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6 Tips for Creating Unique and Emotion Filled Wedding Photos

15 Sep

A post by wedding photographer Susan Stripling – one of the course presenters in this weeks Creative Live Photo Week – an event that showcases teaching by 50 photographers across 3 tracks including Weddings and Family.

The best wedding photographers know how to create not only beautifully composed images, but also the moments of emotion and connection at the core of every dynamic wedding story. Focusing on capturing these unique, organic moments allows you to tell a story that’s true to the couple you’re working with. Here are some tips for finding and capturing the images that keep a wedding story dynamic and fresh.

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1. Build the Right Relationship with the Right Client

It’s important to assess whether a client is the right match for your photography style and the stories you’re good at capturing. When you’re consulting with clients, ask questions about what exactly they want, and consider whether you’re prepared to offer the services they want. Once you’ve decided to work with a couple, cultivate a positive, communicative relationship. You don’t have to be best friends with every couple that you shoot, but a basic level of trust helps clients to be themselves on the wedding day. The more comfortable they feel with you, the more moments you’ll be invited to shoot.

2. Be Prepared

To capture unique moments, preparation is essential. Before you show up to shoot a wedding, think through the choices you’ll make about gear, lenses, equipment, and lighting. It’s inevitable that plans will change on the day of the wedding, and that’s okay. Being prepared doesn’t mean you have to be inflexible.

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3. Check your Composition

If an image is too soft or technically imperfect, you can’t share it with clients. A poor image of a great moment is essentially the same thing as no image at all. Remind yourself of the basics both before and during a shoot. Be mindful of focusing and recomposing with the f-stops you choose, and make sure your shutter speed correlates with the lens you’re using.

4. Be aware of the Background

Nothing spoils a dynamic image more than a random person wandering through the background or an angle that makes everyone in the room look like they have lampshade hats on. Don’t just focus on the subjects of each image – focus on the entire frame.

Choose backgrounds that either enhance an image or that are clean and simple. For example, you might decide to photograph rings against the background of other sparkly jewellery the bride plans to wear. Or you might decide that it’s better to have a clean, simple background instead.

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5. Challenge Yourself

When I’m photographing a wedding, I like to challenge myself to see how many unique moments I can capture in one single frame. This allows me to tell stories that are more complex. I might be able to catch the mother of the bride’s reaction as the bridesmaids help her daughter into her dress, or I might capture the flower girls dancing along to a couple’s first dance.

If you’re telling multiple stories in a single frame, each aspect of the story has to be dynamic and engaged. Make sure everyone in the frame is doing something interesting; no couple wants an image from their wedding day where half the people look bored. Know when to focus on a single, super-impactful image instead.

6. Watch and Wait

Watch for shots that both capture a unique moment and help advance the overall wedding story you’re telling. The balance between patient and proactive can be hard to strike, but it’s important.

Create a calm atmosphere and be a chilled presence – don’t constantly have cameras in people’s faces and shutters consistently going off. When a moment starts developing, be assertive about getting the shot you need, but find a way to do so without being intrusive.

Give the couple space to emote, but also be aware that some people might not be outwardly emotional, and that’s okay too. Capture the couple as they are, without trying to force specific moments, reactions, or feelings.

For more wedding photography tips, check out Susan’s upcoming creativeLIVE course during Photo Week which starts on Monday.

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Susan Stripling is a world-renowned wedding photographer. She has won some of the photography industry’s most prestigious honors including 1st place in WPPI’s Wedding Photojournalism category and the Grand Award for Photojournalism. Susan has photographed weddings all throughout the US, the Caribbean, South America, Finland, France, and the Bahamas.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

6 Tips for Creating Unique and Emotion Filled Wedding Photos

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Wedding Photography: Shooting The Rings

12 Sep

This bride and groom are both serving in the army, and both are gun enthusiasts. I asked the groom if he had their guns handy, and a bullet, and came up with this shot as one of the ring shots. This shot was taken in available light, under a tent outdoors. EOS 5D Mark III with EF 100mm f/2.8L IS; ISO 2500, f/16, 1/125.

In my career in photography, I’ve chosen not to focus on weddings as a business model, and shoot only a few every year. I try to avoid being “traditional” in my approach to weddings, mixing traditional shots or types of shots with my own approach- which may or may not have been borrowed from other photographers I have worked with.

One such shot is the ring shot. It is what’s known as a detail shot, and while this may not be the most important shot of the wedding, it is one of the shots that helps sets the tone of an album, and can allow for a lot of creativity if you have the time. If the shot fails, it will definitely be noticed.

