Wedding Photography

[Petra]

All those who have had wedding photos taken, can you please tell me what you liked and didn't like about the Photographer and his/her photos.

What worked for you? What didn't work for you?


I'm going to be the sole photographer at a mid-week beach wedding on 9th Sept. I've designed a shot list which I've given to the couple for consideration. In the next week or so, I'll travel to the location (Waihi Beach area) to scout for 'must have' shots.

I've only been to one wedding as a photographer, and that was more as an assistant to the actual photographer, who was a friend of the couple (so he's not usually a wedding photographer at all, prefering to shoot while deep sea diving).

What tips would you have for me, based on your experiences with the photographer and resulting photos at your own weddings?


Thank you! :cool:

[Plant Woman]

As a former professional wedding photographer, here are a few tips from the professional angle. Be sure to get close ups of the couple and individually. Get their heads together, making sure they tilt their heads towards each other not away from. Some shot of them face to face looking at each other are also good. So many times this is overlooked by photographers who are not wedding photographers. Also if you can get some closeup candids of the two interacting with each other these are always favorites.

[Petra]

Thanks, P-Dub!

I'm writing these down. Looks like a notebook with a 'tip list' is going to come in very handy. :yup:

[LadyShea]

I hate pic after pic of lined up people, but I also hate the fakey staged "look casual" cheese shots as well (bridal party posing sexy, grooms party with their hand in their pockets and pointing at nothing or whatever).

I don't care what kind of wedding it is, there are going to be beautiful moments that a photographer with a good eye will see and can capture.

My fave shots from my album are
1. My dad and I waiting in the vestibule to go up the aisle, laughing. I didn't even know the photographer was there
2. My mom sitting in a chair, and Hubby had walked up behind her to give her a hug, and she reached her arms up over her head and around his neck to hug him back. It was like physically awkward, but a real moment and an awesome pic.
3. Hubby and I sitting in chairs talking to each other. shrug

Recently at Kiddo's birthmom's wedding at an old farmhouse, she was hanging out the window to smoke a cigarette, and the light was great, so I took a number of shots and they are gorgeous. The photographer tried to stage that exact thing and they look terrible.

One good shot the photographer got though, Kiddo went out to get his pic taken with her, and he picked up her train of his own volition and she got some shots of that, but then again so did we. It was a cute moment.

In a nutshell, yeah you need some posed shots of the bridal party and setting, but the candids are going to be the ones most cherished....the little moments ya know.

I'll PM you some links.

[BrotherMan]

Petra,

You have a great eye for shooting. I've no doubt you'll do great. I've shot one wedding. It was a super casual affair. It was actually a surprise wedding. Most of the attendants thought it was a just a big bbq until the marriage broke out. Despite that I was still quite anxious.

I googled something like "wedding photography" and found a list of things (that are no lost in the ether) to remember. More importantly the stock photos that I ran across gave me ideas of little extras to include.

LadyShea nailed it though. There are those "must have" shots of people lined up, the bride's group, the groom's group, the newly minted in-laws and so on. Herding them together is the hard(ish) part. That's just point and shoot photography.

But it's the candid photos I got that were the big hit with the bride on review day. Catching those unguarded moments between friends and family, a moment of introspection or distraction of the bride help keep the memories real and alive of that day.

Caveat! I am not even an amateur photographer. I don't think I have digital copies for myself of that day or I'd be all about sharing at least my favorite shots. (But I'm on a mission in a minute.)

[Ensign Steve]

This thread reminded me of this photo:

http://www.funny-wedding-ideas.com/images/funny-wedding-photos-bride-razor.jpg

[Demimonde]

Not photography advise, but ...

Cover your butt in a legal sense. Solid contract that spells out all of their expectations, with protection for you. As a former member of the self employed, some clients you just can't please. I was invading and ripping apart their homes, (and rebuilding them in a beautiful manner if they would let me.) I can imagine that someone paying you for documenting such an intimate once-in-a-lifetime moment will be even more difficult to please.

Making the leap from assitant to head honcho is not to be minimized. Now the legal responsibilities/liabilities fall on you. Getting sued sucks, but it happens to anyone who goes into business. Expect that it will happen, and be prepared as the Boy Scouts say, and be sure to protect yourself. I lack the specifics which would help in your particular contract needs, so ask for legal advice from someone who knows what they are about. Perhaps the photographer you previously assisted will have some good info.

Now that I have scared you, Have a great photo shoot, and congrats on making the leap!

[Qingdai]

This woman did photos at my friends' wedding, they are highly staged, but interesting.

ann ploeger photography (http://www.annploeger.com/)

See all my hipster friends and their non-ironic or ironic things!

They also had a photobooth which is probably beyond whatever, but it was pretty cool

http://www.portlandphotobooth.com/

[Plant Woman]

Petra, in your scouting, be sure you can see what the light will be like at the time you will be photographing the wedding.

Although the line up shots of the wedding party and family are boring, they still are the ones people put in their wedding albums. The least favorite ones are the candids of people dancing, and Aunt Mable talking to cousin-twice-removed. I always ask for a list of the VIPs in the wedding, plus the names of all the wedding party members. I memorized them beforehand and quickly matched the names to the people at the wedding. For herding people around this was a life savior being able to call people by their first names. Plus you make them more comfortable with you when you are in the act of shooting them.

A quick wit, and a little teasing of favorite people, helped people relax in front of the camera. You need to command their attention so you can do a good quick job, so having leadership skills is helpful and a good sense of humor that not only keeps their attention but entertains your subjects as well. Often I had people come up to me afterward and tell me how much fun they had during the photo shoots. Those comments were good to hear, since I thought that was the most important part of my job, besides taking memorable photographs.

