Digital Camera World » Weddings

12 wedding shots every bride wants (and how to get them)

jmeyer — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:00:01 +0000

Every wedding has its own unique story to tell; however, certain wedding shots of moments or people will always prove to be popular with brides and grooms. Professional photographer Kelly Weech reveals her top wedding photography tips and expert photo ideas for bagging the best wedding shots and a portfolio that everyone will remember.

Wedding photos provide memories for the bride and groom to reminisce over once the cake has been eaten, dress packed away and the day is over. No matter what your equipment or level of experience, anyone can get beautiful photographs. Check out these 12 winning wedding shots from a recent ceremony and tips on how to get them for the perfect wedding album.

Best wedding shots: the Venue

Setting the scene of the wedding is very important and a great way to start any album.

These wedding shots of the venue were all taken without flash to keep the ambience of the room indoors and not required in such good conditions outside (which is a common mistake many make).

Look around the venue for signature elements that portray the venue to its best potential.

It may be worth asking the couple before the wedding what attracted them to this particular venue and keep this in mind when starting the story.

For more tips on shooting the venue and other key situations, download our free wedding photography cheat sheet

Professional Photographer to the Rescue: wedding photography I do’s and don’ts

jmeyer — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:00:47 +0000

So far in our Professional Photographer to the Rescue series we’ve revealed a pro’s tips for music photography and the secret to shooting wild landscapes. This week we meet a professional photographer from one of the more stressful niches you can shoot: wedding photography. Our pro joins an amateur photographer on his first wedding shoot, offering his expert wedding photography tips and insider knowledge on the best equipment to have, posing tips, photo ideas and more.

Our Professional Photographer

James Howard
James has been a professional photographer for the past 10 years, and has dedicated the last five mostly to weddings. He specialises in documentary, ‘fly-on-the-wall’ style shots. James photographs almost 100 weddings a year!

Our Apprentice

Gbenga Sodeke
Gbenga is a crime scene examiner from Hertfordshire who’s enjoyed taking photos as a hobby for the past three years. He’s agreed to photograph his sister’s wedding, but with no wedding photography experience he needs pro tips – fast!

Technique assessment

Before they got ready for the wedding shoot, our professional photographer watched carefully as Gbenga set up his DSLR, then suggested a few settings.

Check the histogram
“I shoot in Manual mode indoors and only take one shot at a time rather than bracketing photos,” says James. The histogram is very handy indoors and out, as it’s the only way to guarantee that you have your exposure correct.

“On Gbenga’s 400D, he should press the Disp. button (when in Playback mode) until the image thumbnail and histogram appear. If you start to see the built-in clipping warning flash over the bride’s dress, you know you’re in trouble. Look for a nice, even histogram, without any warning highlights.”

Learn how to read a histogram

Set a custom white balance
When shooting indoors under dull or tungsten light, it’s essential that you custom-set your white balance to avoid any ugly colour casts on the bride’s dress.

James explains how: “You’ll nearly always need to use a white balance card in a ceremony room, be it a foldaway disc, a piece of white card, or even the bride’s dress if it is pure white.

“You’ll need to take a photo of the white area, making sure it fills the frame, then go into your menu system and select Custom White Balance from the available options. Then select the photo you want to use and press Set. Press the WB button on the back of the camera and scroll to the far right to select Custom.”

PAGE 1: Meet our professional photographer and apprentice
PAGE 2: During the shoot
PAGE 3: Final tips from our professional photographer
PAGE 4: Our professional photographer’s recommended gear

Bridal photography tips: a surefire way to preserve highlights in the wedding dress

jmeyer — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:46:58 +0000

While there are all sorts of wedding photography tips out there advising on everything from portrait lighting and off-camera flash techniques to the best couple poses, we thought we would offer some very specific advice for which we often get asked: namely, how to preserve the highlights in the wedding dress when shooting bridal photography.

Follow the steps below in our fool-proof exposure guide to shooting bridal photography and you’ll never over-expose a white wedding dress ever again.

Choose the right metering mode
With harsh light falling on a white wedding dress, even the most sophisticated metering systems can struggle to get exposure right. Shoot in Evaluative mode, so that the camera takes a reading from the scene as a whole.

Use your histogram for perfect exposures
Take your shot, view it on your camera’s LCD screen, then call up the histogram. This shows the tonal range of your image. If it’s over-exposed, the body of the histogram will be stacked heavily to the far right of the graph.

Fine-tune the shot with Exposure Compensation
If your shot is over-exposed then re-shoot, bracketing your images with exposures either side of the metering system’s reading. Use the Exposure Compensation button to select how much to under or over-expose a scene.

