50 Tips for a Wedding Photographer

50 Tips for a Wedding Photographer

Filming a wedding is not easy. After all, the photographer has a responsibility for how one of the happiest days of the newlyweds will remain in their memory.

These 50 tips will help you avoid common mistakes during wedding photography and make the process simpler and calmer.

1. Wear comfortable shoes
You will have to move a lot during shooting. Of course, hairpins are more suitable for a wedding ceremony, but believe me, you will howl and will be the most grumpy wedding photographer on the planet.

2. Do not listen to incompetent advisers
At almost every wedding, there is a person who believes that he knows better than you how to arrange people in the frame, from what angle is better to shoot, etc. Better immediately give up any advice. You must be confident in your actions and responsible for the result. Be polite and make it clear that you do not need help. And rest assured, the newlyweds will appreciate how quickly and accurately you do your job.

3. Talk frankly about pre-wedding photography
Many couples take the tradition very seriously, according to which the groom should not see the bride in the dress until the wedding. In such cases, try to explain that you need to spend at least an hour with the bride and groom (and no guests) to make a wedding album with good pictures. Quite often, couples simply cannot physically allocate time for a photo shoot on their wedding day, so they agree to hold it the day before the ceremony. By the way, this is a great opportunity for the bride to try out her hair and makeup.

4. Make the newlyweds happy with the photos
Most often, you can hear complaints from the bride and groom that the photographer missed a certain shot (for example, he didn’t take a picture with his school friend / friend or forgot his little sister in a pink dress). The best way to avoid such incidents is to meet the bride and groom in advance and ask them to make a list of required photographs. You can also bring examples of wedding photos to the meeting so that the bride chooses her favorite pose. Remember to bring along a list of wedding photos and check the boxes as you complete. Typically, this list is limited to 15 required images.

5. Change lenses
If you see that the bride and groom are not sufficiently relaxed and tense in front of the camera, then it is better to change the lens to a longer one (for example, 200mm) and move away from the couple. This will provide an opportunity to relax a little young. Then their interaction will be more natural, and you will take good pictures. A little later, when they get used to your presence, you can get closer and change the lens.

6. Find out the names
During a preliminary meeting with the bride and groom, ask for the names and phone numbers of the witnesses or best man and bridesmaids. As a rule, these people are actively involved in organizing the wedding ceremony, and maybe they will come in handy for you.

7. Keep the color of the dress in the photo white
To do this, you will have to resort to positive exposure compensation. An exposure meter in your camera, seeing a white dress, will decide that this section of the image is simply too bright, and not white. As a result, the camera will make the whole photo darker to compensate for a too bright area. By setting a positive exposure compensation, you can easily deal with this problem.

8. Have a spare carcass
In the middle of the celebration, your equipment may experience a technical malfunction. Fortunately, you can rent a spare camera, the cost of this service is not high, and the presence of a second device gives confidence. Having two carcasses is good not only for reinsurance, but also for your own convenience, as this allows you to have different lenses on two cameras. During the celebration, you can quickly switch from a telephoto lens to a standard zoom as needed. Once you try to work with two cameras, you will never want to return to shooting with one carcass.

9. Do not chase quantity
You can often hear novice photographers boasting that they shot more than 2000 photos during the wedding. Each photographer has his own style, so do not chase the quantity, but take each frame deliberately, seizing the moment.

10. Hire a second photographer
Most novice photographers do not resort to the help of a second photographer. But if you have the opportunity, then this is definitely worth doing. Firstly, then definitely not a single good shot will be missed, and secondly, you will have a second set of equipment in case of unforeseen circumstances. Write a message to several photographers from your city with a proposal for mutually beneficial cooperation. They will be in the role of the second photographer during the shooting of your wedding, and you, in turn, will render them the same service during the shooting of their wedding.

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