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My take on Wedding Photography - Kenneth William Caleno
Essential Equipment Two camera bodies that share the lenses Two flashes (strobes) plus cables, etc., 18mm-55mm zoom 50mm standard lens F1.8 or even better F1.4-for low-light situations Not essential, but handy for candids and from back of church images- 70mm-300mm zoom lens large capacity digital storage cards At least triple batteries as you think you will need Two white reflectors Diffusion (soft-focus) filter 85c warming filter for grey days Tripod for formal photos Lens hoods to control flare Planning the wedding shoot You must have a timetable to work from, or you will fail miserably. You must always remember: The Bride is never on time Cars are sometimes late arriving Ministers will often talk for longer than expected Traffic may be chaotic Something may have been forgotten somewhere Murphy, being the Patron Saint of Wedding Photographers, will no doubt ensure that if anything can go wrong-it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment. Allow for plenty of time for each section of the shooting script. Planning Session Planning is crucial, so make sure that time has been allowed for photography, and travelling to each location. A: Who is Paying? Find out who is paying for the photography, because the person footing the bill is the client, and needs to be consulted-If the bride’s parents are paying, and want nice, classic portrait shots of Bride & Groom, and the Bride wants cross-processed, arty, or black & white images-you had better get nice safe photos for Mum and Dad as well! It is very important to find out and determine EXACTLY what the client wants, and is expecting to get. Quite often people do not know what they want-until you have shot it. What you don’t want to hear is: “ We didn’t want half of this stuff, we want a refund!!!” Whoever is paying, make sure you get paid up front. I usually ask for my daily rate photography fee on signing the contract, and the balance seven days before the wedding date. (This saves you wondering if and when you are going to be paid, and saves you chasing clients for payment.) I also only charge for the day’s photography up front-prints are priced separately - I take around 2000 shots per wedding, and shave these down to around 500 and put as proofs on CD’s made to show to my clients-then they can choose what they want for their albums. B. Working with schedules and timetables Once you have found out what is wanted and who is paying, start working out your shooting schedule. I usually type these out and give to attendants in the bridal party, to organise everybody for their photo to save time. I also type my schedule on small cards for my pocket while I am shooting, so I know when the next sequence is due. Let your clients know that formal photos of the bridal party should take between one to one-and-a-half hours.-Any longer will drag the proceedings, and any less time will limit the number of set-ups wanted. Subtly point out that the guests should be advised of what is going on. It is important to let the client know that if they cut your time, you will need to cut the amount of photography to shoot. Protocol and family Politics You need to tread very carefully where family politics are concerned, as you set up groups- ex-wives versus new wives, step-children, recently divorced couples. Better to let people sort themselves where they want to be, then just arrange set-ups accordingly. If everyone, guests included, know exactly what happens, and when, and with whom, it will alleviate, the Bride’s and groom’s stress, your stress, and you will get results that please your clients. Once PLAN “A” ( Beautiful sunny day, no wind,) is in place, work out alternatives- “B”; “C”; “D”; etc., You need somewhere to photograph if it’s raining, snowing, gale-force winds etc., And a choice of idyllic locations. A Typical Schedule Plan a). Groom’s House Photos at the Groom’s house happen rarely, but if they are wanted, then you must make sure things run on time, in order to get to the Bride’s house on time b). Bride’s House Get to the house early, showing you are organised and professional. The Bride may be very nearly ready, and being the early bird may give you a chance to get things in order without rushing. Confidence is the keyword, so compliment the Bride, say she looks nice, and has nothing to worry about (Do not, under any circumstances tell her she is beautiful, because, if she isn’t, she will know, and this could turn her against you.) If you can help the bride and her family to be calm at the house, the tone of the whole wedding will reflect on this. Let the family know what you are going to photograph outside the church, or wedding venue. c). Church or Wedding Venue Get to church, or wedding venue as soon as you can to get set up for what follows. Talk to, and photograph the Groom. Talk to minister/celebrant, checking all is ok, use/non-use of flash, etc., Wait outside for cars to arrive While the ceremony is