18 of the best-ever posing tips for group photos

jmeyer — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 01:00:56 +0000

The formal and informal group photo is always very popular at any social event including birthday parties, weddings or even on a night out with friends. However, the same mistakes seem to crop up, and often someone is looking away or blinking, only some people are smiling or everyone won’t fit in the frame. Wedding and portrait photographer Kelly Weech reveals her best posing tips for group photos so you can start to improve your techniques and to get a shot that everyone will love.

Preparation is the key to success. Before you pull a group together, ensure you know where you are going to take the group photos, how you would like to position everyone, what setting your camera will need to be on, if you have good light etc.

Large groups of people do not like to be kept waiting and you have a small window to get the shot you want without people getting bored and frustrated.

On this page we’ll discuss some of the general – but always necessary – photography tips to consider before and during your shoot. And then on the following pages we’ll look at some specific situations when taking group photos and how to deal with them.

Photography tips for before and during your shoot

Ensure the location you pick for a group shot does not have any distractions such as lamp posts, tree branches etc which is going to end up behind someone’s head.
Take multiple shots to avoid blinkers or to give you the option to do some post production work to create the perfect shot.
Get someone to help you organise big group shots, preferable someone with a loud, stern voice.
Do not be afraid to get in close on a smaller number of people and include as much detail as possible.
Remember taller people should go to the back and short people to the front or sides in large group shots.
On special occasions ensure the one or two people most important people i.e. bride and groom are in the centre of the shot.
It can easy to get flustered when working with larger groups of people, keep calm and carry on.
Do not forget that light is the key to every great image. On a bright sunny day do not have a group looking directly into the sun unless you want squinting faces. Look for open shade by a tree or just under cover.
Take control of the situation. People want you to direct them and set up a photograph they will love. There is no time to be shy, just be polite and straight to the point and keep talking to the group.
If you want to look more professional and people to respect you, use a tripod.
Smile. No one wants to work with a stressed out photographer so practise what you preach and be happy even if you do get frustrated.
Always get the more formal images at the beginning of a shoot when everyone looks their best but don’t underestimate how fun the more relaxed and maybe alcohol influenced photographs can be later on in the evening.

PAGE 1: Tips for before and during your shoot
PAGE 2: Shoot from a high vantage point
PAGE 3: Alter your camera angle
PAGE 4: Group reportage
PAGE 5: Set subjects a task
PAGE 6: Go closer for details
PAGE 7: Act out a story

The wedding photographer’s timeline: plan your shoots a year in advance

jmeyer — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 01:00:56 +0000

In some ways, shooting a wedding is the easiest part of being a wedding photographer. Learning new photography techniques is fun. But learning how to manage the business side of photography is one of the most difficult parts of the job for many working wedding photographers and is rarely mentioned in lists of top wedding photography tips.

In a recent post we looked at how much to charge for wedding photos when wedding photographers are just starting out in the business. In this post we’ll investigate how to plan your wedding photography shoots from the very beginning.

We’ll look at how to make contact with potential clients, how to secure bookings all the way up to tips that will leave you extra prepared on the day.

Image copyright Brett Harkness

12 months

Making initial contact
Most couples plan their wedding up to a year in advance, especially when it comes to booking important things, such as a photographer. It’s out of simple need really, because most people get married in the summer, on a Saturday, so photographers, as well as venues, can get booked up very early.

Plan ahead and maintain your diary with meticulous attention to detail. Think about local advertising or asking hairdressers and other shops in your area if you can put up postcards or leave material to promote your services.

PAGE 1: 12 months
PAGE 2: 6 months
PAGE 3: 2 months
PAGE 4: 1 month
PAGE 5: 2 weeks
PAGE 6: 1 week
PAGE 7: The wedding day

Wedding photography: how much do you charge your first time?

jmeyer — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:49:15 +0000

Image copyright Brett Harkness

Plenty of people in full-time employment do a few odd jobs on the side from time to time but, when it comes to making the most of your camera skills, wedding photography offers much more than just a bit on the side. Indeed, wedding photography is a responsibility that nobody should undertake lightly. No matter how grand the big day is itself, the wedding photos are really the only memento that lasts.

Not only will the newly-weds want to show off top-quality photos to their friends and families over the weeks ahead, but they’ll also want to show them to their children and grandchildren in decades to come.

In short, as a wedding photographer, you need to get it right.

But we all know this – even when photographing your first wedding. Chances are if you are confident enough to undertake an endeavour like shooting a wedding you don’t need too many camera tips from us.

But what about business advice? If you want to break into the wedding photography business and start shooting weddings on the side, how much should you charge for your services when starting out?

We spoke to a number of jobbing wedding photographers to get their opinion (see more photography tips from jobbing pros and famous photographers). Find out below what they suggested.

And for more wedding photography tips, download our free wedding photography cheat sheet.

Image copyright Brett Harkness

Wedding photography fee: £375
This covers your basic attendance fee, travel and photography for up to six hours on the day, as well as time after the event for post-processing of images and the provision of around 150 6×4- or 7×5-inch proof prints.

