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Wedding
Photography - Tips for How to Photograph a Wedding
I have a lot of
visitors to my site that are amateur photographers interested in learning
wedding photography and want wedding photography tips. I have been
surprised at how many wedding photographers have submitted questions in my
section.
Some of the questions
I have received:
- What equipment
should I use to photograph weddings? Or, do you have any 35mm wedding
tips?
- What digital
camera do you use to photograph weddings?
- What exposure
should I use for a candlelight wedding? Or, what are wedding low light
camera settings?
- How to photograph
a candlelit procession?
- What are the
largest prints that can be made from 35mm film?
- What lenses work
the best for wedding photography?
- What film do you
recommend for photographing weddings?
- What type of
digital camera should I buy?
- How do I avoid
harsh shadows when taking outdoor pictures?
- What is the best
camera for wedding photography?
- Should I use a
filter during wedding photography?
- What books are
best for beginning Wedding Photography?
- Do you show your
digital pictures at the wedding reception, for the guests to choose the
photos they want?
- Links to other
wedding photography FAQ's on the web.
However, it seems
like the question that sums everything up, is, "My friend has asked me to
photograph their wedding, do you have any advice for me?"
The first bit of
advice I have for people in that situation is to hire a professional
wedding photographer. Whether you hire the photographer for the bride and
groom, or, give them a monetary gift and recommend several photographers
for them to choose from - details don't matter. Just do it. By hiring a
good professional you will have:
- Better photos of
their wedding
- A much more
enjoyable wedding day for yourself
- Many more hours of
free time
- Much less
stress in your life
- Your friend will
remain a friend
However, chances are,
if you are looking for wedding photography tips, you've already decided to
do it and aren't interested in me (a wedding photographer), giving advice
that seems somewhat biased.
If that is the case,
this page contains my honest advice on how to get the best results taking
wedding pictures. You'll need to plan on spending hours upon hours
preparing for your first wedding (taking test photos, learning your
camera, studying web sites) and I would also suggest you buy a few books
(I've written some reviews of some of the wedding photography books that
are currently available - and given recommendations one which book I think
would be most helpful for you - at the bottom of the page).
Keep in mind that
sometimes I am rather emphatic, using the words MUST, DO NOT, and NEED TO.
Read with an open mind and you'll see that the advice I give is very
reasonable.
Wedding
Photography Tips - How to Photograph a Wedding as an
Amateur
- Make sure you,
and your friend, understand what you are getting into. Not only
that, but make sure expectations are VERY, very low. That way, if
something goes wrong there will not be hurt feelings. If your photos do
not turn out as good as they could have - you will still hopefully have
a friend. If they are expecting snap shot quality images - they won't be
disappointed in snap shot quality images.
- Write up a
Letter of Agreement. I've been using the word "realize" quite a bit
- and will use it some more. You must realize and be cognizant of the
fact that your friend can sue you if something goes wrong. Once your
friend is married, their loyalty will be (and should be) primarily to
their spouse. You never know what will happen to a friendship. Take the
time to write up a document, title it a "letter of agreement", and
clearly spell out the requirements of both parties. Make it as complex
or simple as you like, just be sure to include a paragraph that says
your friend understands you are not a professional wedding photographer,
cannot guarantee to provide any specific photo, and are not responsible
for any loss of coverage for any reason. Even WITH that phrase in the
letter that is signed by yourself and your friend you can STILL be sued.
However, with that phrase you should be much safer!
- Realize that
wedding photography is expensive. Not only will you easily spend 30
hours of time on the project, but several hundred dollars as well. Even
if you stick with the basics: fresh batteries for ALL equipment,
professional film (twice as much as needed), and quality processing -
you can easily spend close to $500. If you purchase books and spend
other time practicing - the price goes up. Also, think about the
reprints. Who will handle those? If you are shooting film, will the
prints be numbered or will you have to do that? Reprints can take a lot
of time.
- You MUST
practice your lighting and exposures. You will have a hard time
making excuses for bad exposure in the wedding pictures. It won't sound
right to simply say "the church was dark", or, "my flash was acting up."
