How to shoot a wedding
Published: 11.05.2021
A wedding is one of the most anticipated and vibrant events in life. Shooting a wedding is a big responsibility. Wedding photos will be looked at frequently in the future, shown to friends, relatives, future children, and grandchildren. That is why it is important to prepare carefully for shooting a wedding, take into account all the wishes of the newlyweds, and not miss the most important and interesting moments.
The wedding ceremony cannot be repeated, duplicated, or reshot, so it is important to get quality photos the first time. Let's consider what you need to know to start photographing weddings and what the photographer should consider to ensure that the photos will bring joy to the bride and groom for a long time.
How to start photographing weddings
We all start out by pursuing our favorite activities, making mistakes and learning how to become professionals. We recommend that before starting to shoot weddings, practice taking photos in different genres: studio, portrait, reportage, group photos.
To shoot a wedding, you will need to have knowledge on how to choose lighting, adjust the flash, set the focus correctly, and much more. Before starting to shoot weddings, we recommend considering the following recommendations.
1. Start by working as a photographer's assistant at a wedding. This way, you will learn the shooting process from the inside, gain experience, and valuable knowledge from more professional photographers.
From the great photos that you will definitely have, create a Light album. You don't need to print the photos separately. We will print your photos directly on the pages of the Light album. Upload the images to the free editor Mapi7 and create a thematic Light album. You can upload photos from your phone.
2. Practice shooting a Love Story. Offer a couple planning their wedding to have a trial photo shoot in the style of a Love Story. You will be able to get to know the newlyweds better, learn their characteristics, individual traits, understand in which poses and angles they look best. During the wedding shoot, you will feel much more confident and be able to better highlight the couple's strengths.
3. Experiment with different types of photographic equipment, try shooting with different cameras and lenses, use various lighting sources. You should have: a camera with a fast, wide-angle lens and the ability to set different focal lengths, a tripod, several interchangeable lenses, flashes, synchronizers. Ideally, if there is only one photographer working at the wedding, it is better to have a spare camera in case of unforeseen circumstances.
4. Stock up on enough auxiliary equipment. You must have chargers, batteries, spare memory cards with you. Make sure you can photograph the wedding without any interruptions throughout the day and avoid situations where your camera suddenly dies or runs out of space during important moments.
5. Study the locations for the photos in advance. Visit the registry office or the venue of the wedding ceremony, make sure there is enough light or assess what additional lighting sources you need. Discuss the scenario and all the details of the event with the newlyweds. Carefully consider where the photo shoot of the groom and the bride will take place, choose the most interesting and suitable locations. Try to avoid standard places for photo sessions, explore the city and find those places where there are fewer people and you can create interesting storylines for the photos.
Tips on how to properly photograph a wedding
- Capture all the important moments of the wedding. The photoshoot should start with the bride getting ready. Pay attention to details, take close-up shots of the bride's hairstyle and makeup, wedding shoes, and accessories.
- During the bride's ransom, pay attention to the emotions of the parents, witnesses, and groom. Combine two types of shooting: reportage and portrait.
- When shooting at the registry office, be sure to capture the moment of the solemn ceremony and ring exchange. Focus on the faces of the newlyweds. Interesting shots with lively expressions look more original than staged photos where the bride and groom pose for the camera and smile demonstratively. In the registry office, take pictures of all the guests, make a group photo. Not everyone present at the wedding ceremony may stay for the banquet, so do not miss the opportunity to have photos with all the guests.
- Pay attention to the moment of leaving the registry office, when the groom carries the bride in his arms, doves are released, balloons are released, and guests shower the newlyweds with confetti. All these special effects look bright and colorful in photographs.
- If you are photographing an outdoor wedding ceremony, consider the position of the sun, use a flash if the faces of the newlyweds are in the shade.
- Always look around and take photos of interesting details. A great addition to the wedding album can be a photo of the bouquet, decorations, or even randomly passing animals that end up in the frame. Pay attention to the children present at the wedding, their emotions are the most sincere and genuine, they will definitely spice up the photo shoot with interesting shots.
- Take photos from different angles and distances. Don't always shoot from your eye level. Try climbing to a higher place or crouching down to capture the bride and groom from a unique perspective.
- Do not be intrusive and do not interfere with the newlyweds enjoying the celebration. But at the same time, do not remain a passive observer. Adjust the shooting when necessary, suggest to the groom and bride which pose to take, how to turn towards the camera, and what to portray.
- During the wedding banquet, do not miss important moments. Discuss the evening program in advance so you know when to expect guest greetings, the couple's dance, cake cutting, games, and the bride's bouquet toss. All these events should be captured on camera.
- During indoor shooting, replace the built-in flash with an external one to achieve softer light and a clear, three-dimensional image.
- Do not use automatic filters when taking pictures, it's better to edit the image in Photoshop later and add interesting effects. Take photos in RAW format, then you can easily edit it without any issues.
- To photograph fireworks or sparklers at a wedding, use a tripod and do not use autofocus. It is best to shoot the fireworks with an aperture in the range of f/8 to f/16 and with a long exposure.
- Do not use direct flash light. In low light conditions, it is worth using a diffuser, then the newlyweds will not blink and squint from the bright light, the photos will turn out warmer and more saturated.
- Take into account the wishes of the groom and the bride. Even if the plot for the photo seems silly and unpresentable to you, take a few shots if the newlyweds ask for it. It is better to delete unsuccessful pictures later than to miss capturing all the most important and interesting moments.
Every wedding photographer has their own secrets, interesting techniques, and unique angles. However, there is a mandatory program and universal advice that a photographer should follow to ensure that clients are satisfied.
Cool photos deserve unique framing. Print your cool shots in a Polaroid style. Fans of instant photography from the 90s may experience familiar feelings holding a photo in Polaroid style. Those unfamiliar with traditional Polaroid will appreciate the square images with space for captions.
Photos from the wedding are best kept in printed form. Order a colorful Light album that will be convenient to review and show to your loved ones and family.