Additional hours: £45
For pre-wedding shots of the bride getting ready, through to evening shots of the party, a charge of £45 per hour (or part thereof) over and above the standard six-hour booking can be made. Agree this in advance if possible.

Wedding albums : £75 to £750
These can range from simple photo books from a cheap online supplier to bespoke album services. Budget albums often make great thank-you gifts for the couple to give to their parents or bridesmaids.

Enlargements and reprints: £5 to £25
Unlike basic proofs, these are top quality prints made by specialist services, usually ranging from 6×4-inch to 15×12-inch in size. For card mounting, add about £2.50 per print and make additional charges for picture framing if required.

Digital images on CD-ROM: £245
It only costs about 25p to put the images on a CD-ROM. What you’re really charging for is the ‘copyright’, as clients can create their own prints from the high-res files or distribute them to their family.

Online album & slideshow: £45
If the client is buying the copyright to the images, you can save them a chore by creating a Photobox (or similar) account and uploading the images so that friends can order reprints online.

Free wedding photography cheat sheet

jmeyer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:00:56 +0000

Are you an aspiring wedding photographer? Or, rather, have you had the role of wedding photographer thrust upon you by desperate friends and family members? Don’t freak out. Help is here.

For the latest addition to our Photography Cheat Sheet series we’ve taken our best wedding photography tips and applied them to what we believe are four of the trickiest situations for shooting wedding photography.

Within our cheat sheet we’ve crafted a handy little flow chart to get you through four of the most challenging situations you will face as a wedding photographer: shooting the bride’s arrival, inside the church, photographing the bride and groom and, finally, getting a pleasing photo composition when taking pictures of family and friends.

Simply drag and drop this infographic below on to your desktop to save as a handy reference the next time you decide to try your hand at shooting wedding photography!

Alternatively, at the bottom of this page you can find links to hi-res versions of each of the four sections of this cheat sheet, which you can download and print.

Download Part 1 the hi-res version of this cheat sheet
Download Part 2 the hi-res version of this cheat sheet
Download Part 3 the hi-res version of this cheat sheet
Download Part 4 the hi-res version of this cheat sheet

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50 wedding photography tips for beginners

dcworld — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:35:21 +0000

A collection of essential wedding photography tips, techniques and tricks for beginners – from candid wedding photography to a more classic approach…

If you’re new to wedding photography, this is the place to start. Whether you’re looking to gain some experience as the unofficial photographer on the big day, or simply looking for some pointers for improving your portraits in general, there’s lots of great advice on offer here.

General wedding photography tips

1 Use a wide aperture

The use of the widest aperture that your lens permits (for a narrow depth of field) can create a very appealing effect for wedding photography, keeping your subject in focus while making the background blurred – although you need to be sure you focus accurately.

2 Try slow-synch flash

If using flash, try as slow a shutter speed as possible – 1/15 to 1/25 second, say – to make the most of ambient lighting. Try panning with moving subjects while you fire the flash to freeze the subject and blur a distant background.

3 Pose the bride

For flattering images of a bride, make sure she doesn’t have her arms bent (a slight bend is best, but not straight) while holding her bouquet. If possible, ask her to create an ‘S’ bend with her body, similar to the way fashion models pose. Look through women’s magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan to see how the models pose to get an idea.

4 Look for lines

Try to make the most of strong architectural lines, such as pillars, for backdrops to your wedding photographs. Remember, if you sort out the background, the foreground falls into place to create the perfect composition. Scout out the venue beforehand to see which architectural elements might work best.

5 Use light patterns creatively

If there are any interesting light patterns outside the church or register office, you can use them to add impact and drama to your images. Be aware, however, that such patterns may come and go as the day progresses, so you may have to work quickly to capture them.

6 Frame the couple

When taking pictures of the bride and groom with their bridal car, try being creative by using the windows to frame them, or even jump inside the car, if it’s OK with them.

7 Tilt the camera

Camera tilt adds a sense of motion to an image. You don’t have to always keep the camera in landscape or portrait format, be adventurous and align the composition lines at diagonals in the image to create impact. As with all techniques don’t over do this – one or two images is ample.

8 Find the shade

If you’re shooting a wedding on a day with very strong sunshine, try to move the couple or group into the shade for a better exposure, or use fill-in, or forced flash to balance the scene. You’ll find the fill flash setting by cycling through the camera’s flash modes.

9 Add some blur

Try experimenting with pictures of the first dance using a very slow shutter speed to give your images a sense of movement. Use a combination of flash and a slow shutter speed to freeze the motion of the couple while still capturing ambience and movement. You may need to increase the ISO sensitivity of the camera – although noise will become more obvious in darker indoor conditions.

