Comments on: Wedding Photography Survival Tips: The Preparation

By: Lorraine Foster

Lorraine Foster — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:33:16 +0000

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.

By: Johan

Johan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:54:38 +0000

Great tips here, thanks!

By: Arunas

Arunas — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:54:52 +0000

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.

By: Bashfulsue

Bashfulsue — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:37:21 +0000

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

By: Shanle Photography

Shanle Photography — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:41:44 +0000

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.

By: Julie Harris Photographers

Julie Harris Photographers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:19:04 +0000

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!

By: Chris Ellis

Chris Ellis — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:32:33 +0000

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

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:51:24 +0000

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.

By: Furious Photographers

Furious Photographers — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:58:12 +0000

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

By: Paulo Jordao Photography

Paulo Jordao Photography — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:14:25 +0000

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