Wedding Photography Survival Tips: The Preparation
Written by Christina N Dickson, portrait photographer and instructor for the Institute in Photographic Studies.
Weddings.
To the inexperienced photographer, the first wedding is that single most daunting event that stands as Mt. Everest in one’s profession. It is a feat that could define success or failure for the rest of one’s career. Much preparation is required. Much focus is essential. Much passion is critical.
Every detail of the day is important. The clothes. The favors. The people. Tensions are high. Schedules are tight. Emotions are charged. A wedding shoot is not the time to test one’s people skills or experiment with portraits. It is a day that an experienced photographer must practice everything he or she has ever known.
However, each wedding photographer has had a “first time”. On this day, the photographer discovers the key to thriving in the world of wedding photography: An ability to take the unpredictable in stride and thrive amidst challenges.
What does this look like to an inexperienced wedding photographer? How does a novice go about capturing beautiful shots in unpredictable and varied settings? With a little bit of hard work, these 8 tips will help you cover essential preparations for a successful wedding shoot.
1. Do your research!
Find a local bookstore with a large selection of photography books. Take some time to look at books from Bill Hurter and Amherst Media. These resources will give you an incredible amount of information to walk you through the wedding photographer’s experience.
2. Determine the couple’s style
As a wedding photographer, your job involves more than capturing the events of the wedding day. You must have the ability to do so in the style that signifies the bridal couple. Are they traditionalists? Are they contemporary? Do they want color or black and white? If they aren’t sure what they like, take the time to go through a wedding magazine with them to find clips that match their style. Once you know what they are expecting stylistically, you can shoot to capture just that!
3. Create a Master Schedule
Arrange a pre-wedding meeting with the bride to plan out a 15-minute incremental schedule of the wedding shoot. This should include wedding preparations, bride portraits, bride and bridesmaids portraits; the groom and his groomsmen, the full wedding party, the family portraits, and the bride and groom. If you aren’t experienced shooting weddings, plan for extra time so you won’t be rushed or distracted by the time pressures.
4. Be connected
Be sure to get the phone number of the wedding coordinator, the best man, and the bride’s personal attendant. If (and when) the wedding schedule gets off, you will want to be sure that the wedding coordinator is in the know. And when the time comes to hunt down rogue bridal party or family members who are missing out on the shoot, these numbers are handy for extra help.
5. Have help!
Shooting a first wedding is best done with another primary shooter, or at least an assistant. An assistant will help you keep track of your shot list, schedule, managing the individuals for large group photos. In the very least, an assistant is available to carry equipment, keep track of the cell phone, and holding reflectors.
6. Make a shot list
The bridal couple will undoubtedly have shots they want. Generally, the couple will stress the importance of photos with family members attending, and the bridal party. Once you have this initial list, you can build a more detailed list for your own reference. A shot list will keep you focused and on top as you go about the 5-8 hour shooting day. As you refer to your shot list throughout the day, won’t have to worry about forgetting anything.
7. Scout out your locations
Arrive at the venue at least an hour before you are to begin shooting. Once you are on location, map out your location flow. Where will you start out and what shots will you take in that area? Where will you go next? What distractions must you watch out for in each location? Where is the light? Have a flow plan for your shoot and both you and your clients will stay relaxed through the day.
8. Put on your game face!
Remember that no matter what happens on the wedding day, there will be a plethora of uncontrolled variables. Your role is to take the unexpected happenings and run with them! If you are the picture of calm and the voice of reason, everyone else will be ok! The mark of a good wedding photographer isn’t a perfectly planned and executed shoot but rather a wedding shoot in which the photographer was able to adapt to each scenario and still capture the beautiful moments of the day.
No matter how much reading and research time you put into preparing, there is a large degree of learning that will come from that first experience. Above all, set your mind on enjoying the experience no matter what comes your way. While the pressure is on, so long as you can take nervous pressure and channel it to anticipated excitement, you’ll be just fine.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this 3 part series where we’ll explore shot lighting more in depth.
26 Responses to “Wedding Photography Survival Tips: The Preparation” - Add Yours
May 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I shot my first wedding a couple of weeks ago and blogged about it here.
http://chanraymond.net/2008/05/06/my-first-wedding-photography-experience/
It was quite a disaster, but at the end of the day, I had learned so much more during the day itself compared to what I had read about wedding photography online.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:00 am
We often talk about get prepared and ready for the wedding shoot and there is a great deal of preparation needed in order to not just document snap shots but bring life and quality to your images.
I must admit wedding photography scares me and that is why I never do these types of events.
The one subject that is never discussed in these how to tips is the Wedding Contract.
In my view there is so much emotion and expectation with wedding shoots (not all) that it is easy to have a misunderstanding between the photographer and the bride and groom that I would imagine there are many areas that could cause problems.
