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Professional wedding photography 101

Published On Monday, March 01, 2010 By Mark. Under: Photography Tips. Tags: Creative Adventure, Creative Control, Creative Energy, Creative Juices, Crystal Glasses, Dad And Son, Magical Time, Nature Photography, New Couple, Old Cars, Outdoor Location, Outdoor Shots, Photography 101, Professional Photographer, Professional Wedding Photography, Ring Cushions, Spontaneous Energy, Spontaneous Shots, Wedding Glasses, White Linen

Wedding photography can be very profitable but also stressful. Most photographers use the standard 108 shots with little variation. For instance, they shoot mother and daughter, dad and son and so on, which is very was boring. Photography can become a chore instead of a creative adventure.

As a professional photographer, I was doing well with portrait and nature photography, because I was allowed to use my creative energy. So I took my creative juices and applied them to wedding photography. My new approach was to shoot the wedding like a journalist.

Step 1 is to find a beautiful outdoor location ,like a park with a bridge, a riverside, or a fountain. It’s a good idea to have a bench or seat available for a change in level for your subjects. Props such as wedding glasses, flowers, ring cushions, restored old cars, or mansions in the background can add to the composition of unique and exciting wedding photography. This is when I plan my outdoor shots.

The day of the wedding, I literally follow the bride as she dresses and grooms herself. I take candid shots of the bride, her family and her attendants. Then I go to the grooms home and take a few shots with him and his buddies. These can be really humorous because the guys have lots of fun.

Next, I meet with the bride and groom at the chosen location BEFORE the wedding. With complete creative control, I insist that the groom doesn’t see the bride until we’re ready to shoot. There is a spontaneous energy that I capture when the betrothed see each other for the first time. The beauty of the bride puts the groom in a spell, which translates to incredible images. At this magical time, for instance, I use a mansion in the background, a table draped in white linen, adorned with champagne and fine crystal glasses, which creates an ideal romantic setting for the new couple. I might say something like, “Take your lovly bride to the table and make a toast”. During this time, I would take spontaneous shots. I usually take about 200 shoots with many different spontaneous situations.

Although I avoid the staged church shots, some brides insist on them. Of course my focus is to please the bride, so I take a few in the church with the preacher and the couple’s families. We then go outside and do some fun, candid shots of the families.

When the new couple finally sits down to choose their photos, they inevitably choose only the spontaneous images. I always attempted to give my best…..now my best is earning me twice the fees. I am working for twice the money at half the stress.

The key to this type of photography is to get everyone excited about the wedding, which gives the images energy. Now, when I do a wedding, I feel the spirit, they feel the spirit and we all have a great time.