While my previous entry on "8 Tips on Preparing to Shoot Your First Wedding" dealt with the necessary preparations for a photographer before the wedding, here are a few tips on actually shooting your first wedding.
1. Limit Flash Use
Your pictures will look more realistic if you limit your flash use so try to limit its use as much as possible during ceremony. A higher ISO or aperture value may be needed although sometimes you can’t get away from using Flash if there is really no light to work with. Try to be respectful once they are on stage but remember you are there to capture and document the wedding. Ask the bride and groom if there are any flash restrictions as some churches do not allow the use of flash.
2. Shoot in RAW Mode
I know I have said it before but shooting in RAW mode gives you a lot of room to tweak your images after the wedding. Just don’t give someone a DVD with the photos you took. You need to go through each one of them and adjust them accordingly for proper white balance or exposure or any other number of things. Maybe some of them will work better in black and white. Point is, don’t give them out without “developing” your photographs first.
3. Know the Parts of the Ceremony
Most weddings have the same parts and last about as long, but discuss with the bride and groom to identify if there are changes from a traditional ceremony. This will allow you to know where to stand and take pictures and know what details to capture. You have to recognize when the end of the ceremony is coming so that you can move at the end of the isle.
4. Shoot a Lot.
Shoot more than you think you will need. Each person that is included in the picture is another pair of eyes that can blink. You should set your camera for continuous mode or burst mode.
5. D Is For Details
Don’t forget to capture the details. Some of those details may have been handmade and taken hours to create. The couple would definitely want to remember those. Also try to be creative you don’t want your photographs to look like Uncle Henry’s who just purchased an entry level DSLR.
6. Capture Emotions
This is what will get people to remember the moment. If they look at your photograph and can say.. “I remember what I was feeling at that exact moment.” You did your job. You are having someone re-experience their emotions on a specific moment in time and that is very powerful. Sometimes these moments last but a few seconds so you have to be ready and know your camera like the back of your hand.
7. Don’t Move Around During the First Dance
Exercise patience. They will eventually spin around and will give you different perspectives as they do.
If you are smiling you become more approachable and people will not fear you. They will also be more relaxed in your presence and you will be able to take more candid shots. Don’t keep the camera in your face all day. Weddings are supposed to be a party, have fun shooting and smile. Remember, it is an honor for you to be shooting at their wedding.
9. Lean on Me
Have the couple leaning into each other, touching or almost touching. Always try to have them leaning into each other to convey a sense of love. People who hate each other usually try to stay far away. You don't want that look in your photographs. Keep this in mind for any portrait work you do.
10. Leave in Good Terms
Always a good idea to contact the bride and groom before leaving and ask if there are any extra shots they would like. Aunt Edna may have made it to the wedding after all and she was not part of the shot list.
If after you are done the couple or one of the parents of the couple come up to you and tell you that "You were Awesome! You were all over the place!" or "You did a great job." Its great. They haven't even looked at the pictures yet but they saw you working all day. You had your camera in your hand and you were snapping away when you saw something worth capturing. Trust me, people will notice.
