Wedding Photography can be one of the most enjoyable and lucrative professions within photographic industry, but it can also be one of the most stressful and demanding.
A strong desire to succeed and a perfectionist attitude are essential to move up in this highly competitive market. Wedding photography is all about integrity and professionalism, and being organized and punctual is crucial for success in this field.
Whether you are aiming to be a professional or doing the wedding photography as a favor for a friend or family, there are certain tricks of the trade to make sure that it all goes smoothly. Wedding photography does not include a re-do option, and you have one day to get the shots right.
A good trick to successful wedding photography, is planning a shot list. This helps to get the wedding couple to think ahead about the moments that they want you to capture on the day. Compiling a check list of these will be helpful, especially with the family shots that are generally taken after the ceremony as you do not want to forget an important family member in the family shots. As there are so many styles and themes of weddings, this will also allow you to have a checklist for where you need to be and when, to ensure you do not miss some unique tradition in the wedding ceremony or the moments before and after. Many different religions consider different moments in the whole day as an important moment to be captured and you need to be aware of these before the day.
Knowing the location you are going to be shooting at, or the different locations is also and essential part of successful wedding photography. Scouting the locations will give you some ideas about the positions for shots and the limitations of the location. It will also provide you with an understanding of how the light will come into play.
Be prepared for things to go wrong. Having a back up plan in case of bad weather or any other unpreventable occurrence will make sure you have control of the situation.
Ensuring simple things are taken care of will also go a long way to making the day run smoothly for you. Charging the batteries, having enough blank memory cards, and knowing the routes and time it takes to get to places as well as an itinerary will let you be where you need to be and when you need to be there. Simple things like turning the sound off your camera will also make a difference. Having a beeping camera during speeches or the vows will not add to the atmosphere of the event.
Getting a little creative with your shots will allow you to create a more expressive and impressive wedding album. Wedding photography generally requires a lot of the images to be fairly formal and adding a few artistic pictures will make the album look more professional. Use the light around you (whether with a flash or not) to add extra texture and depth to the pictures.
Whether you are a professional or a generous amateur, wedding photography requires a professional attitude to guarantee that you get the right shots. This is a one time only deal and it is important to make sure you are organized, prepared and ready to tackle wedding photography.