The bride and groom in this wedding had a special affinity for the beach, and brought a beach theme to their wedding. Shells were scattered about the tables. I selected a few and quickly shot the rings on a table. The room was brightly lit with daylight pouring in the windows nearby, and I set my flash to bounce off the ceiling to add just a touch more light. . EOS-1D X, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS. ISO 800, 1/250, f/5.6.

There are many ways to go about these types of shots, some more cliche than others. The one that always comes to mind is a shot of the rings resting on the invitation, or the rings casting a shadow of a heart on a Bible opened to 1st Corinthians. My preference is to find something personal that connects the rings to the bride and groom, or else I’ll pull something from the theme of the day. It may take some digging with your clients to find that personal connection- maybe a story about how they met, or something they share together, but once you find it, it can make shooting the ring shot a lot more fun. If I can’t find a personal connection, I’ll use flowers, the bouquet, or a even a champagne cork. Be creative. There are a lot of ways to photograph wedding rings that will make them stand out.

There was no overriding theme at this wedding, and as a second shooter I didn’t have time to get to know the bride and groom. I found a flower arrangement and played with several arrangements before settling on this one. EOS 5D Mark III, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS. I bounced the flash off the ceiling for this shot. ISO 800, f/8, 1/200.

Technically, while a macro lens is helpful, it’s not absolutely necessary. You can highlight the rings in whatever setting you choose, but be careful not to let them get lost in the setting. Typically I use a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens, but any lens that will let you get fairly close will work, depending on your composition. Ideally, I would use off-camera flash every time, but weddings tend to me fast moving events, and there isn’t always time to do it the way you’d prefer. In this case, I’ll set up a small reflector or bounce card to bounce the flash and give a better quality light. I will often try several angles to get different looks. Outdoor weddings during the day are a bit easier. I’ll look for a shaded area and shoot the rings in the available light.

Ring shots are often my most fun shot of the day. There’s no one stressing about their hair or makeup, and no one trying to pull their attention in a different direction. So use the ring shot as your moment of peace on an otherwise busy day, and have some fun with it.

This shot was also from the military wedding. The bride and groom are knife enthusiasts as well. The groom gave me one of his knives and I played with a few arrangements before shooting this one. EOS 5D Mark III, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS. ISO 3200, f/9, 1/125.

This is another set up from the military wedding. His ‘n’ hers .45′s. This shot doesn’t require a macro lens, though I used the EF 100mm f/2.8L. EOS 5D Mark II, Ef 100mm f/2.8L IS. ISO 3200, f/16, 1/160.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Wedding Photography: Shooting The Rings

Digital Photography School

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Photographing A Same-Gender Wedding or Ceremony

03 Sep

Recently there has been several big changes in the way the US handles same-sex marriage. Now, I don’t write about politics, which I think is lucky for all of us in the same way that I don’t cook is lucky for the people I live with. I write about photography and people. I also don’t make predictions about laws and the world, mainly because I’m not sure what I’m going to have for dinner tonight and as I write this, it’s almost 8pm (cereal is always a safe bet at this point though), but I will say this: as same-gender marriage becomes more accepted and recognized, the need for photographers who will happily and professionally photograph these weddings as they would any other, will increase. And I hope to be one of the first photographers in my area a couple thinks of for these jobs.

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I have been lucky enough to photograph several same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies. For this article, I will be referencing the beautiful wedding of Jeremy and Randy, who when I asked, were thrilled to allow me to show their images. I met these wonderful men because Jeremy’s mother placed a hefty bid on a “photography event” that I had donated to a non-profit for their annual fundraiser auction. I had no idea what would be the outcome and I couldn’t have been more thrilled that this lovely woman won my random donation that to be honest, I got a little bullied into. I was certain that I would end up photographing some D list celebrity in the famous mountain town where I donated the “prize” and often worked in. Or maybe that I would be asked to do something crazy and/or scary and have no way to back out. Like a scuba diving photo shoot. (I’m terrified of scuba diving. I think. I’ve never actually tried. But I certainly don’t want to.)

Instead I ended up fourteen thousand feet above sea level on a beautiful September day. I hauled up the cake and live butterflies awaiting their ceremony release who I talked to the whole 30 minute drive, telling them that all would be well and shhhh, shhhhhh…….your wing flapping is making me nervous!. But that’s another article I may write someday titled “Hauling Live Previously Frozen Butterflies Is Not For The Weak Of Heart”. Anyway…..I am a photographer that proudly photographs same sex weddings and unions. I am not gay myself. I am not some crazy liberal (well, maybe a little). I am a person who believes that when any two adults love each other and want to announce that and celebrate it and make promises in front of their friends and families and perhaps feed us all cake in the meantime, that’s a pretty special thing that needs to be documented. And if you’ll have me, I’m thrilled to be the one to do it.

