8 Tips On Preparing Yourself To Shoot Your First Wedding

Sooner or later is going to happen. If you are serious about your photography, a friend or family member is going to ask you to be a photographer at their wedding or even be a backup photographer. How do you prepare yourself for shooting a wedding? Below are a few tips that will hopefully help you get started.

1.    Check Out The Location

Churches and other wedding venues can sometimes present tricky lighting situations. If you’re an amateur photographer get yourself acquainted with the location and take some test shots weeks prior to the event date. You may notice you will need to purchase additional equipment that will help you in your shoot. A professional photographer can virtually walk into any room and within minutes know how to shoot in that specific location and they have plenty of equipment to meet and photograph in almost any situation.

2.    Create A Shot List

Sit down with the couple and decide on a shot list. With a hectic day it is easy for the couple to forget who they want a photograph with. It is up to you to remind them of a particular photograph with a relative they had previously requested. Here is a sample shot list.

3.    Early Bird Catches The Worm

Be at least an hour ahead of schedule.  You can start taking pictures of details, of the venue and other ideas that you can use later. Plus it gives you a chance to set up and test out your equipment to make sure everything is working correctly.

4.    Take Extras Of Everything

For weddings you should take extra memory cards, batteries for both your camera and speedlights (flash) and even have a backup camera if possible. Have all your batteries fully charged. Remember this is someone’s very special and important day. If your camera runs out of battery how can you explain that to the bride and groom?

5.    Get Familiar With The Couple’s Family

Early in the event you will need to know who the bride and groom’s family members are. You will then know which people to keep a closer eye on. You may ask the bride’s or the groom’s mother for information if you are unsure.

6.    Dress Appropriately

This almost goes without saying. Try to fit in with the rest of the crowd and dress as the other guests. Use your best judgment. Remember you are selling a product and part of that product is your image.

7. Clean Your Camera's Sensor

If you've been taking pictures for a while, and have never cleaned your camera's sensor, chances are that your camera's sensor is dirty. Many DSLR's camera sensor will automatically shake now and then, when you power off the camera to try to clean itself but sometimes a little more help is needed. Cleaning the sensor is easy and takes but a few minutes at most. If you don't feel comfortable doing it take your camera to a professional to get it cleaned. A clean sensor will get rid of some speckles of dirt found in your photographs.

8. Research

The internet is an amazing place to look up other wedding photographers and to look at their portfolios online. This will give you some knowledge on common shots and poses as well as get you in the right state of mind to come up with your own. Wedding magazines are another good source to conduct your research. When you look at those photographs try to think on how the photographer took the shot. Where is the light coming from? Is it soft ambient light, like that of a window or flash? What made the shot? Why did you like a particular photograph?

What are some of your key preparations for a wedding shoot?