Do whatever it takes to go to the venues and take sample photos before
the wedding. Write down all your photo exposure information (especially
if you are using 35mm equipment to photograph the wedding). If you are
using digital the information is usually recorded in the camera. Review
all the photos, then WRITE DOWN the settings that work best and take
that paper with you to the wedding. Make sure you use those
settings.
- I remember a
time when I was just getting started in wedding photography and was
using 35mm equipment. I went to the church facility on a Wednesday
night to take some test photos. After the film was back, I was shocked
to see how dark the stage was. I went back and took another set of
test photos and was blown away to realize that: my camera meter, light
meter, and eye were ALL off from what the actual images recorded. I am
so glad I took the test photos in the first place - and that I went
back and did more experimenting when the first batch were off. I had
never before, or since then, seem the same situation (where my light
meter, camera meter, and eye were all off) and still don't know what
in the world happened that caused the photos to be dark (and no, it
wasn't the processing - because normal images were mixed into that
roll - and I had the same results when I went back for the next test
shoot).
- However, keep in
mind that there are still little details that can make or break your
exposures. Sunshine streaming through a window, or, a cloudy day can
all make differences. Or, you could experience a slight technical
issue with your equipment. A perfect example of that happened to me
several years ago. I was photographing the procession from near the
front of the church. As the grandparents came in I took their picture
- but didn't think my flash "sounded" or looked like it had fired as
much as it should have for the proper exposure. The interesting thing
was that it HAD fired. I quickly began troubleshooting and found out
the flash shoe had slid back the tiniest bit in its holder and was not
fully synchronized with the camera - EVEN though it was still firing.
The photo of the grandparents came out underexposed - BUT, because I
noticed something was wrong and fixed it, the rest of the wedding
procession (including the wedding party) turned out
perfect.
- You MUST fully
know your equipment and have backup equipment ready to use. One
camera is not enough. One lens is not enough. One flash is not enough.
Fifteen rolls of film are not enough. Surely you get the idea? Simply
borrowing, and bringing along with you, a spare camera will not work.
You must know how to use it. Make sure all your equipment works and that
you have fresh batteries (and lots of spares) on hand. Ask yourself if
you would be able to shoot the entire wedding with your backup camera
setup - and whether the bride and groom would be pleased with the
photos. If you are using film, bring twice as much as you think you will
need.
- If you are
shooting film, do NOT have it processed at a drugstore or discount
store. Film can be damaged, destroyed, and lost. You need to take
the film somewhere (preferably a professional lab) that has a good track
record and will lessen the chance of loss. In fact, you should probably
shoot with both cameras throughout the day, and process both sets of
film at different photo labs to minimize chances of loss. Sounds kind of
paranoid, doesn't it? These are all very reasonable precautions to take
- and underscore the importance of what you are planning to do. If this
sounds like too much work or hassle, please refer to my previous advice
and hire a professional. I have had personal, family snapshots lost and
damaged at consumer labs, discount stores, and even large discount
warehouse stores. Even labs that cost more and have a better track
record (semipro stores would be similar to a Wolf Camera) are not as
safe as true, professional labs. The drawback to using a safe,
professional lab is often the cost, it can easily cost $25-$30 to have a
single roll of 35mm processed and printed. However, no one ever said
wedding photography was cheap.
- Spend as much
time as possible preparing for, and practicing, before the wedding.
Buy books that deal with wedding photography (Wedding Photography Art,
Business, and Style by Steve Stint is good; otherwise, go to Amazon.com
and search for the term "wedding photography"). Take the book out and do
practice photo sessions. Not including the time I spent learning
photography up to the point of my first wedding, I easily spent 120
hours getting ready for that wedding.
- Consider having
a "backup" photographer taking snap shots throughout the day. This
is a touchy bit of advice and must be handled carefully. You don't need
several photographers taking hundred's of pictures throughout the day
and getting into each others way. However, it would be nice to know that
some images are being captured by someone else through the day on a
separate camera. Some people might have a friend work as their
"assistant" and might loan the friend their "backup" camera to use
during the day. Or, you might ask a friend who has a camera to shoot
one, or maybe two, rolls of film throughout the day. On the other hand,
if you know guests will have cameras and be taking pictures throughout
the wedding, you might not need to ask any one in particular to shoot
some film for you.
