My Time Has Come

[itsjustbreality]

One week from today, I will be shooting my first wedding. I'm equally scared and excited. It is going to be for one of my best friends- who was also one of my engagement shoot clients.

I didn't want to do it. I really didn't. Wedding photography is something I don't see myself focusing on as part of my overall 'plan', but she was very insistent. I have set VERY clear expectations, and voiced my concerns. I also have a contract written out accordingly.

I've researched and researched and researched, and read, and researched some more. I'm trying to be as prepared and knowledgeable as possible. No matter the outcome, I will post pictures here afterwards to get your feedback.

That being said, I would love to hear your top tips for wedding photography!

Here is what I will be working with:

Owned equipment:

Canon 5D mk3
24-70mm f4
50mm 1.8
Reflectors
Very comfy shoes

Renting:

Canon 5D Mkiii
70-200 mm 2.8 L
35mm f1.4
430 exii canon Speedlites
Camera vest
Extra camera batteries

Im also requesting a timeline from the bride, and waiting for her to send back a shot list. We also have a style board, so I know what she's looking for.

My husband will be my 'assistant' to help with equipment, etc.

I apologize for the wall of text, but truly appreciate any insight! I know it's going to be hard work, I just really want to do my absolute best, and to be as competent/knowledgeable as possible while doing it!


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[Designer]

Good luck!

 

[table1349]

Things not to do.


Photos not to take.





And finally a bit of advise.
https://petapixel.com/2013/05/15/10...hould-never-do-while-photographing-a-wedding/

 

[itsjustbreality]

Things not to do.


Photos not to take.





And finally a bit of advise.
https://petapixel.com/2013/05/15/10...hould-never-do-while-photographing-a-wedding/

Dang it...I guess I should remove 'bridal party pics on a digger' from my shot list... [emoji23]

Thanks for the petapixel link!



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[TCampbell]

All photography relies on some amount of technical knowledge... but many types of photography are more about understanding the subject and less about the technical side.

Much of the photography planning and being ready for the wedding is more about knowing the flow of the event and the expectations of the client -- and less about the gear. It isn't that gear isn't important... certainly it is... but great gear alone isn't going to result in great wedding photography. I'd rather have an experienced wedding photographer with mediocre gear, than an inexperienced photographer with fantastic gear.

Every bride dreams of this day from the time they were a young child (the groom... not so much). Generally this is "her" fantasy day. "She" probably dreams of photographs that look they belong on the cover of Brides magazine... and it's the photographer's job to deliver.

But one major difference is that much of what you find in Brides are modeled shots. These are professional models and the shots are being created in conditions that wouldn't normally be available at an actual wedding. But more to the point is that priority is placed on setting aside "time" to get those shots. In other words, the couple must have the expectation that they won't just be going about the business of the day and a week or two later the photographer will surprise the couple with an album full of gorgeous magazine-worthy shots. Couples who have those stunning shots allocated some time-slots during their day to capture them with minimal interruptions.

You should already have an awareness of the wedding party composition. How large will the bridal party be? What will the brides dress look like (will she have a veil? will the dress have a train? -- btw these questions about the dress must be asked out-of-earshot of the groom so if they visit you together, you'll need to send him away to ask a few of these questions.) Questions like these are going to help YOU plan out some of the photography. BTW, if a brides dress will have a train, then getting the train to lay in a photogenic way will become part of many shots. You can lightly lift the train to capture some air and let it fall nicely into place. But... what I really do is make sure the maid of honor knows how to do this and get the dress to lay nicely for the shots. That way I can focus on the photography and the maid of honor will make sure the bride (and her dress) is always on point.

Will you be shooting shots of the bride getting ready... make-up shots (getting her hair done, make-up applied), will she have a mother or another person helping her with some key shots such as helping her with her veil, etc.) If you are, where will this take place? At her home? At a salon? At a church? If part of the photography is about getting the bride ready then she's probably more interested in photography of the "finished product" (or at least nearly finished) -- rather than the "just rolled out of bed" version of herself. Work with the bride to schedule time for photography as part of that "getting ready" routine.

But this implies that YOU understand the photographic conditions and challenges of that location and bring the right gear.

Probably next up is the ceremony.

Who are the key people in the ceremony and what significant guests will be in attendance. There are usually some last-minute pre-wedding shots before the ceremony begins with both the bride side and the groom side (separately, of course).

