>> Wedding Photography Tips <<

I have a lot of visitors to my site who are amateur photographers interested in learning wedding photography and want wedding photography tips. While I have much to learn, I have been very blessed by a few photographers that helped me out as I was learning - and my goal with this page (and more sections that are to come in the future) is to help aspiring wedding photographers. Parts of this page still refer to film, but I felt it was important to keep those references in because I still have photographers e-mail me that are about to shoot their first wedding: with film.

One of the biggest questions I've wondered is this: why is there such a lack of basic information on how to photograph weddings? Why do all of the wedding photography books I have seem to offer so little on how to actually light and shoot a wedding? Realistic lighting! Not studio lighting. And why is some of the information that is out there SO BAD (how many people have heard about indoor on-camera flash photography with the camera and flash set to F8 or F11 to have sharp focus - with the result being a "black background" and/or "cave photography"??).

My goal is to help provide you practical information! The page is long - don't quit part way through it! I first give basic information, then I answer some general questions, and then some more specific questions. Part way through this page I have a sign-up for additional tips with color photos...

Some of the questions I have been asked:

• What equipment should I use to photograph weddings? Or, do you have any 35mm wedding tips?
• What digital camera do you use to photograph weddings?
• What exposure should I use for a candlelight wedding? Or, what are wedding low light camera settings?
• How to photograph a candlelit procession?
• What are the largest prints that can be made from 35mm film?
• What lenses work the best for wedding photography?
• What film do you recommend for photographing weddings?
• What type of digital camera should I buy?
• How do I avoid harsh shadows when taking outdoor pictures?
• What is the best camera for wedding photography?
• Should I use a filter during wedding photography?
• What books are best for beginning Wedding Photography?
• Do you show your digital pictures at the wedding reception, for the guests to choose the photos they want?
• How many pictures are typically taken at a wedding?
• Exposure modes (auto vs. manual) and blurry photos.
• What image editing software do you use?
• How to take photos with blurred backgrounds.
• Do you allow other photographers to take pictures at your weddings?
• Links to other wedding photography FAQ's on the web.

However, it seems like the question that sums everything up, is, "My friend has asked me to photograph their wedding, do you have any advice for me?"

I think this is why many professional wedding photographers are "tight" with giving out information. They don't want to inspire a bunch of amateurs to go out and take bad wedding photos - and then get blamed for it all. I am of the opinion that everyone has to start out at some point. I also believe that an inspired and skilled amateur that is willing to prepare and work hard is capable of taking better photos than some working "professionals".

The first bit of advice I have for amateurs who have been asked to take wedding photos: hire a skilled, professional wedding photographer. Whether you hire the photographer for the bride and groom, or, give them a monetary gift and recommend several photographers for them to choose from - details don't matter. Just do it. By hiring a good professional you will have:

• Better photos of their wedding day
• A much more enjoyable wedding day for yourself
• Many more hours of free time
• Much less stress in your life
• Your friend will remain a friend
• And, to top it off, you can watch the professional (from a distance - without getting in the way) at the wedding and learn from them...

However, chances are, if you are looking for wedding photography tips, you've already decided to do it and aren't interested in me (a wedding photographer), giving advice that seems somewhat biased.

If that is the case, this page contains my honest advice on how to get the best results taking wedding pictures. You'll need to plan on spending hours upon hours preparing for your first wedding (taking test photos, learning your camera, studying web sites) and I would also suggest you buy a few books that are currently available - and given recommendations on which book I think would be most helpful for you - at the bottom of the page).

Help for the Amateur About to Photograph Their First Wedding:

• Make sure you, and your friend, understand what you are getting into. Not only that, but make sure expectations are VERY, very low. That way, if something goes wrong there will not be hurt feelings. If your photos do not turn out as good as they could have - you will still hopefully have a friend. If they are expecting snap-shot quality images they won't be disappointed in snap shot-quality images, and will be impressed with any shots that are better than average quality!



• Write up a Letter of Agreement. You must be cognizant of the fact that your friend can sue you if something goes wrong. Once your friend is married, their loyalty will be (and should be) primarily to their spouse. You never know what will happen to a friendship. Take the time to write up a document, title it a "letter of agreement", and clearly spell out the requirements of both parties. Make it as complex or simple as you like, just be sure to include a paragraph that says your friend understands you are not a professional wedding photographer, that you cannot guarantee to provide any specific photo, and that you are not responsible for any loss of coverage for any reason. Even WITH that phrase in the letter that is signed by yourself and your friend you can STILL be sued. However, with that phrase you should be much safer! I'm not a lawyer, and as they always say you should get legal advice from a lawyer, but I definitely encourage you to at least use common sense to handle the legalities.



