that location for cheeky portrait.
We would also pay a visit to check out the actual spots and the lighting and so on, before your wedidng day.
If the place is too far to visit, we would go there earlier on your wedding day to take empty shots of the venue, and figure out good spots & lighting, so we are well prepared and ready to go.
Research research research! :)
What I tend to do when I have been booked for a wedding where I have not been to the venue before, is I make a time to go to the venue before the wedding day. Around the time the wedding will be held and bridal portraits. As then I will know what the venue will look like come that time of day.
I do that for that exact reason, so to have my game plan in my head. Especially if we have only been given 30 mins for bridal portraits. I want to be ready (and if the bride and groom want another place to have photos I am prepared). It may be more work for me but I want to do as much research as I can for my bride and groom so they know I am prepared and ready for them when their day has arrived.
Most professional Photographers will know great places for photos even if they have never been there before. They do this through researching the location or by meeting the couple at the venue. Best if you are unshore request to meet your chosen Photographer at the venue and see what they come up with on the spot.
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Honestly, this is one of the things you really shouldn't have to worry about on the day, because it's our job to have it sorted long before you walk down the aisle. A good photographer almost never wanders around your venue hunting for spots while your clock is ticking. We plan it in advance, so the time we have with you is spent actually shooting, not searching.
If it's a venue we've shot at before, and across SEQ there are plenty we know inside out, we already know where the light falls and what works at different times of day. If it's somewhere new to us, we do our homework: research the location, look at the orientation of the light, and talk to the venue coordinator about timings and any rules. Where we can, we'll visit beforehand at roughly the same time of day your photos will happen, and for destination or travel weddings where a visit isn't possible, we arrive early to scout and grab a few empty-venue shots before you're ready.
The light is the part that matters most and the part you can't always see in a Google image. In a Queensland summer the sun is harsh and high through the middle of the day, so we're often working with shade or aiming portraits closer to that soft late-afternoon golden hour. Knowing that ahead of time is exactly how we protect your run sheet, especially when you've only got twenty or thirty minutes set aside for couple portraits.
So to answer you directly: yes, it absolutely is something we research, and no, you shouldn't be losing time to it. When you book, it's worth asking your photographer how they prepare for a venue they haven't shot at. A confident, specific answer tells you they've got a plan, and that you'll get the relaxed photos you're after rather than a stressed scramble on the day.