At some point, there may be ushers seating key guests... grand-parents on either side, parents on either side, etc. You'll be getting photos of these.

Is someone "giving away" the bride and if so, is it her father? (traditionally it is, but often times it may be someone else or the bride may not want that element in the wedding.)

If you see where I'm going with this... YOU need to have notes on every detail so that you are ready for the next set of shots.

You may need to do some coaching on the "modeling" element. Brides and bridesmaids will often tense up... they'll hold the bouquet higher up near their stomach ... instead of a more relaxed posture holding it lower to their waist. That's just one example. Study some photography of brides and how good photographers pose them. Ultimately they should look they're actually enjoying their day. Keep them pleasant. Remind them to look happy and think of fond memories, etc. This is part of the psychology of the job... YOU will need to be in a good place mentally... conveying a happy/pleasant vibe, tell your subjects how good they look and keep the mood going great. Don't let any stress on you or your subjects get hold or it'll be reflected in your pictures.

I've done photographer for couples that were too stiff and I know the photography wasn't going to come out well. So I pulled the husband over and told him that I wanted him to tickle the bride ... he looked at me like i was nuts ... but he went along with the plan. The result is that it put both her and him in a much better mood. They were laughing, smiling, and the photography showed that they were genuinely having a good time... a MUCH better result than the stiff shots I was getting previously. Anyway... you get the idea. Much about getting good results involves a bit of psychology to put subjects in the right mood.

During the official part of the ceremony at most weddings, flash photographer is not permitted -- mostly if the wedding takes place at a religious venue. A brief word with whoever is officiating the wedding can help clear up any possible confusion. Typically you MAY use flash as the bride enters the church up to the point where the father "gives her away". At that moment the "official" part of the wedding has begun and flash cannot be used again until the moment when the bride & groom begin to walk back out. Also, you may not be able to approach the alter (this is where I'm using my 70-200mm f/2.8). Put your 5D III's into the silent-shutter mode during the ceremony (it's not truly "silent" but it slows the reflex mirror so that you don't hear a loud slapping sound each time you take a shot.)

Will there be a receiving line (and where)?

Some photos are typically going to be taken at this point with the whole wedding party... this includes parents and grandparents of the bride & groom.

As a photographer, recognize that while this is happening, guests may be traveling to the reception and expect a host to greet them. Those "hosts" are usually the parents of the bride. For this reason, when I shoot this part of the wedding, I start by doing those shots that involve the parents first... that way they are free to head to the reception to receive and entertain their guests while they wait for the rest of the bridal part to arrive.

Sometimes, depending on your location, there may be a beautiful location nearby where you can go between the wedding and the reception (if time allows) that provides a more scenic backdrop for photos. This could be a park, a museum, a mansion, etc. Be aware of any rules regarding use of such facilities (I know of a few mansions which allow photographers to use the grounds... but it's almost never free... some arrangement is typically made in advance (including payment for the use of the grounds.) Public parks are usually free -- but some cities require permits (which may include fees.)



At the reception you'll get the best shots of the room before any food is served.

Will there be a cake? If so, get a shot of that cake BEFORE children's fingers end up in the frosting (I have had cakes fall... it's very rare but it does happen.) You can borrow the bouquets from the bride and bridesmaids to help dress the table for the shot.

Will there be a bridal party dance? If so, who is dancing with whom?

That may sound silly to ask, but sometimes in addition to a maiden of honor... there may be a man of honor (and that man may be gay). I'm seeing a bit more of this these days. I had a bride who did plan to have a "man of honor" at her wedding ceremony and when I got around to asking the questions about each element of the day, she suddenly realized that she hadn't considered who her "man of honor" would dance with at the wedding (he had a boyfriend... but the relationship wasn't going well and she was doubtful that they'd still be together by the time the wedding day came around.)

BTW, when I shoot dance shots, the couple typically aren't actually moving at the moment when I snap the shot. I typically tap their hands, turn them to face me (being mindful of what will be in the background) and ask them to pause for just a moment - holding that pose - snap the shot, thank them, and move on to the next couple. It turns out if they ARE moving when you snap the shot, the probability that you'll get a "keeper" is significantly diminished.

I could go on with a list of things...

