"Make sure the couple knows that you're shooting as a favor and that you cannot ensure outcomes," says New York City-based wedding event professional Cappy Hotchkiss. Discuss that you will catch groups as they happen," adds the photographer. If it's going to take you months to provide the photos, let the couple know in advance.
Photo: Dennis Kwan/weddings.dkheadshots.com
DO N'T miss colorful background detail. For the Brooklyn, NY, wedding event envisioned above Dennis Pike consisted of an ersatz NYC taxi and the Williamsburg Bridge.
DO find out the essentials. Visit the sites of wedding professional photographers and see how they do it. "Attempt assisting a skilled wedding event photographer as seen here. You will see very first hand how it's done, with absolutely no pressure on you," advises Dennis Pike, the northern New Jersey photographer who shot the couple in the car at left. "The more prepared you are, the more positive you will be, and the individuals you are photographing will feed off of that.".
"Do not walk into a wedding thinking you can go with the circulation. Wedding events aren't like street photography, where you can walk around taking pictures," says wedding pro Jonathan Scott, who has studios in both New York and Florida. Do Google searches for the venue to see how other photographers capture the area.
DO ask what the couple desires. Pre-planning consists of discovering what pictures and which visitors are essential to the couple. "Make sure you get great portraits of the VIPs," states Pike.
"You need to know what is going to happen and when in order to be in the best location at the best time. Be sure you find out, for example, when classic moments like the first kiss, very first dance, and the cake cutting will take place," states Dennis Pike.
DO N'T be scared of high ISOs. It's much better to take a sharp, noisy image at 1/500 sec and ISO 6,400 than a low-noise image that's fuzzy at 1/30 sec and ISO 400. You can always do sound reduction when processing your RAW files.
Instead of asking her topics to move, Hotchkiss moves herself. She likewise states to be aware of the lighting. If, in your viewfinder, the lighting looks harsh on your topics' faces, it may look even harsher in the last image.
DO N'T be shy about directing your topics. They want to be informed how and where to stand, explains Dennis Kwan, a wedding and portrait expert with studios in New york city City and L.a. Giving subjects direction forecasts a confidence that enables them to relax when being photographed. "It tells your subjects that you understand what you're doing, even if maybe you don't," states Kwan.
DO N'T obsess about sharpness. Todd McGaw demonstrates how soft can be charming in the image listed below.
DO follow the smiles. The most expressive individuals will make your best subjects.
DO capture the appeal. If the bride is up for it, manage a fashion shoot.
DO preset your cam. See to it you're recording high-resolution JPEGs, RAW files, or both. Set car white balance and evaluative metering, and switch on lens stabilization.
Kwan warns that nonprofessional professional photographers often err by not shooting enough. It will make sure you have at least one excellent shot where everyone is looking at the camera and no one is blinking," he says.
DO N'T shoot with unknown gear. If you'll be using a video camera that's new to you, put it through its paces before the big day. You do not wish to be fumbling with controls while topics are waiting. "Wedding moments only occur once, when they pass, they're gone," says Pike. "You need to have the ability to work properly on the fly.".
DO get reactions. After traditional wedding moments like the bride-to-be boiling down the aisle or the first kiss, turn your lens on the visitors and capture pals and family.
DO N'T cut corners on batteries or sd card. The last thing you desire, states Pike, "is to find you have area for only 30 more photos on your last memory card with 2 hours left.".
DO back up thoroughly. A typical mistake amongst nonprofessionals, states Pike, is improperly backing up wedding event files. This consists of immediate Google, hard disk drive, and DVD backups, but likewise advising the wedding event couple that they, too, are accountable for supporting digital wedding event images. Also, as you pull complete memory cards from your camera, store them securely, all in the same location. "Among the worst things that can take place is losing a memory card,".
"Make sure the couple knows that you're shooting as a favor and that you cannot guarantee outcomes," states New York City-based wedding event pro Cappy Hotchkiss. Check out the websites of wedding professional photographers and see how they do it. "Try helping an experienced wedding photographer. Wedding events aren't like street photography, where you can stroll around taking photos," states wedding pro Jonathan Scott, who has studios in both New York and Florida. "Wedding event minutes just occur as soon as, and when they pass, they're gone," states Pike.
