First Paid Job
 

Hello all - I have been asked to photograph a wedding in August. This is my first paid job and I am obviously nervous.

I just wondered if anyone could offer any tips for the day or lead up to the event? I've started doing some research myself but any hints re. equipment or how to deal with tricky clients etc. would be greatly appreciated. :)

Hi there Soodge - quite a dauntingy task if you are to be the main photographer. I went as the alternative photographer to a wedding last Sep. I decided on that day to take two cameras with me for two reasons, firstly just in case one gave up on the day which would be your worst nightmare and also so I didn't have to keep changing lens on the one camera, for which also I wouldn't have had time to do for fear of losing the moment. Inside the church I used a 50mm 1.4 prime lens which enables you to get good results without using a flash (mainly when the guests arrived) and I also had a 135 prime lens with an extender attached for the shots I took when I was at the back of the church. (I didn't encroach on the main photographer who remained at the front of the church). This is also a very fast lens but you do lose 1 f stop by attaching the extender. As regards to tricky clients, this is a difficult one and every situation is different - try to be assertive but not in a bossy way and don't lose your rag because of one difficult person perhaps and remain calm and friendly. Watch out for your backgrounds as you position groups of people after the ceremony and avoid if possible areas where there are lots of shadows and protruding objects. When I took my shots outside of the church I changed the lens again on one of the cameras to a 24-105 L series standard and continued to use the 135 again outside. Having the two cameras saved me loads of stress, in that I wasn't wasting loads of time continually changing the lens. Also Soodge, try to take some other images which wouldn't necessarily come to mind on the day. Look for things in the church, like pews with flowers attached and simple everyday objects that are part of the whole day. Just two hands showing the rings is also very effective. Good luck and if I knew where the wedding was I'd come as your alternative photographer...

My tips are to make sure you have a back-up camera. Write down the order of formal photographs and list the people you want in them. For the group shots make sure you get the tallest people at the back and progressively work down to the shortest (children perhaps) at the front with bride and groom in the middle. Take two shots of everything and double check knobs and switches are where they should be. It's hard work both physically and mentally so try to keep calm. Organising the family shots is a nightmare, so as I say, make sure you have a script with you, so you don't lose track of who should be in the photos and tick them off as you do them. And good luck. ;):D

As above + reccie the venues first if you can. Check out the minister`s/registrar`s attitude towards use of flash and even amount of shooting you can do without flash - one registrar for me said he did not want to hear incessant clkicking and limit it to 5/6 shots during service ( I was a little naughtier as his assistant told me he was a little hard of hearing).

Back up camera and plenty of spare batteries for flash and camera. It will be a long day - make sure they lay on a snack and you have plebty of water. set up the formals,ask those jostling you with cameras to take quick shots and leave as you are the one they are paying - then re-compose and shoot - at least 2 of everything for blinkers. If it is a token payment rather than what a photographer would cost manage their ecpectations by being up front with what you can deliver. For portraits shoot with a large aperture - make your shots look different from the geust shots.

Good luck;)

Cannot better wha'ts been said except to wish you good luck and fine weather on the day!

Hi Soodge,

Congratulations on getting your first paid job, that's wonderful news - hope it all goes well for you.

Just recently we had a "wedding week" and uploaded LOTS of tutorials which you might find helpful, you can find them all here:

[url]http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/technique/wedding-photography-tips[/url]

Let us know how you get on!

Amy

Good luck to you and don't forget to tell the tax man about the additional income. :)

Thank you so much to everyone that has responded - haven't been on here for a couple of days and the advice that is above is fantastic.

Am already scoping out a second camera body so the advice about that is great. I didn't event think about checking with the registrar beforehand but this is also a fab tip.

F11 - if you're anywhere near Southend then let me know! I'm not getting paid loads for this - first proper job as main photographer (like you, have only ever been second photographer) and the client is someone who I used to go to school with. I was up front about the fact that I had never done a wedding before and just undercut the cheapest price she had been quoted. Needless to say - this won't be my rate going forward!

Checking out the venue beforehand is another good tip and as it's not actually that far from where I live, shouldn't cause me too many headaches either. The couple in question live in Australia and I haven't seen the Bride since we were at school together (almost 20 years!) so have asked her to get in touch with me when they get here so that we can sit down and go through exactly what types of shots that they want and who the main, important people are for the day. Am also going to try and get them to get their ushers on board to help with the big group shots - have seen a photographer do this before at a wedding and it seemed to work quite well.

Thanks Amy for the link to the wedding week stuff - will definitely be plowing my way through all that stuff later on today.

Big thanks to everone once again!!

The only thing I'd add to the excellent advice already given is to get the contact details of one of the guests (family member, usher etc) who can assist in getting together those people on the formal shots list.

I did my first paid wedding last month and followed similar advice to that given in this thread. I was nervous but once I started taking the pictures the nerves disappeared.

Good Luck.

Hi Soodge will e.mail you personally via the settings tab and your personal messages. Just one question is it a church wedding or a registry office ?