You'll want a shot list. You'll also want to know when all these shots need to be done.
I always ask about significant shots that the bride wants... will there be friends or family visiting that she especially wants. Some brides know a grandparent may not be with them much longer and they especially want shots that they'll be able to remember time with that person later.

The point is, I take a LOT of notes before the day.

At each point during the day, I'm thinking of "what's coming up next" and I'm making sure that both me and my gear and ready for it. I pre-set my camera exposures, focal length, and even focus based on what's coming up next.



One tip about flash photography with your 5D III...

In the menu system on the first page (red camera icon, page 1 of 4) you'll find "External Speedlite control". Pick that.
In that page you'll find "Flash sync. speed in Av mode" - it will be set to "Auto" -- DO NOT use "Auto"
Instead set it to "1/200 - 1/60 sec. auto".

Why?

I suggest shooting your indoor flash in Av mode. If you're just shooting one person only then you can maybe use f/2.8. But if it's a couple, you may may need to go to f/4... maybe f/5.6. Anyway, you want to collect as much "ambient" light as you can get so that the room doesn't look too dark. Flash can light the subject but the rapid light "fall off" can leave an otherwise black room and it's an ugly shot. So you want to collect ambient light to help show the mood of the room.

The problem is, in "Auto" mode, the camera will meter for the room as if there is no flash. That could mean a very long exposure duration ... so long that a handle-held shot would be ruined by blur of camera motion.

When you set it to the "1/200 - 1/60 sec. auto" then it means the camera can set the shutter speed but it must select a shutter speed in this range. The flash will fire to properly expose the subject and everything else will come from ambient light. The result is typically a much better looking shot without a black background.

There's also a "ISO speed settings" menu (red camera icon, page 2 of 4). In there you'll find an "Auto ISO range" option. This sets the minimum and maximum ISO that you're willing to let the camera use when ISO is set to "AUTO". So for example, if you don't want to let it use any auto-ISO above 6400, you could set that (it can go up to 25600 but that will be noisy). With low focal ratio lenses - even at f/4 it probably won't need to pull up the ISO very much. (Although you are renting some low focal ratio lenses... be careful when using low f-stops... they're easier to manage with a single subject, harder for a couple, and not appropriate for a group -- due to the depth of field issues. You usually don't want one subject sharp and the other out of focus.

Now when you shoot indoor shots with flash, you can be sure that the camera won't use a shutter speed slower than 1/60th, and to help improve the look of ambient light, it can boost ISO if you set it to "auto" but it will never boost it so much that you'd be unhappy with the noise.




One finally overall challenge that every pro wedding photographer has to deal with... is guests who want to take pictures WHILE the photographer is trying to capture pictures. This can ruin the shots.

I've learned that trying to stop guests from taking shots isn't going to work. But with a bit of communication you generally can keep them out of your way. I typically discuss this with the bride & groom prior to the big day and ask that they work with me to communicate to their friends & family.

I've had the situation where you're trying to get everyone into position for a shot... and some guest is trying to call attention to the group to get them to look over to their camera. The result is that half the party is looking at one camera, half at the other, and neither looks good.

The bride doesn't get a do-over day for pictures that don't turn out well. It's rude of a guest to interfere with the photos that the couple (especially the bride) are expecting to get.

My way of handling this is to tell any guests who brought a camera that I'm going to setup a shot, I'm going to take at least two pictures (I need to make sure nobody "blinked", etc.) and then I'll hold them in that position for a moment or two longer to give others a chance to capture the shot. I tell them when it's a good time to capture their own shots but please to not distract while I'm shooting. I find that IF I do this, they'll wait for their turn. If I don't, they'll ignore all requests to hold off and they'll end up ruining the photography.

How you handle it is your decision, but it is an issue you'll want to be prepared to handle. If the bride & groom are prepared for this scenario, then they can help communicate the message to their guests that don't want to have their photo sessions interrupted. Wedding photographers have endless stories about being in position to capture "the kiss" at the moment the wedding officiant pronounces them married ... only to have some guest stand up, step into the middle of the aisle, and try to capture that shot on their smartphone and just blocked the professional whom they hired (at great expense) to make absolutely sure they captured that very moment that the guest just ruined.