Here are six tips for photographing a same-gender wedding or ceremony:

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1. It isn’t any Different

It’s two people that love each other. And if you signed up for this, it’s like any other wedding you’ve ever done or been to. Simple as that. Show up, do your job, eat cake. If there is even a small part of you that doubts you can do this (beyond the normal doubt that many of us photographers have at any given moment), pass on the job and allow a photographer that can to do it.

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2. Find your Groove

Okay, I lied. It’s a little different. Only because we have been programmed to think that it’s different. The truth is, it may take you a bit to figure out the specifics. But you will. I’m as open-minded as they come and truly believe we should be allowed to love (and marry) whoever we want. None of this changes the fact that I only have a few gay friends, most of which aren’t close friends, and all of which I haven’t been around them and their romantic partner or dating life much.

So while it doesn’t bother me a bit, seeing romantic gestures between two people of the same gender is still a somewhat unfamiliar concept to me. But here is the other truth: I’m not a sappy person by nature and witnessing public displays of affection between any two people makes me a little nervous. At any wedding I photograph, there is a moment of dread realizing that I will be watching kissing and non-stop declarations of love all day. In all fairness, this may be because I am a cynical single person. And my therapist may have mentioned something about intimacy issues. I assume that’s mainly because I’m perfect in every other way and she had to make something up to prolong the relationship. At any wedding, at some point I am able to brush off the cynicism and give in to the beauty of two people pledging to each other.

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3. Realize the Gravity of what you’re Doing

You will likely never shoot a ceremony or event where you are more appreciated. I asked Jeremy what the difference is when hiring a photographer for a same-sex wedding; I fully expected to get back a response about how I needed to realize that it wasn’t any different.

Instead, he told me this: ”The act of asking a photographer to do my wedding was in itself anxiety-provoking. I wasn’t worried about them being booked already, but rather of them not approving of my wedding at all! A wedding can be even MORE emotional for same-sex couples, because chances are at some point in their lives they were sure this day would never be possible.” Weddings are a great deal of pressure, but at a same-gender ceremony you have the added bonus of being pre-approved. Just by being happy to do it, you have made the couple incredibly happy. The images you take are beyond the wildest dreams of the couple because they likely haven’t thought their wildest dreams are possible.

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4. Find out the Details Beforehand

At most of the weddings I have shot, I have done nothing more than exchange a few emails with the couple and possibly taken engagement photos. There aren’t a lot of odd pieces of a wedding that I haven’t seen after having shot so many; divorced parents, possible drunk relatives, non-traditional requests, a roomful of unclothed bridesmaids, rain, unclothed bridesmaids in the rain.…..I’ve seen it all. Though in this situation, I want to know if there are specific relatives that I maybe need to be aware of.

For example, both of Jeremy’s grandfathers are extremely conservative and yet showed up to the wedding anyway after saying that they wouldn’t. This created a very emotional piece for everyone who was aware. You can’t prepare for every possible situation, but get as many details as you can beforehand. It’s more prep work, but it will serve you well in the long run.

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5. Educate Yourself

Many same-sex weddings don’t adhere to traditional wedding outlines. Know beforehand if there will be anything specific happening in their ceremony that might be important. There many be similarities, but there is often an entire separate set of emotions that happen. Know in advance that this is more than just a wedding day; this is a celebration that most thought never could happen.

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6. You mustn’t Worry about it!

I spend most days worried that at some point, I’m going to make an idiot out of myself. This is because most days, at some point, I make an idiot out of myself. At a same-gender weddings I worry quite a bit that I am going to put my foot in my mouth and say something insulting that I in no way meant insulting. If I ever have, and I seriously wouldn’t put it past me, no one has ever mentioned it. This tells me two things:

that it’s possible people are just used to my flavor of obnoxiousness at this point, and…
there is room for a bit of putting your foot in your mouth. While plain out rudeness is of course unacceptable, if you slip-up don’t stress about it.

My grandmother used to always say “You worry too much! You mustn’t worry about it!”.

She also used to say “All the beautiful clothes in your closet and that is what you decided to wear?”, but I prefer to concentrate on the good things.

Be sensitive to the event, but chances are if you got this far into in, it’s for good reason. At this wedding, I accidentally referred to Jeremy as the bride several times. And each time he teased me that he was likely the worst Bridezilla I’ve ever come across.

