Wedding Photography Tips 1. Create a ‘Shot List’One of the most helpful tips I’ve been given about Wedding Photography is to get the couple to think ahead about the shots that they’d like you to capture on the day and compile a list so that you can check them off. This is particularly helpful in the family shots. There’s nothing worse than getting the photos back and realizing you didn’t photograph the happy couple with grandma! 2. Wedding Photography FamilyPhoto CoordinatorI find the family photo part of the day can be quite stressful. People aregoing everywhere, you’re unaware ofthe different family dynamics at playand people are in a ‘festive spirit’ (and have often been drinking a few spirits) to the point where it can be quite chaotic. Get the couple to nominate a family member (or one for each side of the family) who can be the ‘director’ of the shoot. They can round everyone up, help get them in the shot and keep things moving so that the couple can get back to the party. 3. Scout the LocationVisit the locations of the different places that you’ll be shooting before the big day. While I’m sure most Pros don’t do this – I find it really helpful to know where we’re going, have an idea of a few positions for shots and to know how the light might come into play. On one or twoweddings I even visited locations with the couples and took a few test shots (these made nice ‘engagement photos’). 4. In Wedding Photography Preparation is KeySo much can go wrong on the day – so you need to be well prepared. Have a backup plan (in case of bad weather), have batteries charged, memory cards blank, think about routes and time to get to places and get an itinerary of the full day so youknow what’s happening next. If you can, attend the rehearsal of the ceremony where you’ll gather a lot ofgreat information about possible positions to shoot from, the lighting,the order of the ceremony etc 5. Set expectations with the CoupleShow them your work/style. Find outwhat they are wanting to achieve, how many shots they want, what key things they want to be recorded,how the shots will be used (print etc). If you’re charging them for the event, make sure you have the agreement of price in place up front. 6. Turn off the sound on your CameraBeeps during speeches, the kiss and vows don’t add to the event. Switch off sound before hand and keep it off. 7. Shoot the small detailsPhotograph rings, backs of dresses, shoes, flowers, table settings, menusetc – these help give the end album an extra dimension. Flick through a wedding magazine in a news stand for a little inspiration. 8. Use Two CamerasBeg, borrow, hire or steal an extra camera for the day – set it up with a different lens. I try to shoot with onewide angle lens (great for candid shots and in tight spaces (particularlybefore the ceremony in the preparation stage of the day) and one longer lens (it can be handy to have something as large as 200mm if you can get your hands on one – I use a 70-200mm). 9. Consider a Second Wedding Photographer Having a second backup photographer can be a great strategy. It means less moving around during ceremony and speeches, allows for one to capture the formal shots and the other to get candid shots. It also takes a little pressure off you being ‘the one’ to have to get every shot! 10. Be Bold but Not ObtrusiveTimidity won’t get you ‘the shot’ – sometimes you need to be bold to capture a moment. However timing is everything and thinking ahead to get in the right position for key moments are important so as not todisrupt the event. In a ceremony I try to move around at least 4-5 times but try to time this to coincide with songs, sermons or longer readings. During the formal shots bebold, know what you want and ask for it from the couple and their party. You’re driving the show at this point of the day and need to keep things moving. 11. Learn how to Use Diffused LightThe ability to bounce a flash or to diffuse it is key. You’ll find that in many churches that light is very low. If you’re allowed to use a flash (and some churches don’t allow it) think about whether bouncing the flash will work (remember if you bounce off a colored surface it will add a colored cast to the picture) or whether you might want to buy a flash diffuser to soften the light. If you can’t use a flash you’ll need to either use a fast lens at wide apertures and/or bump up the ISO. A lens with image stabilization mightalso help. Learn more aboutUsing Flash Diffusers and Reflectors. 12. Shoot in RAW I know that many readers feel that they don’t have the time for shooting in RAW (due to extra processing) but a wedding is one time that it can be particularly useful as it gives so much more flexibility tomanipulate shots after taking them. Weddings can present photographers with tricky lighting which result in the need to manipulate exposure and white balance after the fact – RAW will helpwith this considerably. 13. Display Your Shots at the Reception One of the great things about digital photography is the immediacy of it as a medium. One of the fun things I’ve seen more and more photographers doing recently is taking a computer to the reception, uploading shots taken earlier in the day and letting them rotate as a slideshow during the evening. This adds a fun element to the night. 14. Consider Your Backgrounds One of the challenges of weddings is that there are often people going everywhere – including the backgrounds of your shots. Particularly with the formal shots scope out the area where they’ll be taken ahead of time looking for good backgrounds. Ideally you’ll be wanting uncluttered areas and shaded spots out of direct sunlight where there’s unlikely to be a wandering great aunt wander into the back of the shot. Read more ongetting backgrounds right. 15. Don’t Discard Your ‘Mistakes’ The temptation with digital is to check images as you go and to delete those that don’t work immediately. The problem with this is that you might just be getting rid of some of the more interesting and useable images. Keep in mind that images can be cropped or manipulated later to give you some more arty/abstract looking shots that can add real interest to the end album. 16. Change Your Perspective Get a little creative with your shots. While the majority of the images in the end album will probably be fairly ‘normal’ or formal poses – make sureyou mix things up a little by taking shots fromdown low,up high, atwide anglesetc. 17. Wedding Group Shots One thing that I’ve done at every wedding that I’ve photographed is attempt to photograph everyone who is in attendance in the one shot.The way I’ve done this is to arrange for a place that I can get up high above everyone straight after the ceremony. This might mean getting tall ladder, using a balcony or even climbing on a roof. The beauty of getting up high is that you get everyone’s face in it and can fit a lot of people in the one shot. The key is to be able to get everyone to the place you want them to stand quickly and to be ready to get the shot without having everyone stand around for too long. I found the best way to get everyone to the spotis to get the bride and groom there and to have a couple of helpers to herd everyone in that direction. Readmore onhow to take Group Photos. 18. Fill Flash When shooting outside after a ceremony or during the posed shots you’ll probably want to keep your flash attached to give a little fill in flash. I tend to dial it back a little (a stop or two) so that shots are not blown out – but particularly in backlitor midday shooting conditions wherethere can be a lot of shadow, fill in flash is a must. Read more about usingFill Flash. 19. Continuous Shooting Mode Having the ability to shoot a lot of images fast is very handy on a wedding day so switch your camera tocontinuous shooting modeand use it. Sometimes it’s the shot you take a second after the formal or posed shot when everyone is relaxing that really captures the moment!
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