 

[Derrel]

BRAVO to T. Campbell for his fantastic post above!!!
**********

I shot my first wedding in 1976, at age 13...I did not really want to shoot it, but a friend of my sister pretty much hammered on me to shoot her wedding until I finally gave in and assented to doing it (her wedding was a simple civil ceremony). At that time, the fastest color porint film was ASA 200 Kodak. I had a Russian-made 35mm SLR with a 58mm f/2 Auto-Cosmogon lens....one that has that neat swirly bokeh. I had 4 x 36 shots to work with. Seriously.... 4 rolls of 36 exposures each.

The wedding was a semi-disaster results wise on one roll, but the other three rolls were fine. But..I got it shot. You on the other hand, have the HUGE advantage of Twenty-first century camera technology and digital capture! You can literally see mistakes within a second of snapping one! You have automatic focusing system aids, and a rear-mounted-proofing-system and a GREAT camera!

There has NEVER been a better time in the history of photography to shoot one's first-ever event of any type!

Keep your wits about you. PAY attention. Keep calm. No drinking. LOOK at what you are shooting on the rear of the camera once in a while. Have a basic shot list and a wedeing schedule of events with you. Keep calm. Did I say keep calm? Yeah....keep calm. Secure your exposed memory cards with all due diligence!!! Keep them ON your person, and NOT with any other gear. You can make your first-ever wedding shoot a success; I will guarantee you will shoot better than I did in 1976 with my awful Russian-made junker camera and crappy lens and slow-speed color print film!

 

[table1349]

BRAVO to T. Campbell for his fantastic poist above!!!

I shot my first wedding in 1976, at age 13...I did not really want to shoot it, but a friend of my sister pretty much hammered on me to shoot her wedding until I finally gave in and assented to doing it (her wedding was a simple civil ceremony). At that time, the fastest color porint film was ASA 200 Kodak. I had a Russian-made 35mm SLR with a 58mm f/2 Auto-Cosmogon lens....one that has that neat swirly bokeh. I had 4 x 36 shots to work with. Seriously.... 4 rolls of 36 exposures each.

The wedding was a semi-disaster results wise on one roll, but the other three rolls were fine. But..I got it shot. You on the other hand, have the HUGE advantage of Twenty-first century camera technology and digital capture! you can literally see mistakes within a sewcond of snapping one! You have automatic focusing system aids, and a rear-mounted-proofing-system!

There has NEVER ben a better time in the history of photography to shoot one's first-ever event of any type!

Keep your wits about you. PAY attention. Keep calm. No drinking. LOOK at what you are shooting on the rear of the camera once in a while. Have a basic shot list and a wedeing schedule of events with you. Keep calm. Did I say keep calm? Yeah....keep calm. Secure your shot memory cards with all due diligence!!! Keep them ON your person, and NOT with any other gear. You can make your first-ever wedding shoot a success; I will guarantee you will shoot better than I did in 1976 with mny awful camera and crappy lens and slow-speed color print film!

I did not see anything in that post involving the study of the Poist Deity. I think you need to get your spectacles looked at.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Poist
Poist
A disciple of Poism. A Poist is one that studies and learns from the Poist Deity.
Urban Dictionary: Poist

Beat you to the correction.

 

[itsjustbreality]

All photography relies on some amount of technical knowledge... but many types of photography are more about understanding the subject and less about the technical side.

Much of the photography planning and being ready for the wedding is more about knowing the flow of the event and the expectations of the client -- and less about the gear. It isn't that gear isn't important... certainly it is... but great gear alone isn't going to result in great wedding photography. I'd rather have an experienced wedding photographer with mediocre gear, than an inexperienced photographer with fantastic gear.

Every bride dreams of this day from the time they were a young child (the groom... not so much). Generally this is "her" fantasy day. "She" probably dreams of photographs that look they belong on the cover of Brides magazine... and it's the photographer's job to deliver.

But one major difference is that much of what you find in Brides are modeled shots. These are professional models and the shots are being created in conditions that wouldn't normally be available at an actual wedding. But more to the point is that priority is placed on setting aside "time" to get those shots. In other words, the couple must have the expectation that they won't just be going about the business of the day and a week or two later the photographer will surprise the couple with an album full of gorgeous magazine-worthy shots. Couples who have those stunning shots allocated some time-slots during their day to capture them with minimal interruptions.

