Groom Preparations

If a professional wedding photographer or videographer is shooting solo, he or she will tend to spend a fraction of the time with the groom and his groomsmen compared to the bride and her bridesmaids. Indeed, it is not uncommon for a professional to spend two hours getting ready with the girls and just 20 minutes with the guys. If you are dividing your time yourself, it’s pretty safe to give yourself double for the bridal prep.

It’s possible, though, that you were asked to shoot because you are a friend of the groom, and that the couple wants you to hang out with the guys exclusively during the preparations. Maybe they have a pro shooting the bride and you are only shooting the groom; maybe you have a shy bride and a hammy groom. Whatever the reason, and however long you are there, let’s look at what to shoot while the groom is getting ready; as you’ll see, it is quite similar to bridal prep. (See Figure 5.9.)