There are a few wedding photography tips I try to incorporate in all the wedding shoots I do. I’ve learnt them the hard way, but I hope you can bypass some of that by checking out these suggestions:
1. I don’t spend too much time getting in the way of the bride as she’s getting ready for the day. Half an hour before she’s planning to get in to her dress, I turn up for some detail shots of the dress, shoes, flowers and so on, then shoot her getting in to the dress with her bridesmaids and mum helping out. Straight after I get some beautiful portraits of her on her own, followed by the bride having a bit of fun posing with all the girls, then with parents and any brothers and sisters or other important people. It’s a nice little session, I’m around for no longer than an hour, and then off to meet the guys.
2. Try to arrange to meet up outside the church a little bit before guests start to arrive, so say 40-50 minutes before the service. Get a few shots of the groom on his own, then with all the groomsmen and best man, then of the groom with his immediate family. You’ve got some great shots in 20 minutes that mirror what went before with the bride, and there’s still time to shoot guests arriving and be in position as the bride arrives. Don’t miss that one, and work out beforehand which direction the car is coming from.
3. If the wedding party has a journey to the reception venue, it can take a while for everyone to get there and get settled. This can be a great time to get some shots of the bride and groom on their own. There should still be time for them to have a drink and a chat before you move on to the group shots that way.
4. Don’t let the formal groups go on too long if at all possible. People get fed up and the images will lack any sparkle as a result. I suggest around 10 shots to the couple and provide a generic list to get things rolling, but if they come back with up to 15, you should still be fine. Any more, I often try to split some of these off from the formals to do at other stages in the day. This adds some variation to the photographic story.
5. Evening guests are a bit tricky to photograph I find. They arrive and spend a bit of time finding their feet. If you are leaving after the first dance, they may still not be that comfortable and relaxed for lots of good natural photos. One trick that works well is to spot when they meet the bride and groom for the first time. They will always shine then, congratulating the couple and having a joke or two, so you can get a few good shots then.
If you’re after any more tips and advice on the wedding photography business, please go to Photography Gems for more info. Thanks for checking in.