10 Use a ﬂash bracket

Attach an external flashgun to a flash bracket to lift the flash a few inches above the lens, eliminating shadows on the subject. The best frames works on a hinge mechanism and enable you to move the flash for portrait shots or landscape format shots accordingly.

Candid wedding photography tips

11 Look the other way

Weddings don’t just happen in front of you. Look around for other photo opportunities that may be behind you. After all, you’ll be looking at what your subjects can see, so if you’re aiming to capture their memories of the day, look at what they’re looking at.

12 Pay attention to detail

Look for the small stuff as well as the big picture. Often, details may go unnoticed by the wedding guests, and yet when they see a detail shot, memories will come flooding back. So be aware of everything around you and don’t be afraid to photograph it.

13 Go low

Try shooting from a low vantage point. Avoid crouching on your haunches, however. Such a stance makes you unsteady and you may find your shots ruined by camera shake. If the ground is dry, kneel down, or even lie down, in order to stand a better chance of keeping the camera steady.

14 Wait a second

Let other people take their photographs and then capture the subjects as they relax. Formal, posed shots are OK for the record, but when aiming to capture the emotion of the event, people come across better in photos when they’re happy, relaxed and unworried about people taking pictures of them.

15 Add grain

Grain can add atmosphere and lack of flash can keep attention from you. The last thing you want is for a flash to distract the wedding guests, drawing attention to yourself. The high ISO settings used in low light photography may increase noise a little, but this can give them character.

16 Try a telephoto

Long lenses keep you out of the action as an observer. They also create interesting perspective effects, which can add drama to photos. Be careful to avoid camera shake that can be induced when wielding such lenses – a sturdy tripod is a handy accessory in such situations.

17 Make friends with the organisers

They know what’s actually happening, as opposed to what should be. The organisers can tip you off about who’s going to be where and when, so it’s wise to consult them in order to be in the right place at the right time.

18 Don’t be intrusive

If someone doesn’t want their photo taken, leave them alone. There’s little point in taking shots of people who don’t like being in front of the lens. They’ll not look comfortable and you could end up causing offence. With experience, you’ll get to recognise the signals that the camera-shy give out.

19 Listen for laughter

Weddings are happy occasions, so keep an ear out for laughter. Shots in which people look happy and relaxed work very well, so use your ears as well as your eyes to monitor the dynamic of the wedding party and move in on where the action’s taking place.

20 Use the wind

If it’s windy, face people into the wind and get lots of movement. The bride’s dress in particular can look wonderfully dynamic when there’s a breeze – its lines will flow out with the movement of air. However, if you’re changing the lens on a DSLR, get out of the wind to avoid dirt blowing into the camera body.

The considerate wedding photographer…

21 Consult beforehand

Always have a pre-wedding consultation with the couple to get to know them and find out what they want first. It’s their day, not yours, so it’s wise to have a clear idea of how they envisage the occasion. Be polite and don’t promise anything that you can’t deliver.

22 Smile a lot

If you smile at people, they smile back, so make lots of eye contact. Don’t hide behind your camera. Someone with a big lump of technology permanently attached to their face can be off-putting and you’ll likely end up missing a lot of potentially excellent shots.

23 Give the couple space

After the ceremony, give the couple time and space to be congratulated. This helps you when you come to shoot the organised photographs – people won’t keep coming up and getting in your way as they attempt to pass on their best wishes to the bride and groom.

24 Be candid

While the couple are busy being congratulated, you can go round and get some candid shots of the guests. They’ll be happily distracted and therefore more relaxed than when they feel they have to pose for the camera. The unobtrusive photographer can have some of the best shots of the wedding day.

25 Compose subtly

Pre-focus and compose your subject through the lens, then get their attention by talking or smiling at them – they won’t know you’re taking the photograph. When they do realise, they’ll laugh and you can then take more natural-looking photographs. The more relaxed people are, the better the shots will turn out.

26 Go with the flow

Don’t fight the rain, wind, people and time. There’s always a way to get round a problem, so think laterally. As you become more confident and experienced, you’ll develop numerous ways of making the unexpected play into your hands, so exercise your problem-solving skills to the full.

27 Plan for rain

If it’s raining, use brollies. It’s handy to have a white one and a black one in your car. Get the couple walking with them, kissing each other and so on. They make excellent props, and can save your expensive digital camera from a soaking, which is unlikely to do it much good.

28 Use the crowd

If people are in the background in public places, just let them be there. Sometimes it’s good to take pictures of strangers wishing them the best.

29 Manage your time

You should always have enough time. If you don’t, you didn’t ask the right questions at the consultation. Be aware of the schedule of the day, how you’re going to get from A to B and where the wedding party will be and when. The disorganised photographer will miss out on key moments, so don’t let it be you.