He wasn’t. Not even close.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Photographing A Same-Gender Wedding or Ceremony

Digital Photography School

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So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 3 of 3 [editing, etc.]

28 Aug

It’s done. You survived it. It was the longest day of your photography career, you’re exhausted, and all you can think about is how right I was (it’s cool—I get that a lot). But…….You. Did. It. And chances are you didn’t get locked in a bathroom, or miss the kiss, or have a complete equipment failure, or faint face-first into the cake. You shot a wedding. What’s next?

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Back-up everything. Possibly several times

As no-brainer as this is, when I shoot portraits, I’m not a diligent about it as I should be. I’m more of a “cross my fingers/hope for the best/fly by the seat of my pants” kind of gal in most areas of my life. But a wedding is different. Good luck explaining to a new bride that your laptop played a vanishing act with the images and you need her to re-do the whole wedding for photographic purposes. It’s my greatest fear. My greatest fear used to be a complete equipment failure at a wedding, but then I had that happen a few weeks ago and somehow survived it, so I’ve graduated my fear list a bit. As soon as I get home from a wedding, no matter that I can barely see straight, I upload everything to my computer, and then back-up everything to an external drive or disc. Additionally I don’t erase my memory cards until I need them again and I have cloud storage. Because I’m neurotic like that. Weddings are often thousands of images and this takes both time and space. Having both of those things is yet another factor in the expense of wedding photography (see: never shoot a wedding for free). In most other areas of my life, I am totally okay with just hoping for the best and surrounding it with good thoughts. But this isn’t one of them.

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Give a sneak peek

These images are going to take you a long time to go through, edit, and deliver. Unless you have some sort of crazy amazing one day editing process, which if you do, I’m going to need you to email that to me immediately. While everyone is anxious to see pictures, no one is more anxious than a still-glowing bride. Give them a little taste and buy yourself some time to ice your camera-strap-indented neck and regain clear vision. Social media is a fabulous option for this if it’s available to you. That way everyone can see them and fawn over how great the images are, giving you a little boost of confidence and the newly minted couple a little attention—both of which work in your favor for the long editing road ahead. (Oh friend, it’s a long road.)

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Decide if you are interested in doing this again

Every wedding I have ever shot has led to at least one referral. In general, I don’t photograph weddings. Yet, there I am, every summer, finding myself wanting to pass out from heatstroke with a 10 pound black box in front of my face. Why? Because I’m a sucker. I suppose I could tell you that it’s because I love weddings and true love and all that, but the truth is: I’m a sucker. Throw a few compliments at me and I’ll do about anything that doesn’t involve roller coasters. I hate roller coasters. (I also hate those rides where you spin on something that’s spinning. I’d like to have a long talk with the guy who thought that was a good idea for your internal organs.) Even if you didn’t hand out a single business card……even if you don’t have a single business card…..they will find you. Unless you were a miserable human being to be around (I don’t judge—I’ve been there), you will get a call about another wedding. Decide right now if this is something you ever want to do again so you can handle that call that will come later. There is nothing wrong with saying no, thank you. It might not be your cup of tea. Or quad carmel latte (I’m becoming a really expensive coffee date lately). There is also nothing wrong with having loved it. The point is that you need to decide quickly because there is literally a barista of sorts waiting on your order and she has a whole line of impatient people behind you and a smoke break coming up.

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Don’t overdo it

The last wedding I shot came in at just shy of two thousand images. There were 26 guests, and that’s including the dog ring bearer. I shot for less than 4 hours. I’m an over-shooter. I know this. In my defense: WHAT IF I MISS SOMETHING??? For this said wedding I have no less than 40 images of “the kiss”. Truth? They all look the same. Don’t get me wrong—it was an amazing kiss. Record books, in fact. But, those 40 images I shot in probably 30 seconds of time all look pretty much the same. Yet I want them to see every one!!! What if they love one that’s slightly different than another?? What if the clouds moved just a bit and it makes for the best of forty? I don’t know. What I do know is that to the average person, all 40 of those images look exactly the same. Pick one, edit it to loveliness, and move on. No one knows you have forty of them. And likely, no one cares.

