Tips for shooting at a wedding
Weddings are full of tensions and emotions. As a novice photographer it is sometimes difficult to find a structure and plan, especially if you are asked by friends or family to photograph this special day. In that sense it is easier to photograph unknown people, because you feel even more pressure with family and friends (especially as a starting photographer).
To remove this pressure I have put a number of handy tips on a list. I have been active in wedding photography for almost 10 years and I have photographed more than800+ couples. In this article I will share my expertise with you.
Make a checklist
For a wedding couple, the wedding is a special, but also very exciting day. As a wedding photographer you can relieve a lot of stress and tension by discussing in advance what kind of photos a wedding couple wants to have in addition to the standard photos such as dressing the bride, arrival of the bridegroom at the parental home, the first look at the bride, the entry into the church / city hall, exchange of rings, emotional moments between parents and children, the first kiss, dinner, speeches and party at the party location.
The more experience you gain, the easier and bigger this list will be. For example, during a meeting you can discuss whether or not the bride and groom want the following photo moments in their wedding photography. Think of moments such as:
Group photo with guests present or only family after or for ceremony / party / dinner / etc.
- Number of portraits of bridal couple and children
- Especially with bridal couples with children it is important to take several pictures of the children and the couple. First of all because this is always fantastic pictures of course, but also because it is often a long day for children and they will not always be close to the parents. You can see this as a kind of time-outs.
- The arrival / journey between locations / departure
- From which corners does the bride and groom want photos anyway. For a bridal photographer, this will at one point be cut cake. However, for a bridal couple it is particularly pleasant and as a wedding photographer you take away an uncertainty when discussing at which moments and from which positions photos are taken.
- Symbolic - Rings, cakes, decorations, wine glasses, etc. A wedding is a day full of rituals and traditions. This is also an important point to remember. Talk about this with the bride and groom. In this way you will find that there are more symbolic moments that are important to the bride and groom.
- During a wedding clich?s are not outdated or boring. Clich?s are beautiful. Of course, the groom can get on his knees for the bride, do you want them together on the stairs of the town hall, in a beautiful park, etc.
- But also try to think of a few original photos with which you can put your stamp on the report.
- They want you to also take pictures at the party.
It is also important to discuss at which moments the bride and groom does not want to be photographed. In addition to being a day in which they share their love audience, you also have to give them their own moments from time to time. You do not only make a checklist for yourself, but also for the bride and groom. It takes away many uncertainties.
Backups
Er zijn vele momenten tijdens een bruiloft die je moet 'vangen'. Het is jouw taak als fotograaf om thuis te komen met alle belangrijke foto's van de bruiloft. Zorg er voor dat je vooraf weet wanneer de belangrijke momenten zijn en anticipeer hierop.
Tijdens een bruiloft moet je niet alleen anticiperen op momenten die zich aankondigen in een schema, maar juist de onverwachte momenten of problemen bepalen het uiteindelijke succes. Vertrouw niet op ??n camera om de momenten te vangen, maar zorg voor een backup camera, meerdere batterijen, meerdere geheugenkaartjes, etc. Misschien is het zelfs handig een tweede fotograaf in te schakelen die ook een deel van de foto's voor zijn rekening kan nemen.
Als je eenmaal het moment hebt gevangen dan is het belangrijk zo snel mogelijk een backup hiervan te maken. Misschien kun je tijdens een rustig moment (verplaatsing naar nieuwe locatie, het diner van de familie) alvast je foto's naar een laptop kopi?ren. Dit heeft als extra voordeel dat je alvast wat foto's uit kunt zoeken en kunt tonen tijdens het feest.
Be efficient with your time
The bride and groom, of course, expects a fantastic wedding report. For that you need good quality photos (
sharp, correct lighting, the right moment). Try to organize your time efficiently by means of a time schedule, so that you are sure that you have enough time in all locations and at all moments to take enough pictures. Please note: quality is more important than quantity.
It is also your responsibility that you deliver the bride and groom to the next location on time, you do not want to be responsible for arriving too late at the church or city hall! So make sure you know the schedule so that you can supervise them. If you have more experience they will trust you more quickly, you have already experienced a wedding before and for them it is (often) new.
Be unremarkable
The biggest mistake a photographer can make is to be present at a wedding. Moreover, this is also a great fear of the bride and groom. Speak before the wedding that they should not worry about this and move almost invisibly by the people present. Make sure you have a positive and cheerful appearance, so that those present do not feel burdened when you
photograph them.
Investigate the locations
Investigate the locations where the ceremonies take place and look for original places where you can photograph the bride and groom. The more beautiful backgrounds, the better. Think in advance where the sun is at what time on the day itself and make sure that you have a number of alternatives when it rains.
It is useful to note the places in a booklet so that you do not forget them during the wedding day. On a wedding day there is a lot of hectic. If you do not have experience or are employed as a starting photographer, it is also fairly easy to
lose focus or forget things here and there, so try to think of as many things as possible beforehand and do as much research as possible.
