Living Through the Stress of Wedding Photography
The amount of stress in wedding photography rivals bull-fighting and sword juggling. If you follow some basic rules, you can survive one of photography’s most challenging ordeals.
The List of Shots
Before you worry about your gear, you ought to find out precisely what photos are wanted and needed. Many brides have worked this out already. Other brides may just expect you to know instinctively what is needed. Now is the time to start worrying. Ask for a list of the shots.
A shot list is best broken down into three general groupings:
1. Before the Ceremony
2. The Service
3. Following the Ceremony
Prior to the Service
These shots can include the following:
* The bride getting dressed
* The bride with her friends
* The bride and parents
* The groom with his friends
* The groom and parents
* The wedding dress
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* Arriving at the church
A few of these can be candid photos. Some work better if you pose them.
The Service
These photos depend on the location and if you are allowed to photograph the actual exchange of vows, etc. You may or may not be able to record the ceremony – ask the bride to find out. As unobtrusively as possible, position yourself on the groom’s side so you can focus on the bride. The bride will be the most photogenic of the wedding part during the ceremony.
These shots should include:
* Three quarter length of the bride, groom and celebrant.
* Show the bride and groom from the waist up.
* Three quarter length to full length of the entire bridal party including the maids and groomsmen.
* Frame the bride and groom medium or three-quarter length.
* The ring (close-up on the hands if you can zoom in fast otherwise go for the semi-close-up)
* The kiss (semi close-up)
Lighting plays a big part in the ceremony shots. Harsh flash exploding during the service is never acceptable – and it won’t give you the mood you want. If there is a rehearsal, ask if you can come along and get an idea of how well or poorly lit the scene will be on the big day. Make sure you use a tripod.
Your digital camera should have an option to turn the shutter sound off. Do that so you can shoot many frames without disturbing the event. The more the better. Set the camera to multiple frames and hold the shutter down at the important moments. An eye caught mid-blink has ruined more otherwise great pictures than anything else known to man. You should compensate by covering these critical moments with many shots.
Some fancy footwork may be needed to photograph the new couple walking towards the front doors. Now this is an important wedding photography tip: Use the rehearsal to work out how and where you can move. The walk down the aisle is straight reportage – so use the flash. You can see more about this under the heading ‘Equipment’.
Following the Service
Again some of these may be candid and some should be posed. These should include:
* The bride and groom outside the church/venue with well-wishers
* The confetti moment (just hold the shutter down!)
* The bouquet
* Groups of bride and groom and all parents
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* The limo itself if it has been tricked up with cans and graffiti etc.
Following on-After the Service
These usually need to be planned ahead. Accompany the couple to a location you have scouted out – a park, a beach, or a garden. This is when you can shoot the dress to good effect. Now this is the time when you just let them be natural and carefree. Find an attractive location with soft lighting and shoot with your zoom, also do some semi-posed shots.
This phase includes the reception. Stay with the main action and resist being pulled away by enthusiastic guests who will probably never remember those shots they just had to have on the day.
One shot you should not miss is the cutting the cake. Take the bridal table – ask everyone to put down their glasses and forks. Plan to devote most attention and care to pictures of the ceremony.
If you are asked to do photos at the reception, ask the bride or an intelligent bridesmaid to organize them, otherwise you’ll just end up shooting people who will never order and yet miss out on the important photos with distant relatives, grandparents, etc.
The Final Product
It is better to supply a Compact disk or DVD with the duds edited out. A dud is anything that makes you look bad as a photographer. For added effect you can use video editing software to quickly make a slide show of the event in sequence. A dud is also any image that is not clear and sharply focused at A4 size. Place a watermark on each picture if you are providing proofs and taking orders, otherwise simply include a finished CD of the best photos in your fee.