The Best Wedding Photography Tips | Weddings

By SeanLamb
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Help, a good friend has loved your pictures of Swanage in the sunset and because wedding photography has not made it into the budget, is asking you to take the photos of the happy event. Like a fool, you have said yes and know you are wondering what you have let yourself in for.

You will need to talk to the couple to find out what are the most important shots they want to put into their album, try to keep them to a minimum so that you don't have too much pressure on yourself. As you probably won't know the layouts, get the addresses of the wedding and reception venues so that you can go and reconnoitre them, preferably at the same time as the wedding so that you will know where the sun will be. Look for some good backgrounds and especially a really nice place where you could take some intimate picture of the couple.

Preparation is the key, make sure that all the batteries are fully charged and that you have back ups. If you are using film, take along at least six extra rolls, if you are shooting digital make sure that you have enough spare memory cards. If you have the expertise, it is best to use RAW rather than JPEG as you will have a better chance to alter things after the shots are taken. You will be shooting at the highest resolution to ensure good print quality so memory capacity is crucial.

On the day, make sure you can identify all the key people. Ask each of the couple who are important to them, this means friends as well as family members. If you are doing a large group shot, grab everybody as soon as possible, particularly if there are any children involved as you want to get them before they start rolling around on the floor, bless them. Then you can gradually get rid of the different people until the final shot. This way people are not standing around whilst you are trying to herd a few stragglers into the picture.

When setting up and taking the shots, always, always check your backgrounds, the last thing the happy couple wants is a tree 'growing' out of one of their heads. Unless you are making a feature of it, like a picturesque church, keep your backgrounds uncluttered. Try shooting a couple of shots with a wide aperture to blur the background.

As you will probably be using fill-in flash, spectacle wearers can pose a problem with the reflections. Although remove the offending items may be the easy solution, it may make them hard to recognise in the photograph. One solution is to get them to move their head slightly, better towards the couple as looking away may indicate boredom.

The reception photographs will inevitably be shot inside so you have to use the flash, which can lead to difficult shadowing. There are several strategies to avoid this. Either bounce the flash off the walls or ceiling, taking care that there are no strong colours that might alter the tone or an over high ceiling that will weaken the effect. You may be able to buy a plastic diffuser that fits over the flash or failing that, some thin tracing paper or a piece of plain net curtain over the lamp but always do some test shots before the wedding day.

With the big day over you need to get your films processed as soon as possible. The best, if more expensive solution, is to use a professional laboratory, failing that, take them to a drop in lab that you know and trust. Do not post them, just in case they get lost. Some labs may even provide you with a CD as well. Those who have shot digital should down load their images to the hard drive where the worst ones can be deleted and the best ones can be burnt onto a CD and given to the happy couple. Your wedding photography may lead you to a new career.

About the Author

Before you organise your wedding feast, check Sean Lambs' wedding photography tips. There are a whole lot more ideas as well as wedding photography for anybody tying the knot.

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