Do you want to take better wedding photos? A wedding is one of the most precious days of life for a couple. If you’re a wedding photographer, then it’s your responsibility to capture the best moments and create a great memory for the couples. In this article, I will share some of the best tips on how to take stunning wedding photos and common wedding photography mistakes that should always be avoided.
How to photograph a wedding
Obviously every photographer has their own style, so although this article will have great tips on wedding photography in general it may in some parts be particular to my style of wedding photography. If you want to see what my style is like you can check out my recent weddings.
Before the wedding
Before the wedding day arrives it’s good to be as organised as possible. Wedding days can be stressful so you don’t want to be caught off guard by something that could have been avoided by some extra planning.
Wedding photography questionnaire
I send a link to an online questionnaire to couples before the wedding. I use a template for it on my website, but you could use something like Survey Monkey or just make an email template. Some of the info in the questionnaire you should already have, but it’s good to have something with all the info you’ll need in one place. Here’s a link to the wedding questionnaire I send through to clients.
Be organised!!!
Now that you have all the info you can put together a rough timeline of the wedding. Look at the photos that the couple want and locations you want to use and make sure you’ve got enough time to fit everything in. A good guide is about 2-4 minutes per group photo. Although it take no time at all to take the photo, finding people and putting them in a line can be surprisingly time consuming. Be honest with the couple so they know if they want to go to multiple photo locations they might miss out on other parts of their wedding.
Be more organised
The day before the wedding make sure batteries are charged, cards are checked and formatted. Get your bag packed the day before and make sure you have something appropriate to wear! I once did a wedding where the guy doing video was wearing blue jeans and a bright orange shirt. I could hear people talking about him. Don’t be that guy.
Pre-wedding photos
Be at the brides house in good time. I usually give myself 2 hours there. It’s usually more than I need, but it’s good to start the day off at a slower pace.
Photos you need to get
Sometimes there’s loads going with the bride in the morning, sometimes it’s dead. In either of those extremes it can be tricky to get photos. In those times it’s tempting to over shoot and think just because you’re taking photos you’ll be able to pull something out of it. Concentrate on getting these shots nailed and so you can relax a bit a focus on documenting the rest of the morning as beautifully as possible.
Here’s the list:
Portrait of the dress.
Details of the dress.
Bridesmaid dresses.
Shoes, jewellery, and flowers. Together or individually.
Bride & bridesmaids getting make up. Try and wait until near the end.
Bride getting back of dress done up.
Reactions of the bride by parents, and bridesmaids when the bride walks out in her dress.
For the dress and details shots try and find the best light you can. Dresses are often hung up in a dark bedroom with lots of other details lying around. Much of the start of a wedding day is spent walking round a brides house looking for places I can hook a wedding dress onto. You may need to get quite creative.
Once you’ve done the details and are waiting for hair and make up to be finished, be sure to document whats happening around you. Since someone has asked you to photograph their wedding you presumably have some sort of photographic ability. Use it. Look for good light, interesting angles, and capture all the in-between moments that couples really love when looking back over their wedding photos.
The wedding ceremony
Depending on how long you have before the bride arrives you might be able to get some shots of the groom and groomsmen outside. If not some of my favourite shots are of worried looking grooms sitting at the front of churches. Try and pick out a few people chatting, some details, maybe a wide shot of the venue. Plan your time here well so you don’t miss the bride’s arrival!
Here’s the shots you need of the ceremony:
Groom looking scared at the front.
Wide shot of venue with all the guests
Bride arriving. The bride getting out of the wedding car can often be a great dynamic shot.
Group photos of bride with bridesmaids and family
Walking down the aisle shots. These can be tricky depending on the length of the aisle and the speed of walking. I don’t have time to get into it here but make sure you know your camera’s focus modes well.
Bride and grooms reaction at top of the aisle.
Vows and rings exchange.
Signing of the register.
Bride and groom walking down the aisle.
I’ll also point out at this stage that some wedding officiants are strict. Make sure to chat to them before to see what you can and can’t do. Officiants are usually strict because they’ve encountered a photographer doing something stupid. Again, don’t be that guy.
After the ceremony
Once the couple has walked down the aisle they’ll usually spend some time mingling with guests. Use this time wisely. Get any details you haven’t had tome to get yet. Flowers, decorations, orders of service. And very importantly get lots of shots of the bride and groom talking to their family and friends!
The wedding photos
If you haven’t shot a wedding before you might be quite nervous about photographing the bride and groom. You might not know how to pose people and get natural looking shots. I personally find weddings the easiest time to get natural couple shots. At engagement or family shoots some couples can freeze up. They know they are there with the express purpose of having their photo taken. That’s a lot of pressure if you don’t like being in front of a camera. However on your wedding there’s so much else going on! I try and get about 30 minutes alone with the couple for photos. It’s a super relaxed time away from the crowd. Just go for a walk with them and get natural photos of them interacting. Look up other photographers work and see poses they’ve used and offer light direction. For me the best way to get great shots here is to just let the bride and groom lead and document whats happening.
Wedding photo location
In terms of location, make it simple for yourself. If you’re not feeling confident find a bright airy outdoor space with neutral light. If the sunlight is very harsh find some light shade. You can use difficult light to make really great wedding photos, but it takes a lot of practice and if done wrong can end up really bad.
Group photos
This part is not technically difficult, but can be challenging in a whole different way. This is where planning beforehand will make a difference. Recruit a bridesmaid or groomsmen to find those on the list of the photos you have from the bride and groom. Line them up, make sure it looks tidy, and push the button. Make sure to take a bunch to avoid blinks.
Evening photos
By this stage you’ve got a majority of the work done. Now all that remains is some dancing, and if the bride and groom are up for it, maybe some sunset or evening photos. This is where you can experiment a bit more. The lighting in a sunset or evening shot is going to be more difficult, so you have to work with it and see what you can create. Again let the couple focus on each other while you work on finding the shot.
Get a flash, know how to use it
For a first dance chances are you’ll need a flash. I use a completely manual Yongnuo flash. I point it nearly all the way up and slightly to the side, and the take some test shots before to get my exposure and flash settings correct. Once the everyone else joins in a recommend an ultra wide lens. They are brilliant for dynamic dancing photos.
