Maine & NH Wedding Photographer// The Shot List Is a Lie: Here’s How I Actually Capture the Stuff That Matters

Alright, we need to talk about The Shot List.
You know the one—36 bullet points long, usually handed to me with nervous energy and a hopeful smile. It’s titled something like:

“Important Photos Your Wedding Photographer Must Capture!!”

And listen, I get it. You're pumped. You're planning the best party of your life. And you want to make sure I don’t miss the “big stuff,” like:

• Bride putting on dress

• Groom seeing bride

• First kiss

• First dance

• Wedding rings

Listen... that’s literally my job.
I swear to you on my favorite lens—I don’t need a checklist to remind me to photograph your first kiss. If I needed a reminder for that, you shouldn’t have hired me. And honestly, I shouldn’t be photographing weddings.

I photograph what’s in front of me. That’s the way the whole emotional storytelling thing works. Here’s the truth: I don’t work off a “posed script.” I document your day, exactly as it unfolds. That’s what storytelling is. I’m not just grabbing generic stock-photo moments. I’m watching the way your partner squeezes your hand under the table. I’m catching your grandma tearing up during your vows. I’m there when your best friend completely butchers her speech and everyone loses it in the best way.

You want memories, not a checklist.
And I don’t need a bullet point to tell me what matters—because what matters is already happening, and I’m already locked in on it.

Now before you come for me with pitchforks and a Pinterest board—there is one kind of shot list I 100% want: family formals or anything truly unique to your wedding that I may not be expecting.
Because let’s be real, I don’t know that your Uncle Dave is like a dad to you, or that you need one with just your mom and your sister, or that you and Nana have a secret handshake. Tell me those things. That matters.

But telling me to “capture a photo of the bouquet”? Nah. That thing’s getting photographed while you’re sipping mimosas and forgetting to eat breakfast. I gotchu.

You didn’t hire me to be a robot with a camera and a clipboard. You hired me because you liked my vibe. You dug my storytelling. You saw yourself in the couples I’ve already photographed.

So trust me to see you. Trust me to feel out your weird, wonderful, emotional, chaotic, once-in-a-lifetime day—and document the real stuff, not just the Pinterest Greatest Hits collection.

If it’s happening, I’m photographing it. Period. I’m already five steps ahead. My camera is up when your dad cries. When your partner's jaw drops. When your friends are screaming-singing Whitney Houston on the dance floor.

Your story deserves more than a checklist. It deserves to be seen, not staged.

Now go enjoy your damn wedding. I’ve got the rest.