Wedding Shooting

As you prepare for each wedding shoot, you charge your batteries, pack your gear, and review the timeline. Once you arrive to the wedding, you may realize there was one thing you forgot to prepare for – guests who are eager and ready to use their cell phones to take photos. With the constant rise in technology, it is very common to see guests using their cell phones or tablets to take photos during the wedding day. Somewhere in your archives, you most likely have an image of a guest standing in your shot. While this may be a frustrating experience, it is your job to keep a smile on your face, act professional, and find ways to capture the important moments without allowing the guests to distract you.

Guests are likely to take photos for the same reasons you are – they want to capture the moments of the day. Remember, the guests were invited from the bride and groom – these guests have personal connections with the couple, which is why this day is so special to them. Even though the guests are not getting paid to take photos, knowing that they have the memories documented is significant. Here are some tips to help you shoot weddings and capture the most important moments when surrounded by guests’ cell phones.

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There is a romantic quality to the ocean. It’s vast, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. It’s no surprise that many couples are drawn to it and choose the beach for their couple portraits before the wedding shoot and weddings. Shooting on the sand and in front of the ocean offers a lot of potential for striking and stunning images. However, shooting beach wedding photography can also be a challenge.

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Have you ever woken up on the day of a wedding and realized that you forgot to charge your camera batteries the night before? Or perhaps the outfit you were planning to wear was still in the hamper after last weekend’s wedding? It can be easy to forget the number of things you should do in order to prepare for a wedding. Just as you work to create systems for the business aspects of photography, it is important to have a wedding photography checklist in place when it comes to shooting!

Wedding Photography Checklist

Pro Wedding Photographer Duo Zach and Jody Gray created a robust wedding photography checklist of the essential items that should be done the day before every wedding. By following this, they are able to confidently arrive at each shoot knowing that they have everything they need for it. Ranging from preparing your equipment, to ensuring you have an accurate timeline, to having all of the contact numbers you need, proper preparation will ensure you arrive to the wedding able to focus on your job: taking amazing images and interacting with your clients and guests. Here are 14 things Zach and Jody recommend doing on your pre-wedding day checklist to help you be relaxed and ready to go!

1. Charge equipment

Start charging all of your camera batteries, flash batteries, and two-way radios ahead of time. It can be easy to forget to do this until the morning of the wedding, so set a reminder for yourself the day before to make sure that all of your items that need to be charged are plugged in to an outlet. [···]

When shooting wedding photography, challenges, both arising and unexpected, are nothing more than perfect opportunities to shoot images that stand out. Some of your best images may come from a few of of the toughest situations you are placed in, because you are challenged to think outside of the box and push yourself when it comes to creating stellar images.

 In our webinar, Shooting Stand Out Imagery in the Toughest Situations, wedding photography duo Justin and Mary Marantz discussed how to make obstacles work to your advantage. They shared tips and strategies on how photographers can turn any challenge into an opportunity to shoot some of the most stunning images. We’ve put together the top 5 tips for shooting stand out imagery for you to implement into your business today!

1. Create a Common Theme in Your Images

During the wedding day, every part of your shoot will have its own set of challenges for you to overcome. The easiest way to face these obstacles is to keep the scene free from distractions. Avoid creating too many calculated moments – let the shoot take a natural course that provides you with stunning images. Since the getting ready shoot is about the moments leading up to the ceremony, be sure to highlight the details that represent the bride and groom during this time. The getting ready room may also have many beautiful details, but those are not necessarily what you should focus on during that shoot. [···]

As a pro wedding photographer, one of the areas of your business that is important to dedicate time to is your shooting. Couples meet and book you because of your unique style, and you constantly want to improve this! Before each shoot, you may scout the location to see what you have to work with and then head back to the office to make a shooting plan. On your list are the must-have shots for getting ready, the ceremony, and the reception. For you to create unique and dynamic images during these moments, it is necessary to capture images with a bit of drama in them. We’ve put together 7 ways for you to add drama into your wedding images that your clients will love!

1. Find the best light

As a wedding photographer, you have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to lighting. From shooting in natural light to harsh light, you can use many techniques to capture beautiful images. To create drama in your images with this kind of light, be sure to position your clients in front of the source. When the light is directly behind them, that’s the first place the eye is drawn. [···]

You just finished shooting a wonderful tear-jerking wedding ceremony, and you nailed all of the must-have shots. As the bride and groom happily run off as husband and wife, you think to yourself, “only 5 more hours left of coverage!” While that can seem exhausting at first, there’s good news! The hard part is over, and it’s almost time for you to capture some fun moments from the party – the reception!

Wedding reception traditions have been around for centuries. As a wedding photographer, it is your job to document these so that your couples can show their children and continue the traditions for years to come. Here are the 10 must-have shots that you must take from the wedding reception – and some fun facts to help you understand the importance of certain traditions!

1. The Grand Entrance

During the cocktail hour, the guests anticipate the arrival of the newlyweds to the reception. Once the couple walks through the doors, music blaring, the host will announce them and the room will go wild. It is the first time that they will be introduced to their friends and family as husband and wife. Make sure you snap a ton of pictures of the excitement on the bride and groom’s face during this moment. [···]

After months of planning and preparing, the big day has finally arrived for the bride and groom. Before you shoot the ceremony, portraits, or the reception, you typically begin by capturing the wedding getting ready photos for both the bride and groom. Since this is a time they will spend apart, it will be exciting for them to see images of one another getting ready.
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As a photo editing service for wedding photographers, we see tons of stunning images that photographers submit to us every day. It is always wonderful to see the different types of images photographers take and how creative the shots are, especially when it comes to the lighting and posing! From natural lighting to off-camera flash, the possibilities are endless as to how you can create great photos.

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Before the wedding day, you spend months getting to know the bride and groom. The couple has seen what you have to offer through meeting you and observing your website and is anxious to see what type of images you will produce on the big day. Here are the top 5 tips for shooting wedding photos that will assist you in the necessary preparation you need to create a successful day for the bride and groom.

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