Part 4: 17 Steps for Shooting “Altar Return” Photos

“Altar return photographs” is a term photographers use to describe the shots of the wedding party, family groups, and bride and groom at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony. Whether in a hotel lobby, in the backyard, under a gazebo, or in the front of the church at the altar area, I’m going to call all these group images altar return photographs. I give myself about 35 minutes to capture all of them.

Here and in the next part, I’ll cover my 24 quick steps for getting these photos as efficiently as possible. Note that efficiently means quickly, professionally, and yet still flattering of the client. Here we go: