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Wedding Photography

If you are an amateur photographer and you think you are good at your hobby, this is very good because you must be confident. But if your close friends are getting married and they’ve asked you to be their photographer at their wedding, this could be more complicated than you thought. This is why I will give you some tips about wedding photography. Wedding photography is a part of photography itself and you should know some tricks in order to take the best photos.




The first thing you should do, together with the soon to be married couple, is to create a so called Shot list. You should know what they want to immortalize so your work will involve the moments and the guests that they want. This is very helpful in the family photos.  Wedding photography has some rules and maybe the first one is: communicate with the couple all the time. Make the list and respect it, you don’t want to discover, when you look back at the photos, that they don’t have a photo with uncle Bill, who is also the one who introduced them, on to another.

The second thing that counts in wedding photography is the family photo coordinator. Maybe you’re asking yourself why do you need a coordinator, but you should know it’s very helpful to have someone to coordinate everybody for you. The family photo part can be very tricky. Because everybody is happy and the festive spirit is all around, some of them might drink too much spirits, everything can be a little chaotic. 

Talk to the couple and ask them to choose a family member who will be in charge with helping the wedding photographer. There should be a person from the groom’s family and one from the bride’s family. Their job can be called the directors of the shoot. In this way everything will be more organized. These two persons can give instructions to all the family and then the photos will look great. But the best thing is that everybody will be in the photo, exactly like it was planned.

The third thing that needs to be done in order to become a master in wedding photography is to scout the location. Visit the locations of the places you will shoot the next day. It’s better to see them and to have an idea about angles, light and how everything is arranged. Some photographers chose to do this with the couple there too, so they will get some shoots to see how it works.  If you take some shots just to try the light, these ones can work perfectly as engagements photos. Wedding photography is not for anyone, so scout the location if it gives you more self trust.

Getting better and better in wedding photography is all based on preparation.  Because it’s such a big event, there are going to be a lot of details that won’t work out perfectly. This is why preparation is the key. If you go to an outdoor wedding and it starts raining you will have to take all your stuff and run under inside. Be prepared! You can take beautiful photos in the train, but in order to do this you need to be organized.

Always have a backup plan, have extra batteries charged and bring many blank memory cards. Get an itinerary and be sure you know all the changes that may appear. Be informed and ask for information, so you’ll know what it comes next. If there is a rehearsal dinner you should attend it. Wedding photography is about caching the most emotional and joyful moments. Go and discover how the couple likes to have fun, try to get to know them and it’s going to be easier to work with them.

Talking of getting to know the couple, if you don’t know them already, you should also set the expectations with them. You wouldn’t like some sad faces when they see the photos. Wedding photography can be tricky so explain everything you have to do and what are your standards. Be as honest as you can, don’t tell them things you cannot bring to the table.One of the most important parts of wedding photography is taking photos of small details. Photograph shows, smiles, hairstyles and headpieces, rings, back of dresses, floral arrangements, table settings, ribbons, menus, etc. These are perfect for the end of the wedding album and it gives an extra dimension to wedding photography.

One of the most popular wedding photography strategies, but not only, is having a second photographer. This means you don’t have to move around so much during speeches and ceremonies. This can give you the chance to split your responsibilities, for example one can take formal shots and the other can take shots of the candid moments. This is perfect because it gives you freedom; you are not the one who has to take every shot anymore.

To be appreciated in wedding photography you need to be bold but not to be obtrusive. Shyness is not going to get you the shot. Sometimes you really need to be a little bold in order to get your shoots. However timidity counts too, you don’t want to disturb any part of the event. If you move around a lot try to make your movements smooth and if you do it when there are songs or sermons it’s better. When it comes to formal shoots you should be bold. You are the photographer and you know what you want. Wedding photography works out from boldness. You need to ask what you want and you need to behave in such a way that you will get your shoots.

If you’ve taken some photos and you have all the system so it’s possible to print them, you should surely do this and you should improvise a photo exhibition at the reception. This will bring all together, enjoying your work. What you shouldn’t do in wedding photography is not to discard your shoots. Now with all the digital cameras you can see your work. Don’t delete your photos because you think they are bad. The others might like them, it’s true what it’s said, and sometimes the best photos are the surprise photos. As in other types of photography, wedding photography is all about perspectives. Be creative in your shoots and change your perspective. Mix things up a little bit, the result cannot be bad.

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