[Ensign Steve]

A quick wit, and a little teasing of favorite people, helped people relax in front of the camera. You need to command their attention so you can do a good quick job, so having leadership skills is helpful and a good sense of humor that not only keeps their attention but entertains your subjects as well. Often I had people come up to me afterward and tell me how much fun they had during the photo shoots. Those comments were good to hear, since I thought that was the most important part of my job, besides taking memorable photographs.

That is appreciated as well, because you will get people's genuine smiles. I hate my fake photo smile, so I always ask people to make me laugh when they photograph me.

[JoeP]

I like LS's advice. In fact I like all the advice given.

[JoeP]

Not photography advise, but ...

Cover your butt in a legal sense.

Not legal advice, but ... Cover your butt in a clothing sense, too. :P

[mulebear]

Make sure you have plenty of backup equipment. You never know what may fail at any time.

M. "I hate doing wedding photography" B.

[Plant Woman]

Make sure you have plenty of backup equipment. You never know what may fail at any time.

M. "I hate doing wedding photography" B.

:yeahthat: times 2

[Sock Puppet]

Lighting, lighting, lighting. If you can, take some practice shots inside the building where you'll be taking the money shots.* See how they turn out and make sure you use the same film on the big day.

My stepdad's brother did our wedding, and you can see at one point on the video "extras" that he runs out of film and says, "That's okay, I've got 3 more rolls." Turns out those other rolls were a different speed, and EVERY picture he took after that point was too fucking dark. :fuming:


*:circlejerk:

[livius drusus]

People still use film?

[Sock Puppet]

They did back in the late 19th Century, when I got married.

[Petra]

Thanks for your feedback, guys. Some excellent advice here, and I'm taking it all on board. :)

(And sorry for my delay in replying, but I've been visiting with a friend in Tauranga - not the happiest of visits, though, I'm afraid).


LOVE your photo, ES. :beaugest:


Thanks, everyone! :cool:

[Cliche Guevara]

Hey, guys. Just letting you know that the wedding pics were a success.

I took 1235 pics all up :eek: and managed to whittle them down to 513. Which is still too many, really, but the bride and groom were very happy. I made them a disk of the pics to print, and one that was a dvd slideshow to play in normal dvd players.

I put a couple of them up on Flickr yesterday, and will put more up as time allows. :-)

What do you think? Would you pay me to do this?

Flickr: Petra Paignton's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/petrapaignton/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/3987043182_5da2b36153_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/3986289489_c1b5676f7e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/3986289767_0d27973b4e_o.jpg

Ugh, compression kills - they look way better at high res (or am I just making excuses?)

[BrotherMan]

This makes me really sore that I don't have the photos I took. :cry:

Like I said in your OMG MY FIRST WEDDING JOB thread, you have a great eye for capturing a moment in time and framing it wonderfully.

[Cliche Guevara]

Why don't you have them any more? I wanna see 'em, dammit! :eager:

[BrotherMan]

I think they got hosed when an old drive went :ohnoes: on me a few years back.

[Cliche Guevara]

Ahhhhhh, bummer!

But thank you for the reminder to back up my HD. :yup:

[JoeP]

:applaud: :applaud: :applaud: Petra!

and ... Back up your disks, everyone!

[Cliche Guevara]

Thanks, JoeP!

I'm going to put some more up to my Flickr account later in the day, so keep an eye out if you wanna see 'em.

:D

[Jack McHarden]

Very nice photos, Mr. Guevara

Reminded me of a news story on what NOT to do Couple Sues Over Bad Wedding Photos (http://www.myfoxchattanooga.com/dpp/news/dpgo_bad_wedding_photographs_dc_fc_20091008_3929364)

[Cliche Guevara]

Very nice photos, Mr. Guevara

Reminded me of a news story on what NOT to do Couple Sues Over Bad Wedding Photos (http://www.myfoxchattanooga.com/dpp/news/dpgo_bad_wedding_photographs_dc_fc_20091008_3929364)

Yeah, I saw that on the telly and instantly went into a panic.

Fortunately, my couple paid nothing - it was a freebie 'cos I'm dumb like that. :yup:

Can you sue someone for nothing? I dunno. :shrug:


Luckily they were very happy with the pics, though. Unless they were just saying that to make me feel good. :noid:

[Cliche Guevara]

I put some more up now, if you're interested. :)

[Plant Woman]

Great job Petra, my favorite is where you captured her looking at him with a tear running down her cheek. Those moments are fabulous.

[Cliche Guevara]

Thank you, Mentor!

See, I took on board all the advice you gave me. :pleased:

[BrotherMan]

:cheer:

I found them! (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/blog.php?b=195)

[Cliche Guevara]

:cheer:

I'm going through them now, BroMan. So far, so great - but I just had to take a mo to pop back in and say "I hear ya!" to this comment you made: "I took about 50 photos in the time it took them to walk from one door to the other." :laugh:

[Cliche Guevara]

:cheer:

I found them! (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/blog.php?b=195)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/outersanctum/photos_by/wedding002.jpg

Lovely. :)

[BrotherMan]

As with you, this was a freebie. I was a volunteer that day. I wouldn't have asked for money. But all the same I was very anxious the whole time I was there. I think I was more anxious than the bride was. She did her best to calm my nerves.

[Cliche Guevara]

But all the same I was very anxious the whole time I was there. I think I was more anxious than the bride was. She did her best to calm my nerves.

Me, too! Even showing them to her, I was all like "oh, um, the focus isn't as good as I'd have liked on that one...sorry....um..." etc. :blush:

Luckily she doesn't care and loves them anyway. :yes:

[freemonkey]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/3987043182_5da2b36153_o.jpg



I love this one, from the angle to the movement to the color and contrast to the look on that kid's face.

Nice job overall, Petra!