• Realize that wedding photography is expensive. Not only will you easily spend 30 hours of time on the project, but several hundred dollars as well. Even if you stick with the basics: fresh batteries for ALL equipment, professional film (if you are still using a film camera) - you can easily spend close to $500. If you purchase books and spend other time practicing - the price goes up. Also, think about the reprints. Who will handle those? If you are shooting film, will the prints be numbered or will you have to do that? Reprints can take a lot of time.
  • This is where digital equipment will save you a lot!



• You MUST practice your lighting and exposures. You will have a hard time making excuses for bad exposure in the wedding pictures. It won't sound right to simply say "the church was dark", or, "my flash was acting up." Do whatever it takes to go to the venues and take sample photos before the wedding. Write down all your photo exposure information (especially if you are using 35mm equipment to photograph the wedding). If you are using digital the information is usually recorded in the camera. Review all the photos, then WRITE DOWN the settings that work best and take that paper with you to the wedding. Make sure you use those settings.
  • I remember a time when I was just getting started in wedding photography and was using 35mm equipment. I went to the church facility on a Wednesday night to take some test photos. After the film was back, I was shocked to see how dark the stage was. I went back and took another set of test photos and was blown away to realize that: my camera meter, light meter, and eye were ALL somehow off from what the actual images recorded. I am so glad I took the test photos in the first place - and that I went back and did more experimenting when the first batch were off. I had never before, or since then, seem the same situation (where my light meter, camera meter, and eye were all off) and still don't know what in the world happened that caused the photos to be dark (and no, it wasn't the processing - because other images were mixed into that roll that turned out fine, and when I went back for another test shoot I achieved the same results).
  
  
  
  • Even with practice there are still little details that can make or break your exposures. Sunshine streaming through a window or a cloudy day can all make differences. Or, you could experience a slight technical issue with your equipment. A perfect example of that happened to me several years ago. I was photographing the procession from near the front of the church. As the grandparents came in I took their picture, but I didn't think my flash "sounded" or looked like it had fired as much as it should have for the proper exposure. The interesting thing was that it HAD fired. I quickly began troubleshooting and found out the flash shoe had slid back the tiniest bit in its holder and was not fully synchronized with the camera, EVEN though it was still firing. The photo of the grandparents came out underexposed - BUT, because I noticed something was wrong and fixed it, the rest of the wedding procession (including the wedding party) turned out perfect. This is why you must KNOW your equipment.



• You MUST fully know your equipment and have backup equipment ready to use. One camera is not enough. One lens is not enough. One flash is not enough. Fifteen rolls of film are not enough. 3GB of memory cards are not enough... Surely you get the idea? Simply borrowing, and bringing along with you, a spare camera will not work. You must know how to use it. Make sure all your equipment works and that you have fresh batteries (and lots of spares) on hand. Ask yourself if you would be able to shoot the entire wedding with your backup camera setup - and whether the bride and groom would be pleased with the photos. If you are using film, bring twice as much as you think you will need.



• If you are shooting film, do NOT have it processed at a drugstore or discount store. Film can be damaged, destroyed, and lost. You need to take the film somewhere (preferably a professional lab) that has a good track record and will lessen the chance of loss. In fact, you should probably shoot with both cameras throughout the day, and process both sets of film at different photo labs to minimize chances of loss. Sounds kind of paranoid, doesn't it? These are all very reasonable precautions to take - and underscore the importance of what you are planning to do. If this sounds like too much work or hassle, please refer to my previous advice and hire a professional. I have had personal, family snapshots lost and damaged at consumer labs, discount stores, and even large discount warehouse stores. Even labs that cost more and have a better track record (semipro stores would be similar to a Wolf Camera) are not as safe as true, professional labs. The drawback to using a safe, professional lab is often the cost, it can easily cost $25-$30 to have a single roll of 35mm processed and printed. However, no one ever said wedding photography was cheap.