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Deliver the images with deserved fanfare

I personally don’t do any printing; if you book a session or a wedding with me, your flat fee includes my time, the finished (edited) high resolution images on a disc, and a full printing and usage release. This is how I have been doing it for years and I find that not having to mess with an 8×10 print of this one or a 5×7 of that one or marking-up my printing costs to cover everything is a much easier way of doing things. And easy works best for me because I am a terrible insomniac (see numerous references to coffee above) and when I get overwhelmed with work (which is often), I go lock myself in my closet and cry a little. However, just handing over a disc feels like a near let-down when I’ve been editing for weeks and, as previously mentioned, spent an extremely long and tiring day just shooting the images. I like a little fanfair, and because wedding photography is such an investment, I think my clients should get a little ribbon and bow. Or maybe a horn section. Depends on what I have access to at the time. I like to put together a “highlight” slideshow of 50 or so of the images that the couple can send to their friends and family to watch online. Additionally, I usually put together a little gift of sorts to give along with the disc—maybe a large print that I put in a readymade frame or for a smaller wedding, I might print off 4×6 prints of each image and put these in a pretty box so theycan make awedding album easily. It honestly just depends on the couple and what I charged. My goal here is only to hand them over something more lovely than a cold silver flat circle.

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Wedding photography was never my goal, nor do I consider myself a wedding photographer. I have never advertised or marketed for it, though I have shot about 70 of them in the last decade. It’s tough—I’m not set-up to be a wedding photographer, both from an equipment and time perspective, yet I find myself doing several a year even still. All joking aside, I don’t EVER take on a wedding just for the money or just out of wanting to do something wonderful for a loved one. Every wedding I have ever shot I only ended up there because I truly felt that I was the best person for the job. Many times I was right (this isn’t a time to be humble), but a couple times I was wrong and it makes for a painfully long event day and editing process.

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The reason wedding photography is met with such passion by veterans and hobbyist alike is because it’s a big deal; there are no re-dos, no second chances. It’s a type of photography that is all it’s own. So only shoot the weddings where you feel confident that you and the couple feel similar about the end vision. Only shoot the weddings where you genuinely like the couple; if you wouldn’t want to have a beer with them, you’re not going to want to spend a 10 hour day with them. Only shoot the weddings that will give you more than a paycheck, whether that be experience, a day of fun, or that good feeling of doing something wonderful for someone else and knowing you did a good job. It doesn’t matter if you believe in true love or soul mates, it doesn’t matter if you feel like weddings are too over-the-top and unnecessary, it doesn’t matter if one of the biggest highlights was the free piece of cake (I’m a big fan of cake), what matters is that you went in there knowing that you were the person for the job, that you stayed there feeling like you were doing a great job, and you left there happy to have done it.

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Tired and glad for it to be over, but happy to have done it.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 3 of 3 [editing, etc.]

Digital Photography School

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So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 2 of 3 [Day Of]

13 Aug

If you want to know how to photograph a wedding, there are ton of books on the subject but the truth is nothing is going to be a greater lesson than just doing it. This series is not about what shots to take or how to shoot. It’s about being a lone ranger vendor with no roadmap. Read Part 1 on the topic of Preparation here.

It’s Game Day folks. Your pockets are jammed packed with spare batteries, CF cards, and gum. You’re rested and ready. You’re a vision of both professionalism and cool comfort. You’re terrified out of your mind that you’re going to mess up, but no one else can even sense that.

Now what?

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The Art of Bossy Invisibility

This is the finest line you will walk all day: staying out of the way, but being right in the middle of everything. One of the first things I do when I get started at the ceremony site is to chat with the officiant. At that point, I have (hopefully) already met with the bride and groom and have a feel for if they are the type that want great pictures even if it means me shoving my way in, or if they would prefer that it’s a fun night for all of their people and no one even noticed that they had a photographer there.

The officiant may have some very specific thoughts on this too. Either they don’t care a bit and feel the couple are in charge, or they may ask you to stay out of the center isle, refrain from obviously standing during seated moments, and similar during the ceremony. It’s the hardest part of the whole day—you are there to do a job, but you also don’t want to be known as the pushy portfolio-building photographer who couldn’t take a hint.

At least 50 times a wedding I have to silently ask myself if the potential shot is amazing enough to risk being intrusive. Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it’s no. And sometimes I make a bad choice and I find myself obnoxiously close or I miss a great shot. The sun still always rises the next day though.

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Shoot THEIR wedding, not Yours

I’m a huge flirt. And I don’t discriminate with this at all—men, women, kids, babies, dogs, whatever. And while it maybe hasn’t made my dating life simple, it’s been great for my career and getting people to feel comfortable and look happy quickly and easily.

When this baby started making eyes at me with drool dripping, I forgot where I was for a second and thought, how fun is this shot—this baby oblivious to the union of souls happening mere yards away and instead diggin’ on me. The problem with this shot is that, cute as it may be, there is nothing the couple—my clients—are likely to do with it. They may not even know for sure who that baby is for all I know. They hired me for pictures of them, important moments, and candid situations. Not evidence of me flirting with a baby.