taking place, look around for photo opportunities-is the Bride’s Mother crying? her Father, crying or smiling? Once the vows have been made, register signed, etc., Bride and Groom will walk down the aisle, or things will just finish. This can be an awkward moment-one of two things usually happen: a) The Bride & Groom will be surrounded by guests, and if there are lots of guests the crowd may take a time to clear. b) (Usually at churches) when Bride & Groom come out there is no-one at first, then all guests file out slowly and stand around the couple looking at them. Some guests will want to take photographs at this point, so set up the shot and let them fire away, after you. Work with these people throughout the day, and some of these people could be your next client. Start the family photos, beginning with the Bride’s side, then the Groom’s, then all the friends and hanger’s-on. d). The Formal Photos After all the ceremony kerfuffle, the bridal party will want to relax a bit, maybe have a drink and a smoke for 10 minutes or so, while you are getting ready. But when you are ready, you need to get them back on track to get all required images done on time Bride and Groom, at this point, aren’t usually the problem, it’s generally the best man wants another beer, or the maid of honour who wants another smoke, or someone gets loud. You need to gain control of this. If there are children in the party, use them first, as they have a very short attention span. No matter what happens here,-stay calm, even when things go wrong, keep calm you won’t get good photos if you are stressed. When you think you have finished, better check with Bride and Groom that you have all they wanted, or if you were pressed for time, that you have the set-ups they wanted the most. Now you have to get back to the reception before the wedding party do. e). Mock Cake Cutting This is done when budgets are tight, and you aren’t required to attend the reception, due to funds being tight. f ). The Reception Before the bride and Groom arrive at the reception venue, Be ready to catch them arriving. Things that usually happen at reception are: (in any order): speeches, toasts, food, then the first dance. While there is potential photography, don’t eat, or drink, just in case you miss something worthwhile. Before leaving be sure that the Bride, Groom and whoever is paying for the photography, have all the shots they need with nothing missed. g ). After it all Get the finished prints to the Bride & Groom as soon as possible, that’s good business, You will want them to see the prints while the day will still be fresh in their memory. Do not get caught in the middle of any disputes-The prints are always to be delivered to the Married couple, and not to anyone else. (unless arranged otherwise). If someone other than the Bride & Groom is paying for the photography, it should be explained to them beforehand that the Bride & Groom get the prints. When sorting out the finished prints, take out the blinks, and the ones that aren’t up to par. |
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The Photography
A blow by blow account of a typical wedding - Ceremony at 4pm You have your little schedule cards on a loop of string  You have your flash/strobe set to ¼ Iso (for fill-in, or all outdoor photos if you want to play safe, use at full Iso for indoor shots) You 18-55 zoom lens on camera 1. At Groom’s house 10:00 am - 11:30am ( All times can only be approximated) Groom, getting ready, Groomsmen, playing around Groom, in mirror Groom dressed, GQ pose, jacket over shoulder Groom Full length Groom with mother Close-up Groom with Father Close-up Groom with both parents full length Groom with both parents close-up Groom with Grandparents Full length Groom with Grandparents close-up With sisters With brothers With immediate family Groom and Best man full length Groom and Best man Close-up Groom and best man shaking hands Groom and all groomsmen 1 2.At Bride’s house 12:30am - 3:00pm Bride dressing Mother helping with veil Mother/maid of honour adjusting veil Bride looking in mirror  Bride with mother looking in mirror Bride putting on garter Bride putting on garter with bridesmaids looking on Bride full length Bride half length Bride close-up Bride with Mother close-up Bride with Mother full length Corsage being pinned on Mother Bride with Father full length Bride with Father close-up Bride pinning-on Father’s button-hole Bride with both parents, full length Bride with both parents, close-up With Grandparents close-up With Grandparents full length With sisters With brothers with immediate family Bride and maid of honour full length Bride and maid of honour. Close-up 2 Bride with attendants Bride with flower girl/ring bearer Bride leaving house with parents and Bridesmaids Father helping Bride into limo 3. At the Ceremony 3:30pm - 4:45 Groups of guests and everybody [ 28mm or 28-70mm zoom] Flower girl walking down aisle Ring-bearer walking down aisle Maid of honour walking down aisle Bridesmaids walking down aisle Father