A wedding contract should be clear about the services being provided and just as well clear about what is not being provided. (I do have a fair bit of experience with contract law). It should also articulate what are the remedies for the many things that can go wrong.
Now I know most professional will not just work to the contract but will go beyond this, but I hear too many stores about less than perfect wedding shoots.
I would never do a wedding shoot unless I had a backup assistant and almost full redundant equipment. There is no time to re-shoot should something go wrong with the equipment.
Niels Henriksen
May 9th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Feel like part of the family, it helps a lot :)
Good rappor between the photographer and the couple is critical also, it helps if the photographer has made time to know the couple even before the day of the shoot, maybe an informal meeting or even doing their prenup.
I like the “game face” tip, gonna apply that, thanks! :)
May 9th, 2008 at 4:27 am
These are great pointers! As novice wedding photog, I look forward to reading part 2 and 3!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Your article took me back 40 years. I can still remember the sweaty palms and the pounding of my heart in my chest during the exercise of photographing my first wedding as I went happly shooting with my Yashika D, Twin Lens Reflex, 6×6 camera loaded with Kodak Vericolor film. We survive these first attempts and grow from the experience.
I kept all the proofs from that wedding and still will thumb through them occationally. I find it very comforting to know where I am now and to see where I once was.
Bilka
May 9th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I’ve just recently shot my first wedding. I did all the research I could and really felt I was prepared– but I got to the dimly light church, ugly day, and poorly light reception hall and really started to sweat. Then I just told myself that it was like any other event- stay calm, pull out the 50mm f1.4 and fill with the flash. Once I loosened up I started pulling away with some pretty great shots. The one downside was that somewhere along the lines I either lost or had one of my SD cards stolen. NOT good. Anyways if anyone has a minute I’d appreciate it if you took a look at the shots from my first wedding and provide any feedback- I’m always trying to learn. Here are the shots: http://aaronsnyder.net/paul-and-jennifers-wedding/
As always another excellent article!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
useful one. i’m going to wedding next week. fortunately not as an official photographer. :)
May 9th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I’ve noticed that DPS has been doing the wedding article over and over the last couple of months.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Something I’ve often seen recommended to people in these situations is to assist at some other weddings first with an experienced shooter so you do get to see the skills required. Beats going in with a rough idea and risking something going wrong.
May 10th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I am seeking advice on wedding party group shots that involve a “range” of attendant sizes. For instance, I have a wedding party next Spring that will have a 6 foot 100 lb. MOH and 5′3” 300lb Bridesmaid and a 5′3” 125lb Bridesmaid. Also I have NO idea what the groomsmen are like. Does any one have any group shot ideas that will diminish the size/height difference other than just doing face shots? The Wedding will be on a beach in Mexico so I am not sure of the availability of rocks or chairs to do a staggered arrangement.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Having just started shooting weddings professionally has definitely been an experience! I started out shooting for some of my friends who couldn’t afford or didn’t want to hire a photographer and I must say that research is the key to understanding what is going on and how to get great shots. Practice a lot too.
Meggan I just shot a similar wedding and would suggest doing some creative shots of the wedding party controlling your depth of field and staggering people up and down the beach to more evenly proportion them. If you could find a sand dune or small hill and some open space you could probably have a lot of fun with arranging everyone.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Meggan,
What you’re asking to do is pretty difficult, but not impossible. If you go with a wide angle lens, get kind of low and place the people in a diagonal line with the smallest in front and the largest in back. Play with the angle and line up a little until it looks natural— this is the hard part. Once you try it out a bit you’ll get the hang of it. If you leave a comment on my website or shoot me an email I’ll provide you with a more indepth explanation and some examples.
Hope this helps–
-Aaron Snyder
May 10th, 2008 at 5:53 am
We just recently shot a great wedding! We had so much fun!! The bride and groom were laid back and comfortable, even though we had just met. I was a bit nervous making sure we had all of the shots, but I shouldn’t have been we had 1600 images from a 12 hour day. The pose list is a great idea. As is the time to get to know the bride and groom. It makes sense that weddings would be the focus of many articles right now, since it is “wedding season”. We could all stand to do more networking. This is a great way to do it and learn from each other.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Check your equipment, have back up, and get to know who you are shooting. I make it a practice to drop by the rehearsal dinner because it gives me a very good sense as to who is the nearest and dearest to the couple.
May 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
It’s also very important to know who the photographer is and a scheduled meeting with the photographer can help in many ways.
Tia
May 12th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
flowers are nice in this photo, kinda felt funny about the tag line.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I am a Wedding Photographer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ( http://www.paulopics.com ).