30 Enjoy yourself

Wedding photography can be a lot of fun, but not if you’re fretting about the camera or the light. Relax and have a good time, just as the rest of the attendees are meant to be doing. You may find that your photography improves as a result.

Reportage wedding photography tips

31 Use your inside knowledge of the family to get shots
If some relatives haven’t seen each other for 20 years, a shot of when they first meet at the church could be very emotional. Think about the attendees and how they get on, then use that knowledge to plan your shooting schedule.

32 Avoid shooting when people are eating

Don’t take pictures of people eating. They never look good and no one will thank you for it. You may as well pack away the camera during the meal and have some food yourself while you wait for the speeches, which provide far more opportunities for good people shots.

33 No chimping

Don’t ‘chimp’ after each shot (chimping is looking at the camera’s screen to check your pictures). It uses up the batteries and takes your eye off the action. You’re better off reviewing the photos en masse occasionally, being careful to delete only those that you can’t feasibly use.

34 Bounce the flash

When shooting indoors, bounce your flash off the ceiling and balance the exposure with the ambient light. Bounced flash is far more diffuse, so you won’t end up with those harsh shadows that are characteristic of amateur snaps.

35 Tell a story

Adopt a photojournalistic approach – look for pictures that tell the story of the day. The classic way is to get three pictures of each moment, not necessarily taken at the same time. For example, a close up of the cake, a medium shot of the couple cutting the cake and then a wide angle of the guests’ reactions.

36 Take your own confetti

To make sure you get a good confetti shot, take your own confetti. Frame the shot and throw the confetti high in the air, not at the couple. Try a small aperture (f/11), slow shutter (1/15 sec) and fill-in flash. Just make sure the wind isn’t blowing towards you, or you’ll look like an idiot.

37 Listen for stories

When mingling with the guests listen out for someone telling a story. There are typically numerous characters at the wedding, each with something to say, so let them warm up the crowd for you and be ready to capture their reactions.

38 Edit ruthlessly

When you get back home, edit the pictures then edit them again. Remove any shots in which the bride and groom don’t look at their best. Retouch any blemishes from their faces, and so forth. Then edit the pictures again – only let people see the best shots, not hundreds of average ones.

9 Don’t let your camera sharpen the shots

Turn off any automatic in-camera sharpening. This is best done on the computer after you’ve resized the images. If possible, always shoot RAW format. This transfers the data from the imaging chip directly to memory without compressing it, although the file sizes will be much larger than when shooting JPEGs, so you’ll need high-capacity memory cards, or a portable storage device to copy your images onto over dinner…

40 Underexpose in bright light

In bright sunlight, try to retain the detail in the bride’s dress by underexposing by 1 EV and then bringing the shot up to the correct exposure on the computer. Digital cameras have excellent dynamic range, so shadow detail should be recoverable – it’s highlights which is where they tend to have problems. Again, shooting in RAW as opposed to JPEG really helps in this situation.

Contemporary wedding photography tips

41 Find a position

Try to get a position in the church about 2 or 3 rows back from the altar and to the side of the bride and groom. You can capture some fantastic emotional images throughout the ceremony. And make sure you turn the camera’s sound effects off so you don’t disturb people seated nearby.

42 Plan for key events

Think beforehand at what points you’ll be able to capture emotional or funny images – for example, during the ceremony itself, and the couple’s interaction while register is being signed. This is often the ﬁrst time they’ve spoken together on the day and their reactions can produce some wonderful images.

43 Soften your flash

Never use direct flash – as well as using an off-camera flash bracket, place a diffuser over the flash head. Sto-fen’s white plastic caps are affordable and great for helping flash pictures. They soften the flash, reducing those harsh shadows that can make photographs look amateurish.

44 Avoid effects

Keep away from too many digital effects on the camera. If you want to create a sepia print, or even solarize the happy couple, shoot in colour as normal and convert the shot in an image editor later. If you shoot with special effects, you’ll not be able to turn the image into a standard colour shot afterwards.

45 Go wide on architecture

Use wideangle lenses to capture interesting graphic shapes. The lines of a church’s interior can look spectacular when wideangle lenses distort them. Just avoid taking portraits with them – people’s faces will distort in a strange, bulbous way.

46 Go slow indoors

Practice slow-sync ﬂash methods, which can transform interior shots. The camera’s flash will fire to illuminate foreground subjects and the shutter will stay open longer so that the background’s properly exposed. Rest your camera on a tripod, though, otherwise you’ll introduce unwanted motion blur.

47 Aim high

Where possible, try high angles (or low ones) to get shots that are different from those taken by the rest of the guests. Most people will shoot from head height, so get on a chair, table or windowsill to make your compositions stand out from the rest.

48 The best man’s speech

Watch for reaction from the bride and groom during the best man’s speech. This can be the funniest point in the whole day, so keep an eye on their faces as he talks. When the inevitable funny stories start coming out, the couple’s reactions will be well worth capturing.

