I’ve photographed my fair share of weddings for friends and family, here’s my wedding photography crash course

Couple, just married, being sprinkled with confetti

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Whether you fancy yourself as a wedding photographer, or have been roped in by friends to do the job because of ‘you’re a photographer, aren’t you’ reasoning, I have found there are few events as stressful, challenging and fun as photographing a wedding. The key to making a good job of it is preparation and a few key wedding photography tips.

Visit the locations you will be shooting at a week before so you can see how wide an angle lens you will need, how light or dark it is. Go meet the officiant beforehand to find out where you can shoot from, whether flash is allowed in the venue. Work out where you will be doing the group shots, where there’s the opportunity for creative shots with just the bride and groom.

Next, always have two cameras and two flashguns, in case something fails on the day. Also, two cameras means two different lenses fitted, so cutting down on the time needed to swap anything over. You’ll need a wide-angle zoom, a portrait and a telephoto lens to cover all bases.

And lastly, weddings are joyful times, but there will be nerves, so be your most enthusiastic, comforting, encouraging and patient self. It makes people less wary about being photographed and easier for you to organize the group shots.

1. Get creative

Wedding reception, inside a castle, shot from outside — Meter for the inside of the location, not the exterior, so it's correctly exposed (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

Look for interesting or creative setups, like here, shooting from outside the wedding reception. Work out what the light will be like when the reception is taking place to see what opportunities present themselves. For this shot, I metered for the interior to make sure the bright lighting wasn't blown out.

2. Behind the scenes

Bride, backlit by window, looking thoughtful — I used a wide aperture to blur the background and isolate the bride (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

Here’s your chance to make everyone comfortable with you as the photographer. Use your portrait lens with a wide aperture (around f/1.8) and capture the preparations, the dress being tightened up and the bride looking thoughtful.

3. The ceremony

speech inside the church at a wedding — Make sure you are prepared for the potentially low light levels and restricted shooting positions inside the venue for the ceremony (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

Inside venues are tough because of low light and restricted access. Use your telephoto lens and ramp up the ISO to get a fast enough shutter speed. Pick out notable moments, like I did here, when the speeches were being made.

4. The key moment

The ring being placed on the finger in a wedding ceremony — Here's one of the key moments that you must be ready for (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

Weddings are all about moments, and the exchanging of the rings is a key one. I like to zoom in and capture the rings going on the couple's fingers, and will then pull out a little to capture the expressions on their faces. I use single-point focus to lock onto the hands.

5. The group shots

Group shot of a wedding party outside the church — Organising the group shot outside the church is a challenge (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

I like to use a tripod for the big group shots as it focuses the attention of everyone. Put the bride and groom, and their immediate families in the middle, kids to the front, adults at the back. Use a wide-angle lens (17mm) to get them all in, and an f/11 aperture for enough depth of field.

6. The reception

Close up macro shot of the table setting — Don't forget to capture some detail shots at the reception (Image credit: Wendy Evans)

There’s usually a brief respite as everyone heads over to the reception venue, but get ready to go again. Shoot close-ups of interesting table settings and the cake, use slow-sync flash to capture the first dance, and shoot wide-angle shots of the dance floor.

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To shoot a wedding you need lots of gear, starting with a portrait lens, a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens. Don't forget your flashgun as well.

Wendy was the Editor of Digital Photo User for nearly five years, charting the rise of digital cameras and photography from expensive fad to mass market technology. She is a member of the Royal Photographic Society (LRPS) and while originally a Canon film user in the '80s and '90s, went over to the dark side and Nikon with the digital revolution. A second stint in the photography market was at ePHOTOzine, the online photography magazine, and now she's back again as Technique Editor of Digital Camera magazine, the UK's best-selling photography title. She is the author of 13 photography/CGI/Photoshop books, across a range of genres.

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