You should already have an awareness of the wedding party composition. How large will the bridal party be? What will the brides dress look like (will she have a veil? will the dress have a train? -- btw these questions about the dress must be asked out-of-earshot of the groom so if they visit you together, you'll need to send him away to ask a few of these questions.) Questions like these are going to help YOU plan out some of the photography. BTW, if a brides dress will have a train, then getting the train to lay in a photogenic way will become part of many shots. You can lightly lift the train to capture some air and let it fall nicely into place. But... what I really do is make sure the maid of honor knows how to do this and get the dress to lay nicely for the shots. That way I can focus on the photography and the maid of honor will make sure the bride (and her dress) is always on point.

Will you be shooting shots of the bride getting ready... make-up shots (getting her hair done, make-up applied), will she have a mother or another person helping her with some key shots such as helping her with her veil, etc.) If you are, where will this take place? At her home? At a salon? At a church? If part of the photography is about getting the bride ready then she's probably more interested in photography of the "finished product" (or at least nearly finished) -- rather than the "just rolled out of bed" version of herself. Work with the bride to schedule time for photography as part of that "getting ready" routine.

But this implies that YOU understand the photographic conditions and challenges of that location and bring the right gear.

Probably next up is the ceremony.

Who are the key people in the ceremony and what significant guests will be in attendance. There are usually some last-minute pre-wedding shots before the ceremony begins with both the bride side and the groom side (separately, of course).

At some point, there may be ushers seating key guests... grand-parents on either side, parents on either side, etc. You'll be getting photos of these.

Is someone "giving away" the bride and if so, is it her father? (traditionally it is, but often times it may be someone else or the bride may not want that element in the wedding.)

If you see where I'm going with this... YOU need to have notes on every detail so that you are ready for the next set of shots.

You may need to do some coaching on the "modeling" element. Brides and bridesmaids will often tense up... they'll hold the bouquet higher up near their stomach ... instead of a more relaxed posture holding it lower to their waist. That's just one example. Study some photography of brides and how good photographers pose them. Ultimately they should look they're actually enjoying their day. Keep them pleasant. Remind them to look happy and think of fond memories, etc. This is part of the psychology of the job... YOU will need to be in a good place mentally... conveying a happy/pleasant vibe, tell your subjects how good they look and keep the mood going great. Don't let any stress on you or your subjects get hold or it'll be reflected in your pictures.

I've done photographer for couples that were too stiff and I know the photography wasn't going to come out well. So I pulled the husband over and told him that I wanted him to tickle the bride ... he looked at me like i was nuts ... but he went along with the plan. The result is that it put both her and him in a much better mood. They were laughing, smiling, and the photography showed that they were genuinely having a good time... a MUCH better result than the stiff shots I was getting previously. Anyway... you get the idea. Much about getting good results involves a bit of psychology to put subjects in the right mood.

During the official part of the ceremony at most weddings, flash photographer is not permitted -- mostly if the wedding takes place at a religious venue. A brief word with whoever is officiating the wedding can help clear up any possible confusion. Typically you MAY use flash as the bride enters the church up to the point where the father "gives her away". At that moment the "official" part of the wedding has begun and flash cannot be used again until the moment when the bride & groom begin to walk back out. Also, you may not be able to approach the alter (this is where I'm using my 70-200mm f/2.8). Put your 5D III's into the silent-shutter mode during the ceremony (it's not truly "silent" but it slows the reflex mirror so that you don't hear a loud slapping sound each time you take a shot.)

Will there be a receiving line (and where)?

Some photos are typically going to be taken at this point with the whole wedding party... this includes parents and grandparents of the bride & groom.

As a photographer, recognize that while this is happening, guests may be traveling to the reception and expect a host to greet them. Those "hosts" are usually the parents of the bride. For this reason, when I shoot this part of the wedding, I start by doing those shots that involve the parents first... that way they are free to head to the reception to receive and entertain their guests while they wait for the rest of the bridal part to arrive.

Sometimes, depending on your location, there may be a beautiful location nearby where you can go between the wedding and the reception (if time allows) that provides a more scenic backdrop for photos. This could be a park, a museum, a mansion, etc. Be aware of any rules regarding use of such facilities (I know of a few mansions which allow photographers to use the grounds... but it's almost never free... some arrangement is typically made in advance (including payment for the use of the grounds.) Public parks are usually free -- but some cities require permits (which may include fees.)



At the reception you'll get the best shots of the room before any food is served.

Will there be a cake? If so, get a shot of that cake BEFORE children's fingers end up in the frosting (I have had cakes fall... it's very rare but it does happen.) You can borrow the bouquets from the bride and bridesmaids to help dress the table for the shot.