- Be VERY careful
how you track and manage the exposed film and/or digital memory cards.
At one of my weddings I changed rolls of film during the procession.
When shooting film at a wedding you must constantly watch the film
counter and be aware of where you are at. Most rolls of professional
35mm film have 36 exposures. If the procession is about to start and
you're on #33 - you are setting yourself up for a problem. As it is, I
had been watching my counter and was shooting more than usual for the
procession. Since I had attended the rehearsal I knew I had some time
in-between the flower girls/ring bearer and the bride. So, during that
time I changed film (good thing I had spare film in my pocket -
something else that is very important on wedding day: always have spare
film and/or memory cards in your pocket, there will be times that you
need to change and are away from your camera bag). After changing film
and carefully putting the exposed roll into my opposite pocket (for me,
unexposed goes in the right pocket, exposed stuff in the left - which is
primarily covered by my battery pack - so it's easy to put in but harder
to get out), I moved to the back of the church and continued
photography. During the ceremony my assistant and I transferred the film
to the "exposed" bag and checked our roll numbers. We found a roll of
exposed film missing. I knew it was the roll from up front but had no
idea what happened to it. I had to keep photographing the wedding
ceremony despite being VERY concerned about that roll of film. As soon
as the ceremony was over I headed up to the spot I had been at for the
procession and didn't see anything. As my heart sank a couple caught my
attention and held out a roll of film, saying, "We saw this fall off the
chair as you headed for the back and thought you might need it." I
thanked them, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
- Digital is
especially easy to lose because so many images can fit on one card.
I've heard of wedding photographers losing ALL of the images from a
wedding because their cards were stolen or lost in an airport security
checkpoint.
- After shooting a
film wedding, the film doesn't leave my site or person until I'm
safely home. Even then, I treat them like gold.
- For digital
weddings, I carefully track my exposed memory cards and, as soon as a
card is shot, I download the images to a portable hard disk. That way,
if my cards were lost or stolen I would still have the images on the
portable hard disk.
- And, in
conclusion, to answer the questions at the beginning of the
document:
- What
equipment should I use to photograph weddings?
- Use
professional 35mm equipment or better. Make sure you know how to use
your equipment. There is no particular brand that is required. The
important thing is that you know how to use your gear and can take
good pictures with it.
- When I started
photographing weddings I had a Nikon N90s (with the extended
grip/battery holder), a SB-26 flash, and a few lenses. I carried an
old (but reliable), manual Nikon camera as a backup camera and would
put a few rolls of film through that one as well. Over time, I added
new lenses, another camera body, another flash unit, and additional
wedding photography books (usually a book or two before each
wedding).
- What digital
camera do you use to photograph weddings?
-
I use the Nikon
D1x. I went fully digital in March of 2002. The camera does a
fantastic job, and I have only discovered a few challenges:
- No
compensation to recover blown highlights (Canon cameras can pull
an extra 2 f-stops if the image is overexposed and it was shot in
RAW format – Nikon cannot). In fact, this was somewhat misleading
when I purchased the camera. I was under the impression that I
would be able to recover some of the highlights by using the
advanced RAW features in Nikon Capture.
- Small buffer
and slow writes (takes 10-15 seconds to save a compressed RAW
image – only has a 6 shot RAW buffer). In order to switch between
compressed RAW images (4 megabyte file and 13 seconds to save) and
uncompressed RAW images (8 megabyte file size and 5 seconds to
save) - there must not be any shots currently in the buffer. I
switch back and forth at weddings between compressed and
uncompressed and have to think ahead.
- Since I
wrote the review, Nikon came out with a buffer upgrade. I had the
buffer upgraded ($250) and it now shoots 21 JPG's or 14 RAW
images. My only concern with the increased buffer size is the
random memory card error - which, if I didn't notice the buffer
was jammed, would cause me to shoot the entire buffer of images
and then realize it was jammed and have to lose all the images in
the buffer. So far, that has not happened at a wedding and I have
appreciated the 14 shot buffer (occasionally maxing it out or
coming close to it).
