I am a planner – always have been, always will be. I like knowing what’s going on and all the answers to the question “what if”. Most of the time, this comes in handy – and when it comes to wedding photography, it is crucial!! For Family, Portrait and Engagement Sessions, Plan B can be as simple as an alternate date in case the weather disagrees with Plan A. But when it comes to weddings, you can’t exactly tell everyone involved that you are bumping things a day.
A little while ago I did a shoot at the Prince of Wales Bridge. We had already used Plan B by moving the shoot date by a day due to Mother Nature’s insistence on raining, so when I arrived at the site, early to check out the lighting that day, I was a little frustrated to see that the City of Ottawa had closed off easy access to the bridge itself. You can sort of see the large, obviously-not-temporary fence in the background of the below photos.
Luckily, I learned this fact before my clients showed up and was ready to adapt. Even more lucky is the fact that this location is gorgeous with or without the bridge itself (or access to it) so we were able to work with the rest of the surroundings to get some amazing photos. Plan C ended up working out beautifully for us and to be honest, was a rather easy fix. Sometimes backup plans are needed to counteract limitations at venues or even Mother Nature herself.
When it comes down to it, as much of a planner as I may be, weddings never go exactly according to plan. And even if you have a Plan B (or Plan Z), you just need to be quick on your creative feet. As a bride, having a Plan B is important, but it is equally important to be able to trust your vendors, your photographer in particular, to be able to adjust to the wedding day however it unfolds and still get you the amazing photos you deserve.
