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(all images by Crash Taylor) Wedding Photography CoursesWelcome to the 5th section of the 7 part series "Turn Your Photography Into An Excellent Paying Career".
GETTING YOURSELF ORGANISED FOR THE BIG DAY
Now you have clinched the wedding, planning the wedding day is the next important step. Be careful to eliminate any problems that you may potentially encounter.
Planning
You need to know:
Where the bride is getting ready
Where the groom is getting ready
Time and location of ceremony
Time and location of reception
Time of dinner
When are they going to greet everybody
Is the bride turning up in a vehicle or horse and cart (if they are taking the latter it would be great to get some shots en route.)
where are you going to park and always consider the quick get away that you need hence never get parked in! This is only relevant if the ceremony and reception location are different.
NB. You need to think about the timing between the ceremony and the reception – you need 1 to 1 ½ hours to take all the bride and groom and group shots.
Additionally, get the bride to write a desirable photo list of groups shots and ensure that you have established if there are any sensitive situations within families so that you are not going to embarrass yourself on the day by placing certain family members together that really do not want to be associated or calling up the grooms father that may have deceased!
Additionally:
Do you need to take 2 cars if you have an assistant?
Do you need to stay in a hotel the night before if the venue is some miles away? Plan your journey to avoid getting there late or even panicking.
Take the names of the mother, the father, the bridesmaids, the pageboys, ring bearer and any special circumstances.
Think about pre wedding shoots for the bride and groom – this can build your relationship prior to the big day but can also add revenue to your business via pre-wedding portraits, photo invitation cards etc.
Visiting the venue
It is a very good idea to visit the venue just prior to the wedding to gauge the environment in which you will be photographing. It is also sensible to meet the bride and groom there at the same time as the wedding takes place so that you can discuss ideas with respect to lighting at that time of day etc.. You can also discuss their requirements, evaluate great spots for couple shots, check out the interior lighting etc. Make sure that you have a great second location for group and couple shots if the venue is not very attractive. You may need to look around nearby for a landscaped garden for this. They may be 5 – 10 minutes away but it is a good idea to ensure this setting is used for these particular shots as they really add quality to the album.
Marketing
If you are planning on uploading all your photos from the wedding onto your web gallery, ensure you produce credit card sized cards to give out to guests at the wedding stating for example: ‘to view images of Sarah and Jims wedding please refer to www.xxxx.com after today.’ Ensure you hand them out, leave them on tables, in toilets etc. at the wedding. This will increase sales from your website as you have made all guests aware of where they can find them.
The night before
Ensure that you have everything ready for the big day and do a thorough check of all camera equipment - there are no second chances with wedding photography! With regards to your camera, things to remember to do before setting off to shoot the wedding:
Make sure that your batteries are fully charged.
Format your digital card/s
Set your white balance
Set continuous file numbering (if not camera
default)
Select ISO rating
Ensure that you have your camera, lenses, tripods, flash guns, mini studio, digital cards, reflectors as well as back up facilities (reliable back up camera), and spare batteries. Ensure that you have your cards all formatted and batteries fully charged.
On The Day
Generally the accepted norm is to arrive at the brides’ house and photograph her getting ready, and to be present through to the end of the speeches. Any less should be agreed in writing. If you are staying to the end of the speeches, the norm again is to be fed by the bride and groom but this does not always happen so be aware of this. You may have priced your packages high enough however to cover the evening as well and this may include fireworks. Do not cover the evening without adequately charging for it as it will be a long day for you with so many extra prints to view and process.
In the morning do a thorough check of all your camera equipment
Make sure that you have back-up facilities (reliable spare camera, spare batteries, format all cards etc.)
Plan for everything to go wrong
Have bad weather contingency plans
Be flexible up to the last minute – if it rains, all plans for outdoor shots may have been discarded and you will need to focus indoors.