walking down aisle with Bride Father “Giving Bride away” [You may choose to change to 75-300mm zoom Bride & groom exchanging vows for these shots] Bride and Groom exchanging rings The Kiss Bride signing register Groom signing register Bride and Groom walking back down aisle Bride and groom outside church  Bride and Groom getting into limo 3 4. Formal Photos 5:00 - 6:30 Bride alone Full length  Bride alone ¾ Bride alone close-up Bride alone head shot Bride alone peeping over flowers  Bride & groom Kissing Bride & Groom full length Bride & Groom close-up 3 Groom full length Groom ¾ Groom close-up Close-up of rings Group shot of bride & bridesmaids [18-55mm zoom]  5. At reception Wedding party announced Bride and Groom announced Bride & groom’s first dance  Wedding party dancing Bride’s dance with Father Groom’s dance with Mother Best man toasting Bride & Groom Bride & groom toasting each other The cake  Bride& Groom posed at cake Cutting cake Bride & Groom feeding each other cake Throwing bouquet Bouquet catch Groom taking off garter Groom throwing garter Garter catch Bride & Groom with catchers Guests leaving 4 Posed departure of bride & Groom ( Kissing, waving etc.,) Bride & Groom leaving reception venue Bride and Groom leaving in limo Close up of invitation Picture of band or DJ Ken Caleno  Creative People Photography Phone/Fax : Standard Wedding Photography Contract Wedding date_____________ Bride’s name____________________________ Phone:______________ Address___________________________________________ ________ Groom’s name___________________________ Phone:_____________ Address___________________________________________ ________ Address After Wedding________________________________________ 1. This constitutes an order for wedding photography. It is understood that any and all negatives remain the property of the client, but neither party may sell the photographs without written consent of the other. The client agrees that editorial use of photos and/or advertising use by Ken Caleno is acceptable unless otherwise noted. Ken Caleno may make use of these wedding photos for samples to show future customers. 2. Although all care will be taken with the negatives and photographs taken at the wedding, Ken Caleno limits any loss, damage or failure to deliver pictures for any reason, to return monies paid ( Except for Scheduling fee ) 3. Upon signature, Ken Caleno reserves the time and date agreed upon, and will make no other reservations for that time and date. for this reason, Scheduling fee is non-refundable, even if date is changed or wedding cancelled for any reason. 4. A scheduling Fee is due on signing this contract; the remaining balance to be paid 7 days prior to wedding date. All terms of this agreement are understood and agreed upon. Agreed price for photography $_________________________ Signature of photographer:_________________________________ Signature of signing party__________________________________ Address___________________________________________ ____ Date________________ © Kenneth William Caleno (Dip Phot) 2008 |
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Holy cow! I will definitely be bookmarking this thread. Do you have another contract for an entire wedding package (any combination of engagements, bridals, bridal party, bachelorette/bachelor parties, etc.) or do you do separate contracts for each session or event?
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WOW! I wish I knew all of this before Aug 8! LOL my first photoshoot was a wedding, I was upfront with them and told them that theirs was my first wedding shoot, they didn't care and said this will be my break =).
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New owner of a DSLR Canon XSI. I need to get to know my new baby or the ins and outs of photography for that matter
Last edited by EnticingArt; 10-03-2008 at 06:33 PM. Reason: some members of party didn't want personl issues exp |
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Should shots of the bride be over exposed or underexposed? When I have tried some test shots the underexposed shots have lots of dress detail but the dress looks grey. The over exposed ones have a lovely white dress but without much detail. Which is the best way to go?
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~ Fawn ![]() My New Site! {Out of Commission for a few days} My Gear, Photography Blog, Flickr & My Twitter
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![]() ![]() ![]() Now I'm really scared lolQuote:
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~ Fawn ![]() My New Site! {Out of Commission for a few days} My Gear, Photography Blog, Flickr & My Twitter
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What do the experienced wedding photographers think about Highlight Tone Priority mode on the Canon 1dMk3? I've seen a video on their website where it is promoted as being ideal for capturing detail on wedding dresses without blowing out highlights.
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