Ideally wedding photography should be carried on like a romantic story rather than a stark photo session. But if you are a professional wedding photographer, do you really do that? If you do, I am sure you are enjoying your profession more than anything else. Being able to present a wedding in form of a fairytale is the most adorable part of the profession of a wedding photographer. Take a look at Lee Glasgow Wedding Photography and you will realize that. The amazing photos taken by Lee (we couldn’t resist ourselves from giving some of them in this article) represent the joy, glory, splendor, emotions and all those beautiful elements through which a wedding proceeds. Do you want to achieve such a beauty in your work as a wedding photographer? Follow these tips.
Getting Ready Photos
If you want to catch the story of the wedding, understand that it starts right from the bride getting ready for the ceremony. You will have to reach bride’s home early to catch those candid shots when her makeup artist and hairstylist are applying the final touch, her mom, aunts or friends have gathered around her to help her in looking fabulous in her wedding gown, she checking her backside in the mirror, and many such moments. Better to catch all these glimpses in natural light as far as possible, and with a lens like 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens.
The problem most wedding photographers face while catching the getting ready photos is the room where the preparations go on tend to be small, and the bride usually stands facing the window. To overcome this, overexpose by about +1 to +2 stops which will chow down the window, so as to give you a bright background with no details.
Arrival at Wedding Venue
Ideally you should reach the church as early as you can, i.e. long before the bride. Catch glimpses of groom and groomsmen while chatting outside the venue or walking from the pub. Use your wide lens and then get closer to get details, like flowers, shoes or cufflinks. This is also a perfect time for catching some wedding portraits.
Also, you can catch glimpses like guests arriving, church gargoyles, orders of service, children playing and so on. But don’t forget to keep an eye on bride’s arrival. You can catch that moment by keeping 2-3 options, so you need to have a plan regarding where you should be. You can choose to be halfway up the path with a long lens ready or with your wide angle lens and low down for a dynamic angle. Finally, head to the church to catch the entrance of the bride – be equipped with your 70-200mm lens for that lifetime shot of bride walking down the aisle with her father.
Ceremony
Nothing of the wedding is going to happen again and every moment is precious; but the ceremony is the most important. So, you should be on the alert with total control over the settings of your camera. Light is often limited, so you will have to crack up the sensitivity to ISO 800 or 1600. Set your white balance to auto, unless you get difficult light sources, when you will have to do a convention white balancing reading. Here too a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens is great. If you get a position in front of the church while sitting with the choir in the side of the groom, so that you will face the bride, that’s great. If you are not permitted to do that you will need to be creative from the rear of the church.
Some Essential Things that You may Forget…
- Get all the timings of the day
- Get all directions clearly along with contact details and numbers
- Full your fuel tank
- Keep your camera batteries fully charged
- Format your memory cards
- Keep your camera sensors cleaned
- Ensure that you have carried your equipment, all the right lenses, cables and accessories
- Ensure that you have many spare AA batteries for battery charger and flashguns
- Ensure that you carry an electric tape, a white umbrella and a small ladder
If you equip yourself properly, you will feel stress-free and can get just the right mood to catch a wedding in your camera, and that will give rise to an unforgettable romance caught within the photos – a true piece of art!
