Ten Things to Remember When Photographing a Wedding

1. Always stay calm and under control. If you freak out when Murphy comes to say hello, your Bride and Groom will pick up your tension and the end result will show in the images. You must always be professional. The Bride and Groom trust you, so you need to trust yourself. This is an event when tensions may be running into overdrive. Make sure you compliment without sounding phony and a little humor helps relieve emotions of mom, dad, and most of all the Bride and Groom.
2. Always check your equipment. Make sure everything is organized, power packs charged, batteries, memory cards, lenses clean, etcetera. It helps to have a check off list and keep everything in one area, so all you have to do is grab it and go. All things need to be organized and ready to go at least 2 days before the wedding.
3. Always bring an assistant. It helps to have someone help with the equipment, posing, and keeping the general flow going. They should also behave in a professional manner and demonstrate a level of confidence.
4. Always dress appropriately. Make sure you understand what the church or religion expects your attire to be. You may be expected to wear a suit and tie, and women might only be allowed to wear a dress or skirt and make sure it’s at a proper length.
5. Always bring a lighting system. The Group Shots should never be taken with a flash. Large groups of six or more should use a Lighting System like White Lightning or Photogenic. Arrive early and do a meter reading and prepare everything before the wedding starts. Place a very small piece of tape where the light(s) will go. Lower the light(s) and place in the back. Have your assistant set it back up as you assemble the groups. It is best to take the pictures with the priest, pastor, or minister first.
6. Always check on flash photography during the wedding. If the church or chapel doesn’t allow flash photography during the ceremony(most don’t), do some time exposures during the ceremony. Many of the digital professional cameras can handle a bump in the ISO without noise. If the church or chapel allows flash photography during the ceremony, be careful not to over due it. Step in for the shot and back away. You do not want to ever distract from the event.
7. Always capture more shots than you need. Get everything that you envisioned and then some. If they didn’t do a Bridal Session, now is the time to take those. Make sure you capture the love between the Bride and Groom. If you sell prints and not copy right release, these are money making shots. Table shots aren’t, but you need to capture all the festivities anyway.
8. Always expose for the highlights if you’re shooting with digital. You want to be able to capture all the detail in the Brides gown. You do not want any clipping. Remember, digital is like shooting with slide film. Pretty much what you see is what you get. If your unsure, and there could be a third or a half stop difference-Bracket exposures. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
9. Always bring plenty of business cards. If you do an excellent job, many people will ask you questions and want a card. Many weddings you get are based on referrals.
10. Always check the site(s) out before you go. Make an appointment if necessary to check out a site you have never photographed at. It’s important to be able to envision the wedding. It helps everything go smoother. You don’t want to get lost the day of the wedding or wonder where a power plug is.