First Time Wedding Photography – 5 Quick Tips From Experience
Wedding Photography for the First Time
A few quick tips to keep in mind for a smooth shoot
First time wedding photography could be a disaster I imagine, luckily for me I was among friends and the stress was low. I think I did a fair amount right, and I learned for next time. I’ll put here just a short stack of general tips that I think would make any first time outdoor wedding photography endeavor run smoothly.
*For this list, I’ll forgo the standards; extra charged batteries, backup memory cards, backup camera, flashes, tripods, etc. I’ll go ahead and assume that you have a certain level of obvious preparation taken care of.
To see the wedding photos, click here.
The First Time Wedding Photography Tip List
- Rent some damn good gear
- Remind them to smile
- Don’t distract the wedding
- Pay Attention & Move
- Take control
There’s a lot to first time wedding photography, and clearly I’m nobody’s expert. However, from my experience shooting a wedding for the first time, its those things that really helped me capture the moments that I did.
1. Consider Renting Gear
This isn’t necessary, but depending on your own arsenal it could give you one hell of a buffer to compensate for low light, uncooperative weather, and a host of other variables. High quality glass could mean the world of difference in your photos, for a low $40 you can get a really good lens for about a week. Totally worth it considering what you’re paying for and for what you’re getting paid.
Churches are dark and the reception will likely become that way if its not to begin with, a renting a camera with great ISO capabilities (mixed with great glass) will make you smile the smile of 10,000 fairy things.
lensrentals.com is a company that worked well for me in this regard.
2. Remind them to Smile!
It’s not always second nature to smile when putting on your makeup, is it ladies? Tight scruitinization, odd jaw dropping faces, and dangerous looking mechanical instrument things near your fleshy faceparts. Try to get the ladies to smile at least a couple of times during this time.
Remind the wedding party to attempt a smiling face throughout the ceremony. It doesn’t have to be an ear to ear grin, just enough so you don’t know how much their feet hurt in those heels or how much they’re sweating in that jacket. Tell them to think “Cheeeese!” (Or whiskey, fanny, bunny, booby anything that ends in “ie” or “y”)
3. Don’t Distract the Wedding!
Don’t pretend to be in the wedding and get out of the way. Do best to be as invisible as possible while still taking quality photographs. A long lens, 70mm+, helps here. Nobody wants to see some chuffer poking his glass in the back of the grooms face trying to get some AMAZING SHAWT, ZOMGS!!!11111. Get some distance glass and pump the breaks.
*Note Cameras are beginning to come out with “silent” shutter modes (Canon 5D MK3, Canon 6D). If you’re in the market for a new camera I would wholeheartedly recommend aiming for a camera with this feature, Canon or Nikon (unsure if Nikon has this feature in the same way Canon is beginning to, I’m a Canon shooter). Its not “silent” by any true standards, but it is substantially quieter and does nothing to reduce performance in any way that would affect wedding shots.
4. Pay Attention, Move!
If there isn’t a rehearsal, pay extra close attention to whats happening and move to position yourself accordingly for the best shots. If I had been just that much more on my toes I would have moved to the head of the isle and gotten the march of the wedding party full on, instead of shooting over heads. This is especially important for when the bride steps out because, as you can see, everyone stands up.
You do get a neat perspective by shooting from a side angle here, but shake your arse to the front of the isle when the bride comes briding down the way!
5. Take Control!
You’re not the wedding planner, but when it comes to photography you are the boss, whether you feel so or not. Once the wedding ceremony itself is all said and done, wedding party photos are next. Remember, the reception is next an nobody wants to stand in those heels, or sweat Niagara down their under wheres in that tux any longer than they have to.
- Have a plan beforehand: Speak with the wedding parry beforehand on where they are to go after the ceremony for photos. Be sure to corral them to the photo spot and have your order of photos alreay worked out. Start with the bride’s maids, especially if they’re wearing heels.
- Be the boss, the reception is coming up and everyone is ready to eat, take charge and get everybody together. This will go a lot more smoothly if you have a slick plan already worked out. Write your plan down, don’t rely on your memory.
- Relax, not always easy and your photos may not go according to plan, but if you DO have a plan and everybody knows the plan the best you can do is to be sure that YOU operate by the plan. Of course, being able to work by the seat of your pants earns bonus points XP, though.
There was no rehearsal for this wedding, but luckily weddings generally have a pretty standard flow to them; groom at the altar, bridesmaids and groomsmen down the isle, everybody stands, bride and her father, ceremony, kiss, all walk back. However, like I mentioned in my previous post on small venue music photography, get there early! These are tips I think might help for first time wedding photography. Just a lil sumpthin’ sumpthin’ that may or may not help you on your first time shooting a wedding. -CP