So you’ve found yourself responsible for a group of groomsmen on a wedding day. What now? The answer: the time to have fun and create some memorable photos for both the groom and all of his closest friends. Photographing groomsmen is always a unique experience, each group of friends is different and knows how to have their own fun. When the drinks are flowing and the inside jokes are coming out, it creates the perfect atmosphere to have some fun and get some photos out of the way!

So to kick off, one of my go-to poses is the most classic groomsmen pose. Whether the guys are lined up down the line, or staggered on some steps, the hand over hand stance is always a win. Sometimes I like to encourage their best ‘blue steel’ look, giving the mean mug of confidence until I tell them to switch it up and give in a smile!

Next up is one of my personal favorites: the sock shot! You’d be surprised at how many groomsmen coordinate matching details, whether it be socks or cufflinks or anything else unique! And the best part is that when they do have matching socks, they’re always pretty excited about them. There are several reasons for the sock shot to be a favorite: 1. trying to arrange the groomsmen’s feet in a presentable way always makes for good fun 2. you’re able to get a fun detailed shot of everyone’s unique socks 3. when you look up and see all the groomsmen standing close to each other trying to stand still, it’s an even better shot from down low! You’d be surprised at what you can achieve with the size of the group, whether it be just a couple of guys or a whole group of almost 15!

Of course, the sock shot is fun but what happens when they don’t have matching socks? You get creative! There’s so many different ways to approach groom photos from different angles. And when groomsmen may be apprehensive to getting photos taken, they always warm up over time and give you great stuff to work with! Something fun that I’ve found a lot of groomsmen to have with them are sunglasses, whether it’s their own pair or fun matching glasses made just for the special day! So why not incorporate them into the photos? Bringing out the glasses always brings the fun side out of everyone, and to photographers like us it works in our advantage! Poses for the group that I often use consist of having everyone stand in line, giving their best ‘badass’ face, and overall just owning the look! After that I like to try the ‘walking away from an explosion at the end of a movie scene’ where I direct the guys to walk towards me in slow motion doing their best dramatic look while slowly pulling off the sunglasses.

 

Still need some more inspiration? At the end of the day, if you find yourself stuck in a rut and can’t think of anything else, just have fun with it! If you approach it with this attitude, you will always get something. It’s a big day, the energy is high, and the guys are excited to have fun with each other. Other groomsmen classics include lifting the groom up for a fun shot! (Only try this if you are confident with the guys you’re working with, and certainly if they haven’t had too much to drink!) Another fun shot is the jumping shot! I have all the groomsmen line up with their backs to me, and when I count to three they jump up, spin around to the camera and strike a pose. This is best executed if you do it two or three times, allowing everyone to figure out the process and also get inspired to do their own thing.

And probably my most go-to pose of our entire careers: the Flying Vee. The Flying Vee has been there through thick and thin, never disappoints, and is always a classic. Channel your inner Mighty Ducks – which may or may not be familiar to the groomsmen. (Usually at least one or two are familiar) The best way to approach this: stick the groom in the front middle. When the numbers are uneven I usually have the groom and best man in the center and inch the groom up just a tiiiiiny bit more. Have all the other groomsmen behind them in a vee formation: veering out to the sides and staggering evenly amongst each other! Things that are encouraged: smiles, straight faces, hands holding lapels. Basically at the end of the day, if all else fails the flying vee will not.

And last but not least, if you want to include the happy couple within each other’s bridal parties: it’s always a fun shot to get the bride with all of the groomsmen as well! If they’re in the bridal party, they mean a whole lot, so why not capture it all!

Hopefully some of these tips were helpful! As someone who’s worked with groomsmen for several years, each group is certainly unique in energies and personalities. At the end of the day, no matter what, there is always a way to make things work and to get the photos that fit the group! When you have fun, they have fun, and it sets the tone for the rest of the day!