Stay true to your style—it’s what you were hired for. But always in the back of your mind remember that the end result will be what the couple didn’t get to see, what they didn’t remember, and what they will treasure for a lifetime.

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Don’t Miss the Moments

This is the greatest fear of every wedding photographer; that something will happen and they will miss the kiss. Or the moment when the groom sees his bride for the first time. Or the entire first dance because they somehow got locked in the bathroom and no one could hear them banging on the door, screaming to be let out. (That last one is maybe just my own fear.)

Worrying won’t get you anywhere. Odds are, you’re not going to miss the big moments. What is more possible though is that by being on high alert every second for hours on end, you’ll miss some sweet little situations that could be an image no one expected, yet a perfect capture. Try to be there as an observer that isn’t stressed about seeing every little thing happen. You’re going to miss some stuff. But you’re going to see a lot more than anyone else there. It’s the most interesting backstage pass—enjoy the VIP status and use it wisely.

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Shoot The Whole Story

Often couples in an attempt to cut costs, will push back the arrival time of the photographer or ask for ceremony and portrait shots and nothing else. This is understandable: wedding photography is expensive. I personally feel it’s the worst corner to cut with the exception maybe of tossing a giant cubic zirconium in platinum, but this is tough to explain to cost-conscience couples.

If this is a wedding you are shooting that in any way will become a part of your wedding portfolio, go above and beyond and shoot even what’s not asked of you. To only shoot the ceremony or portraits, leaves you with little to show for your effort and nothing that’s enough to impress the next couple you may try to book. This may cost you time you didn’t account for or aren’t getting paid for, but it will come back to you in the long run when you have a wedding in it’s entirety as part of your portfolio. It’s also just plain ol’ good experience.

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Make the Retail Shots Meaningful

I am convinced that those bouquet shots that photographers go to so much trouble to shoot at every possible different angle go completely to waste and I’m staying convinced of that until the day I walk into someone’s home and see a 16×24 gallery wrap canvas featuring a rose bouquet, laying casually on the alter as if by magic. Flowers are expensive—I get that. And every bride has likely been putting the occasionally thought into what color daisies her bridal bouquet is going to include since she was in the 4th grade. But there’s better stuff to document, I promise. Sure, take a pretty flower picture—why not.

Digital is cheap and you likely will have a little down time while people are shoving chicken picatta into their faces (because, promise me, you will never, ever shoot people eating. Don’t be that photographer.) But look for the details that are meaningful. Instead of putting the rings somewhere weird and artsy, zoom in close and shoot that shiny new ring on their hand when they aren’t looking. When it’s casually on their grooms face and they are enjoy a small moment. Photograph the details that will be important years later.

And if you do get locked in the bathroom, don’t panic. I have to hold on to the belief that a missing wedding photographer isn’t something that goes unnoticed for long.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 2 of 3 [Day Of]

Digital Photography School

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So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 1 of 3 [Preparation]

06 Jul

About 5 seconds after I purchased my first professional camera, long before I hung a shingle or had any idea of what I was doing, the requests to shoot weddings came flooding in. Because let’s face it; someone’s always getting married. And your cousin’s dentist’s cleaning lady’s daughter would love a deal. And you are maybe just the photographer to give her one.

There are thousands of opinions regarding if non-wedding photographers should ever even consider taking a stab at shooting a wedding– free, favor, or otherwise. For the purpose of this article (and my sanity) we aren’t going to touch the politics of that with a 10 foot pole. Instead, we are going to assume that for whatever reason, you are shooting your first or near first wedding, like, tomorrow and you need a little reassurance that going ahead and shooting it as planned is a better idea than attempting to break your leg on purpose so you can be hospitalized and therefore legitimately unable to work. (The recovery time for this is longer than you would think. I’ve looked into it.) Here are 5 tips for the preparation of said wedding/non-purpose-leg-breaking.

PHOTO ONE 1

Value Yourself

Never, ever, ever shoot a wedding for free. I know it’s tempting. Maybe you’ve never shot one before and you feel awkward about charging. Or maybe it’s your brother/sister/neighbor/dry-cleaner’s wedding. Still, absolutely no.

Here’s why: these pictures, even if they aren’t of the caliber of work you hope to produce in the future, have worth. Great, amazing worth. A worth that is only increased when they aren’t just handed over for nothing in exchange. Now, in the right situation, I do a TON of work for cheap or trade and always have. But there has to be an energy exchange of some kind.

Work for trade, work for the slightest possible fee to cover your time and equipment rental or wear, but don’t work for free. Never, ever.

