How to Take Good Wedding Photographs
Taking wedding photographs can be an exciting endeavor, but it can also be nerve-racking to be the photographer responsible for capturing a couple's important day. Making sure you and your equipment are prepared is essential for making the day progress smoothly. Keeping in mind the shots you want to capture will ease some of the stress as well. Setting yourself up strategically for capturing both formal and candid shots is another important part of delivering wonderful photographs to the bride and groom. Having an open mind and a creative eye, blending in and being professional, will all turn the experience from frightening to fun.
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Instructions
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Make sure you have the appropriate material. Make sure your digital camera is fully charged and that your film camera has enough film. Bring extra of any supplies you might need. Purchase a stable tripod.
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Practice several shots with your camera (or cameras) before the day of the event. Make sure you have great facility with the various functions of your camera. Do this whether or not you are new to photography--it's important, both, for bolstering your skill and confidence and for making sure that the camera is functioning well.
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Dress professionally and be inconspicuous at the wedding. You don't want to draw attention to yourself when you are shooting pictures or distract the guests form the main event.
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Position yourself in a place where you have full view of the bride and groom during the ceremony if the couple has requested pictures during that time. Make sure you are in a place where you have mobility but also that you are placed in a position where you won't be distracting guests or obstructing their view by moving around.
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Choose the parts of the ceremony and reception you are going to capture. You can't be everywhere at once, so make sure that you have planned carefully for important moments.
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Make sure the lighting is appropriate for all shots, but especially the formal group shots of the wedding party, family, bride and groom. Be light and conversational to put people at ease. They will look better in the picture if they are not nervous, and your pictures will look more professional and less staged if your subjects are relaxed.
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Be invisible during the reception. Take pictures of people dancing, eating, laughing and talking before they know you're there. Taking candid shot requires some stealth on your part, but your clients will treasure the way you've immortalized their special event if you capture it exactly as it was.
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References
- Photo Credit wedding image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
