5 Tips for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer from an Old Pro
1. Although aspiring wedding photographers can learn much about camera and lighting techniques from an old pro, what may prove equally, or more, valuable are tips about managing a wedding assignment.
The veteran wedding photographer PhotographyTalk.com interviewed for this article shot hundreds of weddings on film during more than 20 years. His first tip is to realize that, as a wedding photographer, you are as much in the people business as the photography business. Not only do you want to develop a good relationship with the soon-to-be-married couple, but also his and her parents and other members of the wedding party, especially the maid/matron of honor and best man.
It’s important that the photographer is acceptable to the parents almost as much as the couple, since the father of the bride is likely paying the bill.
The maid/matron of honor and best man can help the photographer make sure members of the wedding party are available for photos when it’s time to shoot those that include them.
For all these reasons, it’s critical that you meet with the couple, parents and maid/matron of honor and best man in advance of the wedding, but not just to discuss packages, prices, schedules, etc. You want them to know who you are before the wedding, so when you ask them to gather for photos or to be photographed, they know you are the official photographer that someone is paying. You might even want to provide everyone with a copy of your photo.
It’s also important during this meeting to determine which other family members will be attending the wedding, so you’re sure to include them in photos with the bride and groom. These could include brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even old friends who are traveling from a distance and haven’t seen the bride and/or groom in years.
2. You can continue to develop these various relationships by being at the rehearsal, which is obviously a good idea anyway, so you are familiar with the interior of the ceremony’s location and can find the best angles and positions in advance. (You may even be invited to the rehearsal dinner.)
3. Before or after the rehearsal, take a few minutes to talk with the clergy or official conducting the ceremony, so you understand his or her rules about photographing during the ceremony. Some clergy and churches have definite rules about using flash or whether you can stand behind the clergy for images of the exchange of vows, rings, etc.
The source of this PhotographyTalk.com article said that he once asked a clergyman about any photography rules and he responded, “You can shoot all the pictures you want during the ceremony just so I’m in them.”
4. Although quite unusual, the veteran wedding photographer said he was asked by the mother of a bride to shoot photos of the couple opening wedding gifts at the home in advance of the wedding, and then individual pictures of the various gifts. This is, of course, an opportunity to add to your fee and capture some product-type images with multiple light fixtures and/or photos of the bride and groom posed with their gifts.
5. Managing the shooting of formal setups of the bride and groom, bridal party, parents, etc. in the church can be difficult. The old pro suggests that you designate a room in the church where the wedding party and all others to be in the formal photos go as soon as they walk down the aisle after the ceremony. Don’t allow the wedding party to start a spontaneous reception line at the back of the church or it could take quite a bit of time before everyone leaves the church. When this happened at one wedding he shot, it took two hours to empty the church.
By hiding the wedding party, all the guests exit the church quickly and can wait outside for a few minutes while you shoot the formal photos in the church. As soon as the church is empty, guide the wedding party into the church. Ask the maid/matron of honor and best man to keep everyone together, so they are present and ready to be photographed with the bride and groom. Then the wedding party can leave the church and position themselves among the guests to throw rice, as the bride and groom exit the building.
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Photo by PhotographyTalk Member Amy