You don’t want to work with people who would expect you to and they don’t want to work with someone who doesn’t value their abilities. No matter how new you are to photography, you are right now reading an article on a website all about photography. That says that you have enough interest to research it, and I’m willing to bet, enough skill to pull it off.

PHOTO TWO 1

Prepare Yourself

I’m pretty high energy. I inhale coffee like it’s air and have to constantly remember to slow down when I talk. And walk. And drive. (Though that one probably doesn’t have much to do with caffeine.) Even so nothing lays me out like shooting a wedding. I don’t care if I have two assistants and the kindest, easiest, and most photogenic couple on the planet; it’s still exhausting.

Plan nothing the day before, and nothing the day after. The night before, sleep like it’s your job. Ice your eyeballs. If you’re into that kind of thing. You will likely be carrying twice as much equipment as normal, working five times as long, and running around like a toddler that mistook Red Bull for apple juice. No matter if you accepted actual compensation for this job or not—you owe yourself and the resulting images the best possible set-up. Day of, that set-up is comfortable shoes, a shirt that gives you renewed faith in human kind, and your lucky underwear. Or whatever.

PHOTO THREE 1

Have a plan…..and Faith

Most brides have been told by wedding planners, magazines, and overzealous soon-to-be mother-in-laws that they need to provide their photographer with a “shot list”. If you can avoid this upfront, do. Instead tell them that you plan on taking all the typical and expected shots you can and if they want to provide you with a short list of requested special shots that you may not think of on your own, they are welcome to. You may not know that it’s very important to the bride that all of her uncles fifth removed on her father’s side get a picture together.

But you darn well know that she wants a shot of the kiss, a shot of the wedding party, a shot of cute flower girls doing cute flower girl things, and all the other standard shots that these lists tell brides they need to ask for. If they have a few simple unusual requests, this list goes in your pocket and is all you need. Everything else will happen as it’s supposed to, when it’s supposed to, and if you worry about it, you’ll just miss the cute flower girls doing cute flower girl things.

PHOTO FOUR

Bring the Right Equipment (and it’s Not what you Think)

Pack a lunch, water, and easy to eat snacks. I’m not even kidding. I know what you are thinking right now—but they will have food there! Yes, they will. But the logistics of you and said food meeting up for a little break time rendezvous are extremely complicated. Trust me.

Also, you’ll want gum, Advil, and safety pins.

Correction: someone will want these things. It may be you. It may not be. But everyone will assume you are packing minty freshness, pain relief, and an emergency dress fix, so you may as well pleasantly surprise them.

Finally, and this may seem a bit excessive to some but I am nothing if not a bit excessive; I bring an entire change of clothes. A lesson learned after a waitress carrying a tray of full wine glasses and I collided at the very beginning of a reception. I got to spend the rest of the evening smelling like a winery and everyone else got to wonder why the photographer had already hit the free bar when they hadn’t even gotten to the front of the buffet line yet.

PHOTO FIVE 1

Do you have an Exit Buddy?

Whether you have an assistant or not, you need a friend. A go-to. A pal. A person on the inside. A free Girl Friday, if you will. I don’t know who that person is. Right now, you don’t know who that person is. But it will be obvious who it’s supposed to be and you will find them early on. And you will latch on to them in a way that will have you trading BFF necklace halves by the end of the night.

This person is going to explain who is who to you. Help you out when cousin Johnny is begging for your number and you still have 3 hours of dodging him while trying to remain professional.

This person knows who is giving the toast, every bridesmaid’s name, and will happily fetch you bouquets when you have everything set-up for the perfect shot but everyone forgot their bouquets in the bathroom. It’s a bridesmaid, an aunt, an unofficial wedding planner, a step-sister, or maybe just a knowledgeable family member that is only there for the free food.

And to help you, it turns out.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

So You’re Going to Shoot A Wedding: Part 1 of 3 [Preparation]

Digital Photography School

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Design A Wedding Dress For Less Than $20 by Angy Chesler

25 Jun

I was looking for a way to make a dress that would hold up in a trash the dress session. This year I got help when I went to Photography workshop by Bambi Cantrell. She taught us how to make an amazing wedding dress out of window screen. All you need is about 30 yards of grey tulle. It has to be grey, white won’t match the screen and 20 yards of window screen and a box of paper clips. At targeted I also bought a slip for the model in skin color, to cover her body and make her more comfortable. I started out with the 30 yard tulle, which I wrapped around her waist twice. It’s important not to wrap it too much around the waist, since you can easily lose any waist line. Once it’s tight around the waist I cross the tulle over her shoulders and keep wrapping it until I create a nice shape.

