Being asked to be the photographer for a wedding is a big responsibility.If you are doing it as a favor, or if you are doing it as your profession, following these 5 tips will help you do the job right.
This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned pro, or if you are an amateur, by following these tips, you won’t second guess yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.
Our first tip is pretty simple and that is to have the couple and their families make a list for you of shots they want to take. When the day is hectic and chaotic, this will help immensely when you are trying to get family and group shots later on in the day.You will love how you can just go through your list and get all the shots you want without leaving anything out.
The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots. In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Even though they are great, it is also tempting since it is so easy, to delete a shot.Don’t bother even peeking at the previews.Remember, what you think is a great shot, could be vastly different than what the couple thinks is a great shot. And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.
For the the third tip, make sure you get candid shots during and after the wedding.A good wedding photographer doesn’t look to just take your typical shots, like group shots, or wedding shots or your standard newly married shots. But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there. And that includes some of the things that could go wrong, like a flower girl not making it all the way to the front, or the ring bearer dropping the rings. Every shot counts.
The fourth tip is which is often overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras and other equipment as backup.Do you even want to think of the horror of not being able to take any more shots of the wedding because of a broken camera.Be prepared for anything that can go wrong.By being prepared for the worst and bringing extra cameras and equipment you will avoid the horrible moment fo not having any working cameras to capture the rest of the wedding. day.
Finally, practice your lighting as well. Don’t get thrown a curveball by the different lighting conditions whether inside the church or outside, practice and you will be prepared. Think about seeing if you can go to the locations of the big day and look for the best spots to take pictures as well as study the lighting needs.
Doing these 5 tips will help you immensely. It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be. Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.
Tags: photographer, photography, wedding photographer, wedding photography
