Photography 101: Weddings

Photographing a wedding is a fun, magical experience for me; I feel like each wedding is its own unique adventure that is propelled by the personalities of the couple and their families. But it can also be a stressful day if the events are hurried, so I have a thorough checklist that I prepare for myself to make sure every shot request gets taken, my equipment is up for the job, and the day flows smoothly for the bride and groom. Having planned my own wedding, that experience now lends its expertise to my day as well.

Before the wedding:
I always meet with the bride and groom several weeks or months beforehand to discuss their expectations and their package of choice, but then we meet again the week or day before their day to go over the site and day of events. It's often easiest to meet just before their rehearsal to see the location once again. I take these meetings to double check:

• List of formal and informal shots the bride has requested
• Wedding colors
• Number of guests and numbers of bridal party
• Timing of the day's events
• Multiple hooting areas for the couple
• Additional important shots: Details of reception, perhaps family member is chef, entire wedding attendance shot, or other big group shots such as college, sport team, or work team.

The day prior to the wedding I also check my equipment, charge batteries, clean lenses, and shoot a few tests of the location based on current seasonal lighting. I also check sunset time and make sure we arrange the last bride shots around then if we can.

Day of the wedding:
I always print my list of formal shot requests from the bride and double check that list several times throughout the formal session- several settings of the same group of people always makes sure to get at least one good photo.
Other things I pay attention to are:

• For outside bright sun glare I use a UV filter or a hood to protect shots from those round sun glares that can ruin an entire setting.
• Remind family guests sit in the front row, those seats are sometimes left empty and look vacant behind the bride and groom when shooting out towards the crowd.
• Remember the importance of the maid of honor and best man, not just the entire wedding party. The bride and groom have chosen these two for special reasons, so I always make sure to get some formal and fun shots of the bride or groom and their best friend.
• While the day feels rushed, I always remember to slow down and take a step back from the camera to look at the background for things like random bags, shadows, people not in wedding if in a public area as well as little details you can't see in the viewfinder such as groomsmen coat buttons (all buttoned or all not?), angles of feet, smiling children, etc.
  
• When I shoot an entire-wedding guest shot, I set the F-stop to 18 or higher and use a tripod to make sure everyone is in the same focus and the lighting is optimized.
  
• I try and shoot the cake cutting from as many angles as possible, and remind the couple to eat slow, pose often, and even redo the shot if necessary.
• If you have a mount flash watch the angle of it and practice how it bounces light of ceilings. In churches and other community buildings there are often strange angles, wood beams, or other obstacles that will direct the light wrong or even obscure it.
• Remind the couple and parents to dance slow and look at the camera a few times during their solo dances; while it's nice to get some candids of them laughing and crying together, I also get some of them smiling directly, it's daddy's last dance with his little girl!
  

Last, I always try and make the day fun. I remind the bride to relax, that we have all the time in the world and that the day won't start until she's ready! I'm with her the entire day, so I help make sure she's drinking water, eating, and, most of all, having fun. It's an honor to be a part of this couple's commitment to each other, and I always feel like if I put that honor first and foremost, the day works out exactly how it's supposed to!


Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.