A couple’s wedding day is the most important day of their lives. As a photographer, you need to experience the same sentiment, in order to take the best pictures. Although a wedding is often a large-scale event with plenty of people and noise, don’t let this bother you. With sufficient planning and these 5 essential wedding photography tips, you should be able to do a fabulous job.
1. Arrive Early
It is natural for the bride and groom to be nervous, and their family to be stressed. You must make it your job to put everyone at ease, so that the photos reflect only happy faces. For this, you need to arrive early to plan your shots. Capture the bride getting ready with her hair and make-up, or having a girly conversation with her bridesmaids. Once you have taken a few shots at home, rush to the church before everyone arrives. The bride’s father walking her down the aisle is a moment you cannot afford to miss.
2. Be Spontaneous
The church ceremony goes through quickly, and if you miss any part of it, you won’t get a second chance. If the interiors are not sufficiently lit up, ramp up the light sensitivity (ISO settings) of your camera, since churches do not encourage the use of flash. Switch between wide-angled shots of the entire congregation and close-ups of the bridal entourage and priest as the ceremony progresses.
3. Capture Emotions
Be prepared for special moments like the bride’s father giving her hand to the groom at the altar, or the wedding toast and first dance at the wedding reception. Audience reactions to these moments also make great opportunities for varied emotions. You’re lucky if the bridal couple and their friends goof around a little. These “silly” shots will add color and depth to the wedding album, and make your photography work stand out.
4. Group Shots
You will invariably need to take a few group shots of all the attendees. Use a ladder to give you height, which helps capture a wider frame. Also, everyone will be looking up to you, so you will get clear faces. If you are doing this after the ceremony, arrange the group in front of the church. If it is at the reception, capture some details of the venue as background.
5. It’s All in the Details
Keep an eye out for the small things that make this wedding unique. The bridesmaids’ bouquets, the back of the bride’s dress, children running around, people in intimate discussions, table settings and the music band are just some ideas.
Summary
A great wedding photo album should help anyone relive the big day, even if they did not attend the event. Your pictures must tell a gripping story of the newlyweds’ special day, which they will love and cherish for eternity. For more wedding photography tips, Volume 3 of the Bokeh Photography Magazine is available for the iPad.
More Wedding Photographer Tips in Bokeh iPad Magazine Vol 3
More Wedding Photographer Tips in Bokeh iPad Magazine Vol 3
