Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is the beginning of a family's visual history. 

Sooner or later one of your friends will be getting married and with more than a passing

knowledge in photography you will be asked to do photographer on the day, after the

initial shock passes and you agree because their your best friends then comes the panic

,what have I done, listed below are a few tips for getting you and the newly weds through

the day and still remain best friends.

Decide which style of photography you wish to use, documentary or traditional weddings

photographs.

1. Sit down with the couple and make a list of the photographs 

    the couple would like recorded on the big day, I have a sample 

    list below the tips.

2. Research the location, church and reception.

3. Check your gear the night before, batteries charged, memory 

    cards formatted, tested and working.

4. Have backups for everything, spare camera body, lens, 

    batteries, flash, etc.

5. Compose the photographs to include the church, i.e. altar, 

    aisle, arches, flowers and bows.

6. Silence your camera beep, no distractions during shooting.

7. Include detail in the wedding dress.

8. Back light the bride with light from a window or artificial light 

    source.

9. Include black and white photographs in the wedding album, 

    take the photograph in colour and convert to black and white 

    later on pc.

10. Do not change lenses change cameras.

11. Bring a ladder, higher vantage point.

12. Have a second photographer on location to capture candid 

      photos while your busy with the official shots.

13. Shoot in RAW in those tricky situations.

14. Follow tips for portrait photography, i.e. cropping below body 

      joints and not on the joint for more natural portraits, etc.

15. To save time gather everyone together who will appear in any

      of the scene's right from the start.

Wedding List

Photographs before ceremony

1. Wedding dress lying over chair.

2. Zipping up or buttoning the dress.

3. Mother of bride fastening brides necklace.

4. The brides Garter.

5. The brides veil.

6. A close up of brides shoes poking out from under wedding 

    dress.

7. Bride looking into a mirror.

8. Bride looking out window.

9. Brides and bridesmaids putting on makeup.

10. Bride buttoning on corsage mother or father.

11. Bride hugging parents.

12. Bride touching up.

13. Bride and parents leaving for ceremony.

14. Groom tying tie.

15. Groom looking in mirror.

16. Groom pinning corsage on mother or father.

17. Groom hugging parents.

18. Groom looking out window.

19. Groom and parents leaving for ceremony.

Wedding shots at ceremony

1. Outside the church.

2. Guests walking into church.

3. Groom and best man at alter, hand shake, brides maids.

4. Bride inside and getting out of car.

5. Bride and father at top of aisle.

6. Bride walking up aisle with father, shoot from front, side and 

    rear.

7. Father of bride shaking grooms hand, handing over bride.

8. Bride and groom in foreground and guest's in back ground.

9. Kneeling together at alter.

10. Exchanging vows.

11. Wedding rings.

12. Passing of weddings rings.

13. Lighting of the candle.

14. Kissing the bride.

15. Signing of registry.

16. Leaving the church.

17. Couple together inside car.

At the Reception

1. Getting out of car.

2. Bride with her parents.

3. Groom with his parents.

4. Bride and Groom with both sets of parents.

5. Bride with brides maids and flower girls.

6. Bride and Groom with flower girls and page boys.

7. Groom with Best man and father.

8. Bride with siblings.

9. Groom with siblings.

10. Bride and groom with all siblings.

11. Brides with Aunts.

12. Groom with Uncles.

13. Bride and Groom toasting champagne.

14. Bride and groom on their own in grounds.

15. Arriving into function room.

16. Cutting the cake.

17. Speeches.

18. Expressions on brides face at speeches.

19. First Dance.

Final thoughts on wedding photography

Most wedding albums you look at the photo's are technically excellent and although 

this type of photograph is what you want in a wedding album they lack life and 

personality, let the bride and groom be themselves, capture more natural and

spontaneous expressions, remember we do not just take photos for the now but for 

our children and grandchildren.

Wedding photography is the beginning of a family's visual history.