- Automatic
white balance is somewhat spotty (I manually set the WB in all
wedding photos after the wedding in Nikon Capture - that takes
about 2 hours). If the white balance was more accurate to begin
with, I probably wouldn't have to both with that extra step. Also,
a lot of photographers don't do much post-wedding image correction
until the couple chooses their actual images - if I were to do
that it would also save me quite a bit of time.
-
I’ve heard that
the S2 is the best value on the market and delivers the absolute
best out-of-camera images. However, because of the lightweight body,
I’ve also heard that it cannot be used with shutter speeds below
1/125. That would be a real problem for me – since I often shoot at
1/30 ~ 1/60. If I were in the market for a digital camera at this
point I would be very tempted to buy two D100’s or two S2's (instead
of one D1x). I would do a lot of research before making a
purchase.
-
At this point,
I’m using my D1x and carrying a Canon Digital Rebel and a Nikon F100
with film as a backup. The Canon Rebel was purchased by my brother
as his personal camera, and I rent/borrow the camera from him when I
have a wedding.
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For detailed
information about digital cameras, visit www.dpreview.com
and www.steves-digicams.com
- What exposure
should I use for a candlelight wedding?
- Practice ahead
of time. Learn how to use your camera's meter and take a reading to
find out the proper exposure. It will vary depending upon how many
candles are lit and whether there is any additional ambient light
nearby. Practice at your own house (or the church) ahead of time.
Obviously, an 800 speed film, a good tripod, and a nice lens (with
an aperture of at least 2.8, but preferably 1.4) will also make a
difference.
- Any tips on
photographing a candlelit procession?
- There almost
isn't any way to conveniently get great photos in dim lighting
during a candlelit procession. Some ideas for things to try:
- Sometimes
they will have the lights on during the procession and then dim
them for the ceremony.
- You could
stand on one side of the aisle, put a 3'x5' sheet of white
(glossy) posterboard on the opposite side of the aisle, set your
flash to bounce sideways, and hit the posterboard. It'll look odd
to have a sheet of posterboard over there, but the results should
be beautiful.
- You could
always try a dim-light shoot (make sure you practice in advance
with the same lighting conditions). You might need to bump the ISO
as high as possible (even if it's grainy), shoot wide open
(perhaps buy a 50mm F1.4 lens) and do a natural light shot.
- If the
ceiling is fairly low (and white), you could bounce off of
it.
- You could
buy another 550ex and set it up on the opposite side of the aisle
and flash with that. You'd have to work to try and avoid harsh
lighting and shadows between the two flash units, but that might
also look rather nice.
- What are the
largest prints that can be made from 35mm film?
- Prints can be
made as large you want. However, they will start to be grainy. On
the other hand, medium format prints also get grainy when enlarged.
I have run 11x14 prints from a cropped 35mm negative and been
satisfied with the results (although I now get far better from my
digital camera).
- What lenses
work the best for wedding photography?
- It depends
upon your style. A common lens is a 35-70. The biggest issue is
often the maximum aperture available on the lens. Try to use lenses
that have a max aperture of f2.8 or greater (yes, those lenses ARE
more expensive - but they are worth it). A good selection of lenses
that has worked well for me: 17-35 f2.8; 35-80 f2.8, and a 80-200
f2.8.
- What film do
you recommend for photographing weddings?
- Almost any
type should work fine - even consumer grade. However, it would be
best to use Professional grade film - preferably Kodak Portra 160 NC
or 400 NC, or Fuji NPS and NPH. These films have less contrast and
will show more detail in the white wedding dress and black tuxedo
than consumer film.
- What type of
digital camera should I buy?
- If you are
serious about photography, try to buy a DSLR. That way you will be
able to purchase separate, high quality, lenses. A resolution of at
least 4 megapixel is important. That's about all the specific advice
I can give. Keep searching the web and make sure to visit for
detailed camera reviews.