49 Use exposure lock

Make good use of the camera’s exposure lock – yours may have an AE-L button, or it can be locked by half-depressing the shutter – and take spot meter readings from faces to ensure you get the correct exposure. People are automatically drawn to faces in a photo, so you don’t want them under- or overexposed

50 Use a reflector

They’re cheap, you can clearly see the effect and it’s better than flash. The reﬂector helps to reduce the harsh shadows caused by strong, directional light, and is essential when aiming to take flattering portraits.

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wedding photography tips

Wedding photography tips: 10 steps to pro-quality pictures

dcworld — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:51:18 +0000

Follow our stress-reducing wedding photography tips for shooting the big day – and get the wedding photos the bride, groom and family will love. In addition to our tips, we also address some of the common photography problems you might encounter while shooting a wedding and offer solutions for how to overcome them.

There are many challenges to successful wedding photography and it can be a stressful day even for the most experienced photographers.

Here, professional wedding photographer Brett Harkness (see his bio at the bottom of this page) reveals his best wedding photography tips and how he breaks the big day down into 10 easy steps so that he can capture a stunning collection of wedding portraits, group photos, close-ups and more for his clients.

Wedding Photography Tips: 01 Getting ready

Successful wedding photography is all about telling the story through a series of photographs and this starts with the preparations for the big day. It’s a good idea to arrive at the bride’s house early enough to assess how she’s getting on with her preparations. When she’s in the final stages, a simple shot showing her having her make-up applied – perhaps reflected in a mirror – is a great one to get. I use a mixture of a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens and 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens to capture the process of getting dressed and, as much as possible, I try to use natural light.

Look for little details like the delicately embroidered details of the fabric of her dress or try capturing special moments, such as when she has the back of her dress laced up or while she’s chatting to her bridesmaids.

Wedding photo problem:

“The bride’s getting ready in a small room and she’s facing the window!”

Solution:

Try overexposing by about +1 or +2 stops to blow out the window, so that you get a bright background without any detail.

While not wedding photography tips per se, you might find some of the advice from the following portrait photography tutorials also useful for these situations.

Extra photos to get here…

Incidental photographs are an important part of the shoot list. Good details will add to the story and look great in the wedding album. Use the time when the bride is having her hair done to get early detail shots in the bag. Take some of the items you want to shoot out of the dressing room so you’re not getting in the way of the bride. Shoes, flowers and rings all make good detail shots. Look for funky, bold backgrounds and arrange them into pleasing still life photography. Natural light will give you some great results. Look for an area of open shade outside if the weather’s good; if not, a window light works well. A macro lens is essential – I use a 50mm f/2.5 macro.

Wedding photo problem:

“When using my macro lens, a lot of my close-up details are soft.”

Solution:

When using a macro lens, try keeping to mid-range apertures such as f/6.3-f/8, to balance depth of field with reasonable shutter speeds. Focus manually too.

Wedding Photography Tips: 02 Arriving at the church

In an ideal world you should arrive at the church as early as possible before the bride. Don’t waste this precious time. If you’re lucky enough to have an assistant, get them to park the car, making sure you can get away easily. Look for the groom and his ushers – they’re usually either walking from the pub or chatting outside the church. I always try to set the scene with my wide lens and then go in closer for the details, such as cuff links, flowers and shoes. This is also a good time to take some wedding portraits.

Other incidental images will help tell the story, such as guests arriving, orders of service, bridesmaids, the church gargoyles, flowers and children playing. There’s lots of potential subjects to capture at this point, however, you’ll need to have an eye open in anticipation of the bride’s arrival. The whole process of the bride arriving can happen in a flash so you’ve got to be prepared and have a plan in your mind.

Try to have 2 or 3 options for every stage of the day. You’ll need to be aware of where you should be as this critical moment won’t happen again. I’ll usually be on my wideangle lens and down low for a good dynamic angle or half way up the path using a long lens. I avoid the ‘normal’ shots and never get into the car to take pictures. Be there to capture it in your own unique way.

Finally, head for the church to get ready for the bride’s entrance. I stay on my 70-200mm lens while she walks up the path – a beautiful moment to capture with bride and father.

Wedding photo problem:

“The bride’s got out of the car and she’s bathed in sunlight!”

Solution:

Try underexposing by -2 stops and use fill flash to light the bride. This will take some time to get right and is not for the faint hearted, but once mastered you’ll find it invaluable.

Wedding Photography Tips: 03 The ceremony

This important part of the wedding day can be technically challenging. There’s no second chances and you’ve got to have your wits about you. In situations like this it’s best to switch from program or semi-automatic modes to manual so that you have full control over your camera settings. There’s often limited light, so you’ll need to crank up the sensitivity to ISO 800 or ISO 1600. Keep your white balance set to auto, unless there are difficult light sources – in which case, do a custom white balance reading. I like to use a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens during the ceremony and I try to get to the front of the church and sit with the choir on the groom’s side so that I’m facing the bride. If you’re not allowed to sit at the front, you’ll have to get creative from the back of the church.