• If you are shooting digital, make sure you handle the memory cards carefully. This goes without saying, but is critically important. I have a small, portable hard drive that my assistant backs up the memory cards to at the wedding. I keep a few empty memory cards in my front right pocket. Completed cards go in the front left. From there they go to my assistant to back up, and then they go into a specific spot in the camera bag. I store the backup hard drive separate from the camera bag, so that if the camera bag was stolen (which is something I guard against during weddings) I would still have a copy of all the images.
  • To give you an idea of how important the memory cards are after a wedding: If I am driving (or flying) cross-country to a wedding I will not transport all copies of the wedding images in the car with me. What if I were involved in a fiery automobile accident? The couple would be left without images. I will bring a small shipping box with me and arrange for a UPS pick-up at the house of the bride or groom's family. After the wedding I put my backup hard drive into the box, seal it shut, and give it to the family to put on their step. That way a copy of the images is transported back separately from me.
  • You can never be too careful with the memory cards and images.
  • When I return from a wedding the first thing I do is to download all the images to my system and then burn a copy of all images to DVD. The DVD's are then stored off-site. This is usually completed that very night.
  • If I have a problem with a corrupt memory card I always move on to the next memory card. I will then use photo-restore software to recover the images on the memory card. I have experienced a few memory card failures over the years (I blame most on my camera or my computer Operating System) and I have always been able to recover all images from the memory card via Photorescue software. However, if I have any questions about a card having a problem I will always move to a fresh card.
  • If you think you've somehow lost a memory-card worth of images you need to be careful. No reason to panic when Photorescue can restore the images. Even if you fill a card with images and then format it - the images are still there! The main danger is if you were to fill a card, format it, and then refill it with new images, in that case you would lose all of the original images. I guard against this by NEVER formatting a card at a wedding. The night before a wedding as I prep my gear I will go through and make sure every card in my bag has been formatted. This way I never have to format a card on wedding day.
  • If you were confident that you lost a memory card of images, the best chance you'll have of redoing the images is at the wedding on wedding day.



• Spend as much time as possible preparing for, and practicing, before the wedding. Buy books that deal with wedding photography. Take the book out and do practice photo sessions. Not including the time I spent learning photography up to the point of my first wedding, I easily spent 120 hours getting ready for that wedding.



• Consider having a "backup" photographer taking snap shots throughout the day. This is a touchy bit of advice and must be handled carefully. You don't need several photographers taking hundred's of pictures throughout the day and getting into each other's way. However, it would be nice to know that some images are being captured by someone else throughout the day on a separate camera. Some people might have a friend work as their "assistant" and might loan the friend their "backup" camera to use during the day. Or, you might ask a friend who has a camera to take photos on their camera throughout the day. On the other hand, if you know guests will have cameras and be taking pictures throughout the wedding, you might not need to ask any one in particular to shoot some backup for you.



• Again, be VERY careful how you track and manage the exposed film and/or digital memory cards. At one of my weddings I changed rolls of film during the procession. When shooting film at a wedding you must constantly watch the film counter and be aware of where you are at. Most rolls of professional 35mm film have 36 exposures. If the procession is about to start and you're on #33 - you are setting yourself up for a problem. As it is, I had been watching my counter and was shooting more than usual for the procession. Since I had attended the rehearsal I knew I had some time in-between the flower girls/ring bearer and the bride. So, during that time I changed film (good thing I had spare film in my pocket - something else that is very important on wedding day: always have spare film and/or memory cards in your pocket, there will be times that you need to change and are away from your camera bag). After changing film and carefully putting the exposed roll into my opposite pocket (for me, unexposed goes in the right pocket, exposed stuff in the left - which is primarily covered by my battery pack - so it's easy to put in but harder to get out), I moved to the back of the church and continued photography. During the ceremony my assistant and I transferred the film to the "exposed" bag and checked our roll numbers. We found a roll of exposed film missing. I knew it was the roll from up front but had no idea what happened to it. I had to keep photographing the wedding ceremony despite being VERY concerned about that roll of film. As soon as the ceremony was over I headed up to the spot I had been at for the procession and didn't see anything. As my heart sank a couple caught my attention and held out a roll of film, saying, "We saw this fall off the chair as you headed for the back and thought you might need it." I thanked them, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
  • Digital is especially easy to lose because so many images can fit on one card. I've heard of wedding photographers losing ALL of the images from a wedding because their cards were stolen or lost in an airport security checkpoint.
  
  
  
  • After shooting a film wedding, the film doesn't leave my person until I'm safely home. Even then, I treat them like gold. If I stop a restaurant for dinner on the way back from the wedding I will take the memory cards into the restaurant in my pocket; I don't leave them in the car.
  • For digital weddings, I carefully track my exposed memory cards and, as soon as a card is shot, I download the images to a portable hard disk. That way, if my cards were lost or stolen I would still have the images on the portable hard disk.




Wedding Portfolio : Main Wedding Portfolio



Back To Brighton Photographers