My first wedding...

[eRowdy]

I'm shooting my best friend's wedding on April 2nd... I've never shot a wedding before and I am a bit nervous. I don't want to miss any good shots.. or ruin their photos. haha. I'm confident in my skills, but am just generally nervous... does anyone have any personal tips? I've read all the wedding related articles on DPS, so i'm good there... Is there anything else i might need to know?

[candleman]

good luck, its the hardest thing anyone could possibly ever do as a photographer IMHO.

get a back-up camera, tons of spare batteries and memory cards.

take an assistant to deal with your extras (like camerabag, reflectors, stands/strobes etc etc and look at the finer details when setting up a shot, such as a groms tie being skew,or a bridesmaid with her flower falling out of her hair.

theres tons of threads about it on DpS.. just search

[autofocus]

Scope out the church / facility before the shoot...look for good places to shoot, take notes, and refer to them, check the lighting, especially around the planned time of the wedding..inside and outside. Have backups of all your equipment, or borrow / rent some. Be prepared for the possibility of rain, and how to deal with that contingency. Make a checklist of shots you NEED to get. (you can google that list) Find out in advance who will be important subjects, and make sure you include them in your shots. Nothing worse than missing a loved great aunt (well, maybe a few things could be worse, haha)

Be prepared, (half the battle) and Good luck

Vince

[Kaye]

Backup camera is a must. I've taken wedding photos for 3 of my kids best friends. I had no less than 3 camera's taken ever shot.

[tan2sie6]

Originally Posted by Kaye

Backup camera is a must. I've taken wedding photos for 3 of my kids best friends. I had no less than 3 camera's taken ever shot.

Right, is best to be ready and not needed, than needed and not be ready.