Think of the overall story – keep it in your mind all the time and look for shots of the parents, bridesmaids and guests to add to the narrative. Set the scene with some wide shots of the church interior using a wideangle lens. If the church is very dark I may get a friend or assistant to stand at the back or sit in a pew with a flashgun, which I can control using a Pocket Wizard remote trigger.

Wedding photo problem:

“I’m not allowed to use flash in the church and there’s a strong colour cast on my pictures!”

Solution:

If you can’t use flash during the ceremony then you’ll have to rely on the available light. The preset white balance modes may not be enough to get rid of colour casts. Make a custom white balance with a grey card and shoot in raw format so you can tweak the white balance later in software.

Wedding Photography Tips: 04 Leaving the church

Just before the bride and groom come down the aisle, take a moment to get your camera settings sorted out and fit a wide zoom lens. If you can get them to stop and kiss just as they leave the church you’ll get a great series of shots. Get down so your low vantage point avoids getting other people in the background. Encourage the other guests to congratulate the bride and groom and use this time to shoot documentary-style pictures. Get a good wideangle shot of the scene and go in for some details to add to the story.

Next, guide the couple down to the gate for the confetti shots before leaving for the reception. If the weather is closing in or you’re shooting a winter wedding, stay behind with the bride and groom for ten minutes and get pics of them using what light there is left in the day.

Wedding photo problem:

“The couple have left the church too quickly, leaving me with out-of-focus shots!”

Solution:

Be ready – either use flash and follow-focus the couple as they walk out of the church, with a suggested setting of ISO 400, 1/80sec to 1/100sec depending on how dark it is. Or ditch the flash, increase the ISO, pre-focus on a church pew and wait for the couple to hit that point.

Wedding Photography Tips: 05 The Bride and Groom

During the reception you’ll need to grab the bride and groom for about 15 minutes. Make sure you’ve got all the gear you’ll need, which should include a ladder, reflector and a bottle of Champagne with glasses.

It’s critical to have a plan. Try to work with three previously scouted locations in mind. Even use the walking to and from locations to get shots – lie down in the grass and shoot the couple walking towards you. Look for backgrounds, such as doorways, fences, steps, walls, wallpaper, staircases or any other architectural details of interest. Even the seemingly most mundane venue will have some great areas if you look carefully. I once shot a bride and groom in front of a bottle bank at the bottom of the car park because we were stuck for texture. It looked great.

Start off with the couple in a general scene shot using a wideangle lens then use the zoom to get a tighter shot. It’s important to also get the bride by herself so take the groom out of the picture for some single pictures of the her. Shoot a full length, half length and a head shot, taking multiple photos and changing the pose or direction of her gaze slightly between each frame.

Get on your ladder and make the bride raise her chin a little as it can be more flattering. If you’ve got an assistant ask them to hold a reflector and bounce light back into the bride’s face. I’ll often get a bride to look down while I shoot from a ladder. Get her to raise her head slowly while opening her eyes towards the lens, you’ll be able to feel the right moment and if you’ve got your timing right you’ll get a powerful portrait.

Wedding photo problem:

“I can’t decide which lens to use for the reception!”

Solution:

To avoid all your images looking the same use a variety of focal lengths, go from wide to telephoto and you’ll end up with a great set of different looking shots which will work alongside one another in an album.

For more advice, see our guide to romantic couple poses.

Wedding Photography Tips: 06 Groups

I think shooting group photos are an integral part of any wedding. No matter how ‘documentary’ or your approach is you should be prepared to shoot groups. They can be challenging and you’ll have to work fast. A small ladder is invaluable for the group shots so you can get a bird’s eye view of the scene and see everyone’s face. The background is important and I like to try and show some of the venue. A 16-35mm wideangle zoom set to a smallish aperture such as f/11 is good so that you achieve a decent depth of field. I’ll always pop a little flash into the scene to brighten up the shadows in the faces. Backlit shade is best. If the group is in the middle of a field then you will have to create your own shade by turning their backs to the sun.

Once you’ve done the big group, get the smaller requested shots done. These should be discussed with the bride and groom prior to the wedding. I’ll use a longer focal length and stand back for groups of fewer than 12 people. If you do the large group, photograph everyone together and then simply call out names for smaller group shots.

Wedding photo problem:

“There are shadows across the faces in my group shots!”

Solution:

The best way to shoot a big group shot (150 to 350 people) is to stand on a ladder and use a wide lens. Underexpose by one stop to give detail in the highlights, and use fill-flash to get rid of the shadows.

