10 Tips On Shooting Your First Wedding

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.

8.     Smile

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.

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?

Downtown Tampa Engagement Pictures

These engagement pictures were taken in Downtown Tampa. This lovely couple's session lasted about an hour and a half. We walked the area and they chose locations from a variety I had scoped out days in advance.  As a photographer you need to help the couple relax. Making them feel comfortable will yield the best photos. Showing them the LCD screen from the back of the camera after snapping a few pictures and telling them they are doing well will give them the assurance they need to be natural in front of the lens.