Will there be a bridal party dance? If so, who is dancing with whom?

That may sound silly to ask, but sometimes in addition to a maiden of honor... there may be a man of honor (and that man may be gay). I'm seeing a bit more of this these days. I had a bride who did plan to have a "man of honor" at her wedding ceremony and when I got around to asking the questions about each element of the day, she suddenly realized that she hadn't considered who her "man of honor" would dance with at the wedding (he had a boyfriend... but the relationship wasn't going well and she was doubtful that they'd still be together by the time the wedding day came around.)

BTW, when I shoot dance shots, the couple typically aren't actually moving at the moment when I snap the shot. I typically tap their hands, turn them to face me (being mindful of what will be in the background) and ask them to pause for just a moment - holding that pose - snap the shot, thank them, and move on to the next couple. It turns out if they ARE moving when you snap the shot, the probability that you'll get a "keeper" is significantly diminished.

I could go on with a list of things...

You'll want a shot list. You'll also want to know when all these shots need to be done.
I always ask about significant shots that the bride wants... will there be friends or family visiting that she especially wants. Some brides know a grandparent may not be with them much longer and they especially want shots that they'll be able to remember time with that person later.

The point is, I take a LOT of notes before the day.

At each point during the day, I'm thinking of "what's coming up next" and I'm making sure that both me and my gear and ready for it. I pre-set my camera exposures, focal length, and even focus based on what's coming up next.



One tip about flash photography with your 5D III...

In the menu system on the first page (red camera icon, page 1 of 4) you'll find "External Speedlite control". Pick that.
In that page you'll find "Flash sync. speed in Av mode" - it will be set to "Auto" -- DO NOT use "Auto"
Instead set it to "1/200 - 1/60 sec. auto".

Why?

I suggest shooting your indoor flash in Av mode. If you're just shooting one person only then you can maybe use f/2.8. But if it's a couple, you may may need to go to f/4... maybe f/5.6. Anyway, you want to collect as much "ambient" light as you can get so that the room doesn't look too dark. Flash can light the subject but the rapid light "fall off" can leave an otherwise black room and it's an ugly shot. So you want to collect ambient light to help show the mood of the room.

The problem is, in "Auto" mode, the camera will meter for the room as if there is no flash. That could mean a very long exposure duration ... so long that a handle-held shot would be ruined by blur of camera motion.

When you set it to the "1/200 - 1/60 sec. auto" then it means the camera can set the shutter speed but it must select a shutter speed in this range. The flash will fire to properly expose the subject and everything else will come from ambient light. The result is typically a much better looking shot without a black background.

There's also a "ISO speed settings" menu (red camera icon, page 2 of 4). In there you'll find an "Auto ISO range" option. This sets the minimum and maximum ISO that you're willing to let the camera use when ISO is set to "AUTO". So for example, if you don't want to let it use any auto-ISO above 6400, you could set that (it can go up to 25600 but that will be noisy). With low focal ratio lenses - even at f/4 it probably won't need to pull up the ISO very much. (Although you are renting some low focal ratio lenses... be careful when using low f-stops... they're easier to manage with a single subject, harder for a couple, and not appropriate for a group -- due to the depth of field issues. You usually don't want one subject sharp and the other out of focus.

Now when you shoot indoor shots with flash, you can be sure that the camera won't use a shutter speed slower than 1/60th, and to help improve the look of ambient light, it can boost ISO if you set it to "auto" but it will never boost it so much that you'd be unhappy with the noise.




One finally overall challenge that every pro wedding photographer has to deal with... is guests who want to take pictures WHILE the photographer is trying to capture pictures. This can ruin the shots.

I've learned that trying to stop guests from taking shots isn't going to work. But with a bit of communication you generally can keep them out of your way. I typically discuss this with the bride & groom prior to the big day and ask that they work with me to communicate to their friends & family.

I've had the situation where you're trying to get everyone into position for a shot... and some guest is trying to call attention to the group to get them to look over to their camera. The result is that half the party is looking at one camera, half at the other, and neither looks good.

The bride doesn't get a do-over day for pictures that don't turn out well. It's rude of a guest to interfere with the photos that the couple (especially the bride) are expecting to get.

