STG Studios

Advice for Shooting a Wedding?

Hey, My cousin is getting married in August and she asked me to be the photographer. I haven't photographed a wedding before. I've done my sister & cousin's senior portraits and mostly landscapes/macro photography. I am kinda nervous about it!!
I currently have a Canon S3IS, I don't have any filters yet, I am planning on getting some though.
Do you guys have any tips?? I can use everything you got! Also, any sites-for good poses for the bride & groom, wedding party and all that...

(the wedding will be outside on the "farm" the bride grew up on-then the reception in the pole shed-so it isn't extremely formal, but it will be formal)
Thanks!
I'm doing it b/c she asked me to. She knows I haven't done anything like this before. Plus, I'm free of charge; a pro isn't.
I like the tagging along w/ a wedding photographer before hand-thanks-I'll have to do that!

Since you are going into this cold, then it would take all day to try to tell you the do's and dont's of good wedding photography and that you really should not be doing this without experience.

Weddings are a very stressful shoot, and totally unlike any other. You have no room for error, you cannot do it over. Ugly brides, (and YES, there are ugly ones), think they will magically look beautiful in their photos and if they don't it is YOUR fault.

My advice to you is to not worry about the nervousness you will have, I still have it after doing weddings for years. Try to think outside the box. Look for details, just anything that the typical amateur would not shoot. Go for candid and posed shots. Get to the venue early and take test shots to get your camera settings down. Try to be thinking ahead of things all the time and move yourself into position to get the shot. There will be guests with their cameras in your way. Be polite but FIRM and excuse yourself for moving in front of them for your photos. YOU ALWAYS have FIRST priority when it comes to photos, DO NOT let others get in your way and get a crappy photo of an important scene that YOU should capture.

Think ACTION - REACTION. This is where an assistant really would help. I have my assistant always be watching for REACTIONS to things. When I am shooting the bride and groom's kiss, my assistant will be shooting the reaction and tears of the parents. When I am shooting the eating of the cake, my assistant will be shooting the smiles and laughs of the guests. These photos go great together later in album design.

Young flower girls are usually always good for some cute shots, especially in candid moments when they are not really part of the ceremony.

I could go on and on, but maybe that will help you some.

AFTER, you do this wedding, you need to sit down and take stock of some things if you intend to seriously pursue doing it for hire in the future.

You MUST have good backup equipment. Sooner or later you will have a camera body or flash unit fail, or drop a lens. You cannot just throw up your hands and say... "oops sorry, you are not going to have any photos because I am unprepared for anything like this". Be ready for a lawsuit if you do.

Speaking of lawsuits, you must have liability insurance. If any accident happens that can even be remotely considered your fault, hello lawsuit.

You must have a contract spelling out in no uncertain terms what you will and will not provide both during the wedding coverage AND after the coverage, i.e. albums, CDs, copyright release, proofs, on line expiration time, etc.

Always get FULL payment at least a week before the wedding, most photographers will require a month in advance. Do not wait until the day of the wedding or wait on promises of being paid after the wedding.

I also do my best to sell all after wedding items such as albums, DVD slide shows, proof books etc. BEFORE the wedding in initial meetings with the couple. People are much less likely to want to spend money after the wedding than they will before.

That kind of scratches the surface.

My best to you. You will likely have no problems on your first wedding, just be prepared if you plan to do more of this in the future... that is one main difference between an amateur and a professional.

steve

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