Your image – be clean and tidy (including your car) as you may have to take somebody in it
Remember the pre-planned shooting schedule and stick to it
Be firm but polite with guests and the bride and groom
Have a good time and maintain a sense of humour
Continuously look for candid shots (both you and your assistant, if you have one)
Do not get parked in – allow for a quick getaway from the church (if it is a church wedding). This will allow you to get shots of the bride and groom arriving at the reception
Remember that the couple may want to get indoors and straight to the reception after the service hence cutting the photo time short. Do not allow this to happen as you should have agreed a decent time slot for photographs prior to the big day and cutting it short will have a detrimental effect on the photography. They will then be disappointed with the photos when they come back off their honeymoon ultimately affecting your credibility.
WEDDING COVERAGE
Optimising Location
Try to look for opportunities to optimise the surrounding space and scenery so that you can add depth and creativity to your photographs. You will not always be shooting weddings in an idyllic environment, hence you need to get to know the venue beforehand. You should have already worked out the best place to take couple shots and group shots. e.g. utilise bridges, steps, arches, doorways, trees, fountains etc. As mentioned before, a second location (nearby gardens) is necessary for the couple shots as the venue may be less than scenic.
What to do if it rains
Always bring along the mini indoor studio in case of bad weather. If it does rain it is a good idea to still try and capture some moments outside. If it is only a slight drizzle, try and get some group shots and couple shots outdoors but don’t make people miserable. Another good idea is to keep a small white umbrella with your equipment, which acts as an excellent prop in posed photographs of the bride and will also protect her somewhat from the elements. Additionally, make sure you bring along a few large white wedding brollies to hand around as these look great in the photos.
Always try to encourage the couple to get shots done outside as it adds different dimension and interest to the finished album. Only do this if the weather is marginally grim as no bride on earth would want to return to the reception with dripping hair and running make-up. If the weather is horrendous with hard rain, you will have to focus on the more creative shots indoors.
Opportunities
Seize every available moment for natural and candid photography. If you have an assistant on the day, make sure they cover all the days’ events going on around you. Photos of the children present at the wedding (especially nephews and nieces) always add to the album, especially small bridesmaids and pageboys innocently picking up confetti for example.
Basically never stop shooting; that is the beauty of digital! Photograph anything and everything that has any significance at all. Examples include shoes, jewellery, the back of dress, the flowers and people. The list is endless and is left to your creativity.
Posing
You should be aiming to make people look as relaxed and natural as you possibly can. Do not stand people rigidly straight with hands formally draped to their sides. Generally tilt bodies at slight angles to the camera, with one knee bent forcing the body to tilt slightly. Use your imagination. If you get a good shot lined up, try rotating around the subject, getting different angles as well as changing lenses to give zoomed in views, wide angle views etc. Additionally, you can raise and lower your camera to gain a different perspective on the shot. When moving the camera around the subject however, be aware of what is going on with the background. To find inspiration for different poses watch people in a natural and relaxed mood, for instance at the bar or in the park. Natural poses always achieve a much more pleasing result.
Lighting
The lighting is one of the trickiest things to look out for in wedding photography and can change rapidly as the sun appears and then disappears. Not only that, but quite often you will be dealing with dark interiors. Try to avoid, whenever you can, using flash as it falsifies photographs and can lead to 2 dimensional pictures where all depth of field has been lost. However, you may have to use flash at the signing of the register or as the bride and groom make their way down the aisle after the service.
If you are outside on a sunny day, look for shaded areas in which to take the photographs. Also avoid getting too much sky into the images as much as possible as this is the brightest part of any photograph and can draw your eye to the wrong part of the image. If the day is cloud covered, this is the perfect scenario for wedding photographers!
Window Light – look out for all opportunities to use window light as it is a flattering source of light and use ambient light and reflectors when you can.
Considering the background at all times
Try to ensure that unwanted people lingering in the background are not in the photos; look around the frame then return to the subject. Being polite, and asking people to move, usually works. By using large apertures (e.g. f2.8 or f4), you can throw the backgrounds out of focus and isolate your subject from the background.
