Photographing a Wedding

October 9th, 2017
Hi everyone. I hope you can help. A friend has asked me and another friend to shoot her daughter's wedding but I do not feel qualified to do it it any way, shape or form. My friend has never shot a wedding before either but she does seems a bit more confident than me. The friend who's asked us will not take No for an answer because her daughter is on a very tight budget. I think she thinks that because we don't shoot with phones we're OK to do it - she doesn't realise what's involved! So I've been reading books, looking at wedding photos for ideas, etc. I wondered if anyone on here has shot (or shoots) a wedding - or even if you haven't - what would be your one key tip for a first timer like me? Thanks in anticipation of your help.
October 9th, 2017
I'm no wedding photographer but I read something the other day from one who said he always shot in aperture mode because lighting changes too fast. Good luck. I shot the groomsmen prepping for my son's wedding. Kinda like herding cats. When you shoot the group shots, be sure to leave extra margin for prints. Go ahead of time and check out the venue, too.
October 9th, 2017
@danette lol, impossible then if it's like herding cats - they must have been so hyped up! Thanks for the great tips Danette. Luckily we've had a chance to recce the venue so that's one thing done. The tip about extra margin isn't something I would have thought about so thank you for that. Aperture mode is another good tip, although I have bought a remote flash so hopefully that will help with some lighting issues.
October 9th, 2017
Well, volumes have been written on the subject - it's probably pointless to try to sum that up in a few sentences. But if I had a "top 3" things: I encourage you to 1) keep searching out everything you can absorb online between now and the event, 2) shoot as much lowlight scenes as you can between now and then...there's a LOT of lowlight shooting - the most critical being the ceremony (presuming indoors) - both with and without flash and 3) on the day itself, no matter how you feel internally, present confidence on the outside. It's fine to be your toughest critic - on the inside, but on the day itself, people will respond to your confidence whether its "fake" or not and the day will go much smoother. Don't be afraid to have a politely "take charge" attitude. P.S. bring plenty of cards - thousands of images worth of cards, use more cards with smaller capacity instead of one or two very large capacity. That was If a card goes bad you've lost only some instead of everything. Hope it goes well, I think it will.
October 9th, 2017
I've shot three...two as an only shooter and one as a secondary shooter. I agree with the the tips DbJ gave you. I would add bringing a computer to back up the shots as you go. bad to lose shots because they weren't backed up. I am wondering if you are shooting in raw. I would suggest it because you can do so much more in post if you do. it is a long day. plan on taking care of yourself with plenty of rest ahead of time. make a shot list with the couple ahead of time and follow it! if you can scout out the venue ahead of time it would be really helpful. decide which of you will do which shots. I was sad at my daughter's wedding because the photographers did what I dislike most and that is shooting right up in the ceremony space. artsy pictures are nice (like on pinterest) but if you aren't really confident with posing, stick with normal. some shots can be re-created. plan for time to shoot. this is where talking with the couple is important because their expectations may not match their timeline. photos take time setting up with family groups etc. then to take the couple themselves away for some private shots. make sure you know what they expect as far as how late you stay. watch out for details like buttoned jackets and straight necklaces. lots of people will try to get in your way while you shoot. suggest that during the ceremony they announce no flash photography or cell phones be used. helps to make nicer photos. give yourself reasonable time to post process the images so they won't expect you to have them done in a week. make sure they know you are delivering digital images to them and no prints if that is the case. I guess this is a lot more than one key tip... : )
October 9th, 2017
There are lots of great suggestions here already. I've shot several weddings as a second shooter. We both have our own roles. I work with the groom and groomsmen while my friend works with the bride and bridesmaids. Shoot details, especial with the girls. Many things are chosen specially for the day, and its important to capture these. During the ceremony have one of you at the front isle and the other around the periphery. Take a few lenses or even two camera's each if you have them so you don't need to switch lenses. Also a spare battery if you have one, or a battery recharger. Have a wet weather plan if things will be outside. Pinterest is great for posing ideas, but make sure you chat with the couple before hand so you know what they would like. Also make sure you get photos of their guests, don't focus only on the bridal party. Good luck and stay calm, it can be a lot of fun!
