Are you a beginner who’s looking for comprehensive wedding photography tips? Books by are useless and personal consultations will cost you more than $400 per day?
Look though these short but useful tips for wedding photography to become a top wedding shooter in your area.
How to Take Wedding Photos: 100+ Wedding Photo Tips
The reason why photographing a wedding may be difficult is because it combines all genres into one. Prepare to take portraits, still life, action, sometimes travel and landscape, or even crazy underwater images. These tips will help you handle everything and produce stunning results.
1. Put Together a Shot List
Every photographer has a set of successful wedding photography poses, but always ask your clients if they have their own ideas on how they would like to be photographed.
If the couple wants to have individual pictures with some guests, you must know about it and realize how to organize everything in the best way possible. Think about all details worthy of being captured and write your Wedding Roundup Photos down.
2. Find a Wedding Family Photo Coordinator
The most stressful section of the photoshoot is the family photo. People are running around, you are not acquainted with anyone, visitors are in a ‘festive spirit’ often encouraged by a few drinks, for an outsider, it looks like a chaotic mess.
Ask the couple to name a responsible person from each side who will be helping you organize the merry crowd for a pleasant shot. This works great because the couple can enjoy their celebration and the assigned person is more familiar with the rest of the invited.
3. Scout the Location Beforehand
If it isn’t familiar to you, go there earlier and try to plan where the light and background will benefit the dress, rings, newlyweds separately, and with their family members.
Perfect if you do your investigation a few days prior to the event, with a calm mind and plenty of time. Check out these 8 best places for a destination wedding.
4. Know Your Gear Inside Out
Canon 5D Mark III + Speedlite Flash + Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 + Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 + Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 + Battery Charger + Memory Card Folder + Memory Cards
Before the event check wedding photography camera settings, study and test available modes. Get sure that all options and functions work properly.
- Check out what wedding photography gear you should have at the beginning.
5. Always Have a Back-Up Camera
You can purchase a cheaper camera model or rent the camera body if buying new is too expensive. It may feel like you’re literally chopping off a large part of your profit for no reason until one day this actually saves you.
- Check out what is the best camera for wedding photography.
6. Change Lenses While Wedding Shooting
The biggest section in any wedding photography guide is on natural and real emotional shots. Noticing that the newlyweds look stiff and uncomfortable in front of the camera, switch to a longer lens (like 200mm) to move a bit further away.
Intimidated in your company, they will feel immediate relief and behave naturally. Cropping the extra is nothing compared to working around fake smiles.
- Read more about the best lenses for wedding photography .
7. Hire an Assistant
A great difference between professional and amateur wedding photography is the ability of the former to afford paying an assistant to arrange the lights, perform tests, or even shoot anything you are missing behind your back.
Collaborate with a colleague so that he/she helps with your clients and you do the same with his/hers; a great way to share the experience.
8. Get to Know the Couple
The key to the best weddings photo shoots is to get acquainted with the future newlyweds. Work out some questions for them, the answers may inspire you for certain shots or a photo-story.
9. Set Expectations
One of the crucial wedding photography tips is to figure out precisely what your clients want. Show them examples of your portfolio, pinpoint which specific moments are to be covered fully, the picture quantity they expect, how the photos should be delivered (printed or not). Take time to settle all technical aspects and the total price.
10. Prepare Documents
Remember that you need a proper wedding photography contract. It must specify what photography for weddings services are included, what is expected from both parties, fees, contacts and payment details. In case any serious disputes arise, everything can be settled with the lawyer’s assistance.