Hawaii-Wedding

You can get really creative here, it doesn’t have to be symmetrical. I played with different versions, over one shoulder, over both shoulders and also left the shoulder free of tulle. The end of the tulle I tug under the first wrapper around the waist line. Once you are finished with the tulle the fun begins. It’s time to move the window screen. I bought silver metal window screen at Wal-Mart. I wrap it around the waist like a scarf that I would use as a dress. With the help of paper clips I secure it. You have to open the clips to be able to weave it through the screen. Once the first two rounds of screen are wrapped it’s time to form the metal screen. You can just bend it in any directions you want to and secure it with paper clips. Keep going and adding to the design until you use all the screen.

Searching for a background that would reflect the design in shape and color I decided that the beach after sunset would be the best place. !0 minutes after sunset the light was perfect. I put my Canon 5 D Mk 2 on a tripod. I used a slow shutter speed of a 1/6 at ISO 100 and F 2.8 with a 16-35 mm lens. My model stood super still without any movement, so I could blur the waves with the slow shutter speed. I used an off camera Flash with 1 f-stop over from the right to give the model some light and shape.

–

I studied photography in Europe. Since 2001 I have been working in Hawaii. My work includes U/W photography and videography, Architecture and Weddings
http://www.vip-wedding-hawaii.com

dslrBlog

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Using a perspective control lens for wedding photography

16 Mar

Arizona-based wedding photographer, Trevor Dayley, is taking a unique approach to his portraiture by using a perspective control lens, the Canon TS-E 90mm F2.8. In an article he wrote for FStoppers, he explains why it has become his favorite lens and discusses the challenges and rewards of adding a tilt-shift lens to his arsenal. (via FStoppers)

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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An Introduction to Wedding Photography

12 Feb

ref=dp_image_0.jpeg I remember once being invited to photograph a friend of a friend’s wedding. I declined.

Why? At the time I had recently interviewed a number of pros who specialised in capturing that magic in the process of creating a magazine story on that occupation. Whew! Not for me I decided. Way beyond my skill set, patience, resourcefulness and energy levels.

So, it was with a sense of relief that I reviewed this book, safe in the knowledge that no-one, and I mean no-one, could or would ever put me through the trauma that wedding photography presents.

For her part, author Lorna Yabsley recalls how, when starting out as a wedding photographer in the days of film, life was so much simpler and consisted of formally staged shots made in an hour long session, the best of which ‘would ultimately be shown to the client for them to choose a set of images that would be pasted into a finished album.’

Today’s generation of wedding shooters mostly work in digital, with an endless number of shots, reviewed instantly … ‘now we have to do the job of the lab in the post production … a whole new skill base that photographers must understand and equip themselves with.’

The book heads off with a chapter entitled ‘Understanding Weddings’ and the advice that the photographer should not dominate the proceedings, be informal, develop an eye for composition, acquire a basic knowledge of photography and understand your camera.

Next we move into listing the skills necessary, how to deal with people, preplan, understand the plan of the day’s events, learn who are the most important people, etc.

And we haven’t taken a shot yet!

More ensues on getting the commission, establishing your rates, how to promote yourself, plan advertising and dealign with the couple.

You may be surprised to find that it is only when you reach the near end of the book that 12 pages are devoted to choice of camera, lenses, accessories such as flash, etc and advice is given on what computer and printer may best suit your endeavours.

While there is help on such matters as post production, editing etc that help deal with the digital nature of these images … but there are no hints on how to tweak the images, remove a boil on the bride’s bonce or a bald spot on the groom’s pate.

Aside from this there is much useful advice on securing the final print sale, album design etc. Missing is any advice on how to combine video shooting with stills work. Those brave souls who do combine the chores have probably got it all to themselves!

For those who see a business opportunity in wedding photography the book is a major helper but don’t come looking for a load of tech help.

Impressive, large photographs make the book an attractive read.

Author: L Yabsley.
Publisher: David & Charles.
Length: 160 pages.
ISBN 978 1 4463 0258 3.
Price: Get a price on An Introduction to Wedding Photography at Amazon.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

An Introduction to Wedding Photography

Digital Photography School

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Wedding Photography In Calgary – Blooper Reel – T&K – Studio35

08 Feb

Like/Fav this –Visit studio35photo.ca for more information. Wedding Photography in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Blooper Reel of Adam Kuzik shooting a great fun wedding at the Croatian Center. Studio 35 uses Nikon Cameras. Shoot Locations -Southern Alberta Institute of Technology -Reader Rock Garden
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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