October 9th, 2017
I am doing a wedding shoot for a friend next July so, like you are looking for tips etc. so found this really useful, thank you to everyone. We were at a wedding recently and the photographer also took shots of couples at the tables eating for their food and also was on the lookout for the photo that was unexpected. I am going to make a list with the Bride and Groom of the sort of shots they would like and also do lots of research beforehand. If you have the list with you, perhaps a willing volunteer - Best Man? can do the fetching of people in readiness for the photo. Hope all goes well, would love to hear how it goes and any further tips after your shoot.
October 9th, 2017
I haven't read all the wobderful advice but I will give you some simple ones - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A MEMORY CARD IN THE CAMERA. I took pictures for my nephew and the film wasn't loaded right. Make sure you have your batteries charged. Make sure you have extra of both.
October 10th, 2017
@dbj_365 Thank you very much for your advice. I'll have to do lots of practising indoors in the next couple of weeks because the wedding is at the beginning of November - luckily my daughters like posing for me so that helps! Your tip about presenting a confident front is particularly invaluable as that is something I know I don't do! I think I will need to get more cards too! :)
October 10th, 2017
@jackies365 Thank you so much for your advice Jackie. We're off to visit the bride and groom this evening to sort out a plan for the photography and I think I'll feel a little happier when that's done. My friend is very good at close ups and spotting unusual povs so she should make things more interesting. Hopefully I'll be able to complement her by shooting the more normal things. The wedding is outdoors by the beach so do you think people using cell phones would be a problem? I don't think they'd need flash. Your tips about buttoned jackets and straight necklaces is not something I would have consciously thought about so I'll definitely look out for things like that :)
October 10th, 2017
@kiwichick Thank you Lesley for your great tips. I'm so pleased I'm doing this with another person - I can't imagine trying to shoot a wedding solo. I'll talk to the couple this evening about a wet weather plan, especially as they hope to have the actual ceremony outside by a beach and their wedding reception venue doesn't seem to be very photogenic. Hopefully with two of us shooting we'll be able to get a good variety of shots of the main bridal party plus lots of the guests. Good tips about two cameras and the battery charger - hadn't thought about the charger so that will definitely be on the list now :)
October 10th, 2017
@mandygravil Glad you found this post useful Mandy. Shooting a wedding is a daunting prospect as there are no second chances. When we talk to the couple this evening we'll ask them to nominate someone, or a couple of people, to be rounder-upers as that sounds like a good idea. Good idea to take photos of people at their tables - hopefully they will be willing to pose. Good luck with your wedding shoot and, yep, I'll let you know how we get on and if I learn anything useful to pass on :)
October 10th, 2017
@joansmor Oh, Joan - a girl after my own heart - I feel your pain! My favourite trick is leaving my memory card in the computer but luckily I now have a camera with two card slots so that's helped to address that problem. But I will definitely be buying a few more cards and DJB's tip of using smaller ones in case one corrupts is something I hadn't thought about.
October 10th, 2017
Thank you to everyone for your invaluable advice - you've made me feel a little calmer... although what I'll be like on the day, heaven only knows - however, I will present a confident, professional front!

Fingers crossed now for dry weather, and hopefully a little blue sky to make the sea look blue instead of grey, but not too much sun as that will be difficult to cope with. Goodness me - never satisfied! :)
October 10th, 2017
Be prepared for the officiant to say "no flash" during the ceremony. It is distracing for all in attendance. The last thing I want is for photog to use flash in my face when I am doing the ceremony. Respect that prohibition and other restrictions about where you can shoot from the officiant because the ceremony is about the bride not the photographer.
October 10th, 2017
@nickspicsnz Thank you Nick, that would be great, it's often the little things that you don't think about that really help. Good luck!!
October 12th, 2017
@chapjohn Thanks for your tips John and great to hear from a different point of view. Hopefully because the ceremony is outside by the beach flash won't be an issue if we try and take some of the overall scene. And we'll definitely keep our distance during the ceremony unless requested by the celebrant and the couple. Like you say, that's a special time for them and they won't want us getting in the way by getting too close.
I think my problem will actually be the opposite - in trying to pushing myself forward at the appropriate times - as I'm not overally confident about doing this.
October 14th, 2017
One thing I've done is have the bride start a Pinterest board of wedding photography ideas she is drawn to and have her share the board with me. It gives me an idea of what she is hoping for. My biggest mistake was when I didn't get a photo of the bride and the grandma. Lesson learned, have her make a list of her 'must haves' and check it several times during the wedding and reception. Bring a backup fully charged battery.
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