Wedding Photography Tips: 07 Details

Don’t underestimate the importance of details throughout the day They’re the glue that binds an album together. Look for different ways of telling the story – rather than showing a clock to illustrate the time, look for birds flying away to roost or shadows on the ground. Other details such as canopies, children playing, hats, flowers, architectural details and musicians are all essential parts of the story.

Take candid head shots of the other guests. Shoot ‘contre jour’ with the sun behind their heads and you’ll get a lovely rim light. Expose for the shadows of the face and focus on the eyes, don’t worry if the highlights in the background blow out.

Wedding photo problem:

“When I’m shooting reception details, the spotlights that shine down can create a nasty shadow – what can I do?”

Solution:

Try to use off-camera flash using a remote trigger such as a Pocket Wizard. This gets rid of the shadows and allows you to be creative with your lighting.

Wedding Photography Tips: 08 Speech

You’ll need to show the ‘important people’ on the top table and also the crowd’s reaction to the speeches. If you have an assistant or a friend helping out, ask them to concentrate on the other tables while you stick with the top table. Unless you’re lucky enough to have the speeches outside on a lovely sunny evening you’ll almost certainly need to use flash. Switch to manual mode depending on the amount of ambience there is. I can guess my settings, ISO 400-800, 1/30sec to 1/60sec at a low aperture such as f/5.6, with flash bounce off the ceiling. I usually end up on my knees in front of the top table, picking reactions off at both ends.

Wedding photo problem:

“I have a problem getting enough light onto the subject without causing harsh shadows.”

Solution:

Use a slow shutter speed to capture the natural light and bounce the flash off the ceiling. You’ll avoid harsh shadows, and capture the ambiance of the room.

Wedding Photography Tips: 09 Cake cutting and first dance

Shooting the first dance can be a hit and miss affair for some photographers but, if you use the right equipment with the right knowledge you can achieve wonderfully lit pictures full of fun and energy. I’ll often use two or three off-camera flashes, one as my main fill light with a soft box attached and two ‘naked’ flashes for special effects mounted on Manfrotto light stands which I’ll fire using a remote trigger. If you give yourself the time to set this up during the meal then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be ready in time. Use your assistant or a waiter to test your exposures. I’ll keep the flashes on manual output and control the exposure using the aperture. I’ll tweak the shutter speeds to vary the amount of ambient light and then take a few test shots to get the right balance.

The cake shot is more traditional than anything else. If you have to do this shot – which you probably will – then spice it up a little. Grab one of the ‘naked’ flashes from the dance floor and use it as a rear flash for a dramatic effect. Ask an assistant to hold the other flash with a softbox to light the bride and groom. A lens with a 24-70mm focal length is perfect for this and I’ll often get down on my knees to capture the moment from a more dramatic angle.

Wedding Photography Tips: 10 Fireworks

Finish the night with a bang! If you’re just starting out in wedding photography then stay all night just for the experience. As you progress, make sure you charge extra to stay later. Sometimes fireworks can take place at 11pm. The brightness of the fireworks and how long they last will affect your exposures. Quite often your exposures will be a little faster than you might think. Try positioning the couple in the foreground and popping them with a little flash while keeping the shutter open for 1/10sec to 1/15sec. You may well need to use a tripod. Sometimes the fireworks are so bright that you’ll be close to daylight exposures. Switch to manual mode and experiment.

Wedding photo problem:

“I find getting the couple and fireworks looking good in one exposure can be challenging.”

Solution:

To balance the couple and fireworks, keep your shutter open a little longer and let your flash freeze the subject. Use rear curtain sync so that the flash fires at the end of the exposure

Bonus wedding photography tips

Equipment check: have you…

• Fully charged all your camera batteries?
• Cleaned your camera sensor?
• Formatted your memory cards?
• Got a list of the day’s timings?
• Got clear directions and phone numbers and a full tank of fuel?
• Double checked camera bags, ensuring you’ve got all the right cables, lenses and accessories?
• Got plenty of spare AA batteries for flashguns and your DSLR battery charger?
• Packed some electrical tape?
• Packed a small ladder and white umbrella?
• Packed a spare body or two – consider hiring one – just in case?

Shots to get: make sure you cover…

• Getting ready
• Arriving at the church
• The ceremony
• Details throughout the day
• Bride by herself
• Bride and groom together
• Families of the bride and groom
• Big group shot and bridal party
• Cutting the cake
• Speeches and first dance

All wedding photos ©Brett Harkness. Professional wedding photographer Brett Harkness started taking wedding pictures over 10 years ago while working as a cruise ship photographer in the Caribbean. He returned to the UK in 2001 and shot his first wedding for £150 using one roll of film. Since then his business has gone from strength to strength and while he only shoots between 10 and 15 weddings a year, he regularly earns 5 figures a wedding. Find out more at Brett Harkness Photography

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