Being asked to take photos for a wedding is a huge responsibility.If you are doing it as a favor, or if you are doing it as your profession, following these 5 tips will help you do the job right.
This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned pro, or if you are an amateur, by following these tips, you won’t second guess yourself.You will be ready for whatever may happen.
Our first tip is a simple thing you can do and that is to have the couple and the families go and make a shot list.With a day that can be as hectic and chaotic as a wedding day, doing this will help when you are trying to organize all the group and family shots later on in the day. You will love it and when you can just go down the list and get everything without leaving anything out by accident.
The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots. In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Great as they are, they might tempt you to delete a shot they may like that you don’t since it is so easy to do.Don’t bother even peeking at the previews.Remember, what you think is a great shot, could be vastly different than what the couple thinks is a great shot. And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.
A third tip to consider is making sure you get candid shots. A good wedding photographer will not just try and get the typical shots, like family group shots, wedding party shots, or your standard bride and groom. But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It may include the things that go wrong also, like a flower girl making a wrong turn or the ring bearer not wanting to walk down the aisle.Every photo matters.
The fourth one to consider, and something that can easily be overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras with several lenses as backup. Do you even want to imagine having a camera stop working halfway through the day.Be prepared for anything that can go wrong.By being prepared for the worst and bringing extra cameras and equipment you will avoid the horrible moment fo not having any working cameras to capture the rest of the wedding. day.
Finally, practice your lighting as well. There can be a huge difference between the lighting inside the wedding and outside, so make sure to practice for all the different possible conditions. You should try and see if you can scout the locations for the big day and try and find the best spots to shoot as well as gauging the lighting needs.
Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely. It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be. Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.
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