Photographs to Include:
Before the Wedding
Bride and bridesmaids getting ready
Bridal car
Artistic shots of the trinkets (e.g. jewellery, shoes etc.)
Bridegroom and best man shots
Bridegroom and best man shots and ushers
Bride and bridesmaids outside the church
Bridal car arriving at the church or venue
Father and bride getting out of the car
Bride, father and bridesmaids outside and walking into the church
During The Wedding
Bride and Groom at the alter
Exchange of vows and kissing after vows
Signing of the register
Procession out of the church
After the Wedding
Archway shots outside – both looking over their shoulders and back into the church/venue
Confetti shots
Bride and groom getting in car shots
Bride herself (various 2nd location shots)
Bride with her bridesmaids
Bride with mother
Bride and groom (plenty)
Group shots
Cake shots
Ring shots
Table shots
GROUP SHOTS
There is a standard practice for group shots (see below) but you can deviate from this norm. At your planning stage, take a note of names of all bridesmaids, ushers, best man etc. so that you can address them by name. On the day, this will add a more personal touch as well as the fact you tend to have more control when organising bride and groom and group shots. People respond when their name is called.
You will have to be firm to co-ordinate people for the group shots and direct bride and groom. You have to be in control and in most cases, people will co-operate. You should arrange with the Bride and Groom beforehand to have someone in charge of rallying everybody together. With group shots, it is not uncommon for guests not to be there when you need them in the shot (i.e. Aunty Mavis is in the toilet, Uncle George at the bar). You should agree all the group shots to be taken (have a paper copy of this list with you) and if you fail to take all the group photos required because the allocated person has not done their job, you will be less likely to get the blame.
Official Group Shots for Weddings
Bride and Groom with brides’ parents
Bride and Groom with grooms’ parents
Bride and Groom and both sets of parents
Bride and Groom, brides’ parents and immediate family
Bride and Groom, grooms’ parents and immediate family
Bride and Groom, both sets of parents and both sets of immediate families
Same as above but with extended families
Same as above but with extended families and other family connections
Same as above but with extended families and other family connections plus all friends
NB. To save people hanging around, the above list can be shot in reverse order. This allows friends to go to the bar and relax as the immediate families tend not to mind waiting for all the photographs to be taken. This ensures that everybody is happy.
The above list is to be used as a guide only. It is important to check this list with the bride and groom prior to shooting their wedding. Some family members (for personal reasons) may not wish to stand with other family members in the photographs. As mentioned before, it is also important to find out if any close relatives are deceased (it would save embarrassing situations asking for the brides father to appear in the photo when he has deceased 10 years ago!).
You must insist on 1 1/2 – 2 hours for group shots and second location couple shots. You will find that this time is often squeezed from you as the wedding runs late, pressure builds up from venue staff as they insist on getting everyone indoors for dinner. This is why you should not have a ‘must do’ list but a guide to cover the group shots. Essentially, you should explain to the couple prior to the wedding that if this time is squeezed from you, they could be disappointed at the final images as you can only cover so much in a shorter period of time. Explain that this is the only reminder of their big day (as well as videos) and this time should be allowed at all costs. Tell them you will be efficient and quick working in all circumstances.
Look out for opportunities to be creative with group shots. It is so easy to just position people up in straight lines making a photograph look very mundane. When you visit the venue before the wedding check all around for good areas to take the group shots. Examples include, underneath trees, on steps either up to the venue or in landscaped gardens with bridges, fountains etc.
Think about where the position of the sun will be at the particular time you will be taking these shots. Then look for areas where you will not be photographing into direct sunlight.
It is often a good idea to keep the background the same whilst the camera is kept on the tripod and the people are the only element that are changing and again skies can be avoided as they can detract from the photograph.
An example of where you can use sky in the photograph is when the skies are dramatic and stormy and it is worthy of being included. Here, it does not detract unnecessarily from the group but adds interesting detail to the image. You may be able to take group shots from up on a balcony to ensure all guests are visible.
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