Asking pertinent
questions like these will help you understand the requirements for
the wedding photos, which will also help you take better shots!
Locations,
Events and Times
Once you know
what the wedding locations, events and times are, you should go check
them out. For a church wedding, it's best to go inside the church
to check out the lighting, decor and environment. Perhaps you can
find a few places to stand during the ceremony, so you're not running
around in a panic on the day of the wedding. It’s also important
to check out the reception area, just so you know how everything will
be set up.
Organize
Your Gear
This is a critical
step. Here’s a list of the equipment you should bring to the
wedding shoot:
Digital
camera: This one is obvious. It’s good to have a backup
analog camera as well, just in case.
Camera
lenses and filters: Take along any special lenses or filters
you may want to use.
Tripod:
This one is important for indoor shots under low light.
Memory
cards: Bring at least two 1 GB memory cards. That may seem
like a lot, but you won’t believe how many shots you’ll
take during a wedding.
Portable
drive: This is important in case you run out of space on
your memory cards.
Assistant:
Try to bring along an assistant. It could be a friend or a helper
at the wedding. They can help you arrange the group shots, etc., which
will take a lot of stress off of you.
On the
Wedding Day
Here’s
a typical sequence of events to help guide you when the actual wedding
day arrives.
At the
House
If you’re
taking shots of the bride getting ready, it's best to be early. In
fact, you should be one of the first to arrive so that you can set
up your positions, tripods or whatever you may need.
At the
Church
Once you’re
at the church, find out where the preacher will be standing and position
yourself accordingly. Some critical shots include the entrance to
the church, the aisle and where the couple will stand.
Note:
Don't get too excited about your shots so early on. You have a long
day of taking photos and you need to ration your memory card space
to ensure you get pictures of everything throughout the day.
If there's a reception,
make sure you get there before the rest of the guests so that you
can find your perfect position. Receptions are a good time to capture
candid shots, so have some fun with it!
Formal
Group Shots
If there are any
formal group shots to be taken, try to start with the big groups and
then slowly remove family members so that you can get various combinations
of the friends and family.
Cleaning
Up
So, what do you
do after a wedding shoot? Well, plenty! You need to do some basic
image editing, such as removing red eye, cropping and rotating. You
also need to burn the photos onto CDs and DVDs, usually in a slideshow
format. You should try to get the final copies to the happy couple
as soon as possible.
Have fun!
~ Ramachandran
Kumaraswami
Want To Comment On This Tip? Click Here! We'd love to hear from you :-)
Like These Tips? Get 'Em Free In Your E-mail