Also make sure you know your camera through and through so you can quickly switch to the location. Spontaneous moments can be captured so much better. Ideally, you can change important settings within seconds, almost without looking at your camera.
Dark locations and camera settings
During weddings, especially in churches and castles, there are many times when there is little light. Dark locations are often mood-enhancing, but not ideal for unmoved photographs with fast shutter speeds. You may not be able to use a flash or high ISO values ??
to get unmoved photos. Check in advance what the possibilities of your camera are to make optimal use of this.
Search for light elements in dark locations where you can place your bride and groom. Maybe there is an atmospheric commercial that just illuminates an interesting element and you can supplement this with your own flashlight to make it an atmospheric whole. Use the various lighting options of your camera and experiment with them. Try to try as much as possible in advance so that you know what works and what does not.
If the light is not beautiful, remember that black-and-white photographs are timeless and classic. In a wedding photography, black-and-white photographs may not be missing.
"Flash on or off?"
Of course, the flash is a handy tool for getting sharp pictures in dark locations. The downside is that it is very distracted by the light, but also by the sound. This can be very disturbing during a ceremony. On an important day, such as a wedding, everything has to go perfectly.
Make sure you take into account the distracting effect of the flash. Logically, it is sometimes impossible to take a nice picture without a flash. The people present will certainly understand that. However, too much of something is never good. If you have any doubts about this, make it possible to discuss this during a meeting with the bride and groom.
If you photograph in a church, you will often also have rules on how to use a flash and possibly even your camera. You may not be able to use high ISO values ??to get unmoved photos. Check in advance what the possibilities of your camera are to make optimal use of this. Sometimes you can not get too close to the altar and you are expected to take more in the corners.
As you experience more experience as a wedding photographer, this will no longer be necessary and you know exactly at what moments you have to put down the camera or that you have to look for another
creative solution.
Composition
There are often natural lines in buildings and landscapes. You do not see these immediately with the naked eye, but if you become aware of this, you will see that there are many more lines than you actually expected. Use these lines and position the bridal couple in line or totally out of line and see what the effect is. This is how the most
beautiful photos often appear.
Most photographers take photographs from a standing position and forget that from a crouching position or even a lying position you can also take beautiful pictures. Vary in height and view the effect.
Communication with guests
Provide a good 'tone of voice' in your communication towards the guests. It is not bad to coach the composition of a company to get better pictures. In fact, the bride and groom will appreciate this.
It is important that there is communication with the attendees in a positive way. This way you will see that things are going faster and do not forget: happy guests take great photos. Fantastic photos provide a unique souvenir!
For example, it is a nice idea to photograph couples, families, groups of friends, sisters, brothers from above or from a special position. You will see that everyone wants to help, provided you choose the right approach.
Especially when making group photos and important family members, it is useful if there is a family member who can help you to find and position the people together. This way you can easily name Uncle Arie and Aunt Cor by name and make sure that you can take all necessary photos with parents, brothers and sisters, children, etc. quickly. There is nothing more annoying when the whole group has to wait for you, the sooner you can work, the less difficult it is for everyone.
Communication with wedding couple
Besides 'coaching' the guests it is also wise to help the bride and groom in terms of positions and compositions. As discussed earlier, good preparation is half the work. If you discuss in advance at which locations and during which moments you want to photograph the bride and groom alone, then the bride and groom will never be confronted with surprises.
Important in communication is that you are always calm, calm and positive. There is a lot of pressure on the bride and groom and if you attract attention in a negative way because of making a photo, the bride and groom will be out of their hum in no time and this will not benefit the quality of the wedding photography. . So try to coach the bride and groom to take great pictures, but make sure that you do not
claim the leading role.
Remember, it is the most important day for the bride, so make sure you also take lots of photos of her. She is often your client.
Be focused and comfortable in your own skin
A wedding is a day where you, as a photographer, make many hours. It is important to remain focused and well-equipped to start the day. Eat and drink well, so that you stay focused all day and you can finally offer the bride and groom an ultimate wedding photography.
Make sure you are on time and that you can dream the script of the wedding so that you can radiate peace and work quickly. This way the bride and groom will remain calm.
I find humor an important character trait that every photographer must have. With humor you can remove many tensions and fears from the people you photograph and you can solve problems.
You learn by doing
The wise saying 'practice makes perfect' is also applicable in wedding photography. At every wedding photographer the first wedding reports are of lesser quality. Do not set the bar too high, but stay focused. Do not lose yourself in your perfectionism and make sure people know what to expect.
With the post-processing of photos you can be busy for hours. Make sure you have a structure or give yourself a certain number of hours for editing, especially as a starting photographer it is very difficult to organize your time efficiently. Rest assured that over time the post-processing will also become a breeze, provided you practice enough!
With these tips you will have to come in the right direction. Be perfectionist at the right moments, but do know when you have to let go, so that you do not get stuck at another time. I am very curious about your reactions!
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