My way of handling this is to tell any guests who brought a camera that I'm going to setup a shot, I'm going to take at least two pictures (I need to make sure nobody "blinked", etc.) and then I'll hold them in that position for a moment or two longer to give others a chance to capture the shot. I tell them when it's a good time to capture their own shots but please to not distract while I'm shooting. I find that IF I do this, they'll wait for their turn. If I don't, they'll ignore all requests to hold off and they'll end up ruining the photography.

How you handle it is your decision, but it is an issue you'll want to be prepared to handle. If the bride & groom are prepared for this scenario, then they can help communicate the message to their guests that don't want to have their photo sessions interrupted. Wedding photographers have endless stories about being in position to capture "the kiss" at the moment the wedding officiant pronounces them married ... only to have some guest stand up, step into the middle of the aisle, and try to capture that shot on their smartphone and just blocked the professional whom they hired (at great expense) to make absolutely sure they captured that very moment that the guest just ruined.

Thank you so much for taking the time to.put this together!!! Such great information! I really appreciate it!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[itsjustbreality]

BRAVO to T. Campbell for his fantastic post above!!!
**********

I shot my first wedding in 1976, at age 13...I did not really want to shoot it, but a friend of my sister pretty much hammered on me to shoot her wedding until I finally gave in and assented to doing it (her wedding was a simple civil ceremony). At that time, the fastest color porint film was ASA 200 Kodak. I had a Russian-made 35mm SLR with a 58mm f/2 Auto-Cosmogon lens....one that has that neat swirly bokeh. I had 4 x 36 shots to work with. Seriously.... 4 rolls of 36 exposures each.

The wedding was a semi-disaster results wise on one roll, but the other three rolls were fine. But..I got it shot. You on the other hand, have the HUGE advantage of Twenty-first century camera technology and digital capture! You can literally see mistakes within a second of snapping one! You have automatic focusing system aids, and a rear-mounted-proofing-system and a GREAT camera!

There has NEVER been a better time in the history of photography to shoot one's first-ever event of any type!

Keep your wits about you. PAY attention. Keep calm. No drinking. LOOK at what you are shooting on the rear of the camera once in a while. Have a basic shot list and a wedeing schedule of events with you. Keep calm. Did I say keep calm? Yeah....keep calm. Secure your exposed memory cards with all due diligence!!! Keep them ON your person, and NOT with any other gear. You can make your first-ever wedding shoot a success; I will guarantee you will shoot better than I did in 1976 with my awful Russian-made junker camera and crappy lens and slow-speed color print film!

Thanks Darrel! I keep telling myself to remain calm. I'm planning on doing positive affirmations in the mirror morning of- building the assertiveness and confidance needed!

I'm so happy I was able to get a full frame recently. So much more functionality!

I definitely feel since joining in January, I have improved so so so much, and that's largely impart to your helpful advice on my posts, and others' posts! So thank you! Hopefully (scratch that... Need Positivity) -- I WILL be sharing pictures from a SUCCESSFUL event. Haha

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[Designer]

My husband will be my 'assistant' to help with equipment, etc.

I'm sure you're aware that many if not all professional wedding photographers have a "second camera", so without putting your husband on the spot, is he one that you would ask to help with the photographs?

If not, then never mind, but if he can do it, then maybe you should. I'm thinking of the "preparation time", when there are two distinctly different groups (B&G) in different places, and people all over doing prep work or just visiting. Since your bride cannot spend time visiting with "Dear Auntie Marge" from Boise, she would sure like a photo of her, and of course, everyone else, too. Have hubby grab the groom's posse, because you'll be with the bride, and can't be in two places at once. Just a thought.

 

[itsjustbreality]

My husband will be my 'assistant' to help with equipment, etc.

I'm sure you're aware that many if not all professional wedding photographers have a "second camera", so without putting your husband on the spot, is he one that you would ask to help with the photographs?

If not, then never mind, but if he can do it, then maybe you should. I'm thinking of the "preparation time", when there are two distinctly different groups (B&G) in different places, and people all over doing prep work or just visiting. Since your bride cannot spend time visiting with "Dear Auntie Marge" from Boise, she would sure like a photo of her, and of course, everyone else, too. Have hubby grab the groom's posse, because you'll be with the bride, and can't be in two places at once. Just a thought.

Thank you for the tips! I will be using my husband as my 'second'. I'm running him through a photography refresher course



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