The first wedding that I shot (around 10 years ago), was for a bride that want to get married at the same time with her other 3 sisters.
can you imagine it? 4 brides for my first weeding!!! :-)
I just want to you to understand that Wedding Photography is a lot more than just capture the moment of the event, it is an ART. So… If you realy want to start on this field, buying a couple of good WEDDING BOOKS and WEDDING VIDEO TUTORIALS would be a good start, plust start investing in good camera, lenses, flashes, etc…
Paulo Jordao
May 14th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I like the last tip a lot about your game face during a wedding =P In the end, if you have all of this stuff in tact, I am sure that one’s confidence will radiate during the wedding and the pictures will look awesome.
I love reading this blog!
Lawrence
Furious Photographers | Furious Photographers Blog
May 31st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I did a wedding for a good friend’s sister. I am not a professional and I made that crystal clear to the bride and groom and realatives prior to the wedding. I went to the rehersal the day before to get the lay of the land and took many pictures that day. I used my Canon 20D with a Tamron 18-200 and a 480 external flash for about 90% of the pics.I had no assistant. I did do a lot of reading on the internet weeks before the wedding and the information there was very helpful. The day of the wedding I was surprisingly relaxed and I think much of that was a result of being relatively prepared and comfortable with my own style. I did not charge them for this shoot even though I spent many hours of my time during and after the ceremony and a bit of money printing a few 8×10s. I love what I do and this “exercise” allowed me lots of shots to critique and ideas on improving future shots. You can see some of these shots on Flickr. My name is fauxtoman.
Things I learned….Use fill flash outside. The bride has really deep set eyes and while I wasn’t so concerned about blur outside, I should have lit up those eye sockets some.
Use my tripod more than I did. Buy a better tripod….lighter (expensiver) and use a quick release…Get someone to help you. Carrying equipment, regardless of how little and trying to be proactive setting up the next shot when everyone is moving around, talking and laughing can be very taxing. Don’t feel like you have to hurry up and get the shot over with because the people are getting tired. Screw’em. You are in control. Not them. Hope this helps. Do and learn.
June 21st, 2008 at 5:32 am
Your site has been a tremendous teaching tool for me. I could not have done my first weddings with out you! I am shooting my third tomorrow. Thank you so much for giving back to the photography community. My pics can be seen at http://chrisellisphotos.com
Chris Ellis
September 21st, 2008 at 9:19 am
I remember my first wedding. Excited, nervous, hopeful, paranoid I would forget to photograph someone or something.
It definitely gets easier but those first few ones are really important. Just learning about the process, the interractions, the need to be assertive as well as diplomatic. You HAVE to have PEOPLE SKILLS! I can’t stress that enough.
Good article!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:41 am
At one wedding I attended, the photographer gathered up everyone who would be in the photos together and started with the big group. As he took the photos, those who weren’t needed anymore were let go in ones and twos and so forth. The result was that no one had to sit around waiting for the photographer to finish.
This might be a good idea, if you can coordinate it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I have done a few weddings where I didn’t get paid and everything turned out great. My first paid wedding was horrible! It was also the strangest wedding I have ever been too. I went to the rehearsal by request. Brides mother wanted pictures. Bride did not. Day of wedding it poured. Bride still did not really want any pictures. The Bride and her brides maids got dresses basically in a bathroom. Not enough room to really take good shots and very bad lighting. Mother of bride really wanted pictures even though Bride did not. Bride would not smile at all during the whole days events. Neither did the groom. Wedding ceremony and reception were both in the same place. A small room with way too many tables set up than there were guest. Tripod was out of the question as there was not enough space to even set one up. Lighting was so bad that the conditions changed with every step you took. I can’t stress enough that the “Happy Couple” did not want pictures! Not sure why they were getting married. I was forced to shoot as fast as I possible could. I had guest that kept walking in front of me while I was taking a shot and also had guest that were taking pictures bumping into me. Also, that place was so hot inside that my camera lenses kept fogging up. Now I have to try and fix most all of the pictures because I could not use tripod or take my time taking the shots. Now, I am also very scared to do anymore weddings.
So, my biggest lesson was: Brides Mother hired me, not the bride. Lesson: Make sure that the Happy Couple really want pictures. Any suggestions for a situation like this?
Susan
July 9th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I missed one tip.
after wedding when you ready to give the photos, try to look at the rezults together. It will give you an extra points. Speak about your idea, it shows that you care. If everything is good you can get a nice recommendation for further work.
September 14th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Great tips here, thanks!
September 25th, 2009 at 4:33 am
I am really enjoying all the tips for wedding photography. I am doing my fifth wedding this weekend but have learned a lot through mistakes. My first wedding I used too many filters and a lot of the shots did not come out well. One wedding was outside at a lake but I had to shoot into the sun, which was a problem. Then, the reception hall was so dark that nothing I did could save the pictures. Now I ask that the reception halls be lit and not totally dark. Every wedding I do I learn from my mistakes. This site helps me a lot.
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