So you're finally shooting your first wedding. Whether wedding photography is something you do as a sideline or full time, you are sure to feel those jitters which often come with doing things for the first time. To fully enjoy this experience and take high-quality photos, follow these simple tips.
Prepare your equipment. The quality of your shots will rely on a few factors, most important of which is your ability as a photographer. But without a working memory card, the right lens, or a fully charged battery, your camera won't serve its purpose and whatever skills you have will not shine through. Check and double check your gear prior to heading to the event. Format your memory cards (and ensure you have enough of them!), charge your batteries, test your camera and flash, and prepare all your lenses.
Hire an assistant shooter for this photo coverage, and get a second camera body as well. Having an assistant photographer to shoot alongside you will let you cover more ground and come up with more different shots to choose from subsequently. To work well together, set up a work plan identifying who shoots what parts and which types of shots are expected. This will also minimise shots from the same angle from two different shooters. It also pays to have two digital camera bodies where you can use two varied lenses (a wide angle on one and a telephoto on another) in order to avoid having to change in the middle of all the action.
Shoot from the hip, and pay attention to the details. Vary your shooting angles, because it is only when you're sitting in your headquarters, browsing through all the shots, that you can appreciate how much better it is to have numerous choices rather than just a few. Take bird's eye view shots, close-ups, and macro shots, and don't forget to shoot from down below and from the hip.
Lastly, shoot RAW. Every Wedding Photographer should never debate on the utility of the RAW format. You're going to print your photos, so might as well take as much detail as you could in every shot. This is something your camera's RAW shooting function will easily cover. Bridal Photography is serious business, and you cannot afford to work on compressed JPEGs alone.
Prepare your equipment. The quality of your shots will rely on a few factors, most important of which is your ability as a photographer. But without a working memory card, the right lens, or a fully charged battery, your camera won't serve its purpose and whatever skills you have will not shine through. Check and double check your gear prior to heading to the event. Format your memory cards (and ensure you have enough of them!), charge your batteries, test your camera and flash, and prepare all your lenses.
Hire an assistant shooter for this photo coverage, and get a second camera body as well. Having an assistant photographer to shoot alongside you will let you cover more ground and come up with more different shots to choose from subsequently. To work well together, set up a work plan identifying who shoots what parts and which types of shots are expected. This will also minimise shots from the same angle from two different shooters. It also pays to have two digital camera bodies where you can use two varied lenses (a wide angle on one and a telephoto on another) in order to avoid having to change in the middle of all the action.
Shoot from the hip, and pay attention to the details. Vary your shooting angles, because it is only when you're sitting in your headquarters, browsing through all the shots, that you can appreciate how much better it is to have numerous choices rather than just a few. Take bird's eye view shots, close-ups, and macro shots, and don't forget to shoot from down below and from the hip.
Lastly, shoot RAW. Every Wedding Photographer should never debate on the utility of the RAW format. You're going to print your photos, so might as well take as much detail as you could in every shot. This is something your camera's RAW shooting function will easily cover. Bridal Photography is serious business, and you cannot afford to work on compressed JPEGs alone.
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