- How do I
avoid harsh shadows when taking outdoor pictures?
- As your
photography improves you will quickly learn that the old adage,
"shoot with the sun over your shoulder" is not a good rule to live
by. The sun causes harsh shadows and lots of squinting. However, if
you are serious about your photography you are going to have to deal
with photos that are outdoors in the sun (at times). The best way to
deal with that: practice (notice that bit of advice keeps coming
up?). Use fill flash, reflectors, any nearby shade, and take a bunch
of pictures. Write down your settings and see which ones look the
best. Later, go out side and do it all again.
- When I am
outside I try to shoot on cloudy days or when the sun is setting
(sunset is a wonderful time to take outdoor wedding
portraits).
- If you are out
on a sunny day, most photographers will try to put the subjects into
a shady area for photos. You'll have to keep an eye on the
background to make sure it's not too bright for the shade you are
using for your exposure.
- Another option
is to put the sun behind or perpendicular to your subjects and use
fill flash to illuminate them. You might try using you camera in
full auto mode while in the sun with -1 or -2 flash compensation.
That is often what I'll use when I'm in the sun and experiencing
constant light changes.
- What is the
best camera for wedding photography?
- This is one of
those questions that doesn't have any one "right" answer. The best
camera will vary among wedding photographers - though there will be
a variety of cameras that are being used at any one time. First
issue would likely be what type of film format you are using: medium
format, 35mm, or digital. One of the biggest
issues to whether you have good camera is whether or not it is
considered "professional". I'm not really familiar with medium
format gear, but, as an example, will say that Nikon has a large
variety of cameras. They consider their N90s, F100, F4, and F5 type
cameras to be "professional". What makes them professional? More
features, better manual control (along with all the automatic
modes), and more rugged (the rugged part is very important).
Granted, any SLR will likely be functional - especially if you know
how to use it. On the other hand, if you have X dollars available,
you might be better off buying two non professional cameras (like
the n80) so you'll have a quality backup camera.
- With digital
cameras, a lot of professionals are using the digital SLR's: Nikon's
D1x and Fuji's S2 (these are based on Nikon bodies - I'm not as
familiar with the Canon line). Some even use the D100, but don't
seem to be quite as pleased with it as compared to the S2's. If you
are looking for "the best" wedding camera, do searches on the web
and visit to learn as much as possible about the camera you
are considering - all the positive and negative
points.
- Should I use
a filter during wedding photography?
- I do not use
any special effects filters for my wedding photography. I do have UV
filters on each of my lenses, though their primary reason is to
protect the front lens element on my lenses. In fact, whenever I buy
a lens I ALWAYS buy a UV (clear) filter that is instantly put on the
lens and never comes off. Filters are easy to replace - scratched
lenses aren't.
- A lot of
wedding photography special effects have been overdone in the past:
the "soft" focus picture, the "star effect" filter, etc. I shy away
from some of those effects - though some people are able to
effectively use them.
- Photographers
that use black and white film might want to consider the use of
filters. Otherwise, a red flower might appear the exact same shade
of gray as the green grass. Filters are used to darken the reds, or
the greens, etc. Since I use a digital camera, I capture all data in
color, and, later, I am able to selectively convert to black and
white. At that time, I will tweak the saturation of reds, greens,
and blues, to get a custom black and white file with far more
flexibility than if I used film and filters. My What kind of flash do
you use, and do you have any lighting tips?
-
- Below the
wedding photography books section, I have some links to some other
wedding photography FAQ's that are online...
- I recommend you
buy at least one new wedding photography book for each wedding. I have
setup a page where link to some of the books I've bought over the
years and provide feedback/reviews on which ones I feel are most
beneficial.
Do you show your
digital pictures at the wedding reception, for the guests to choose the
photos they want?
- I am not the type
of photographer that shows or projects my photos at the reception for
the guests to order prints. My view is that the reception is to
celebrate the wedding, and it is not an opportunity for me to “peddle my
wares” and try to make additional sales. During the reception I am
completely focused on taking additional photos and it’s rather rare for
me to sit down for a quick bite to eat or a short moment of rest. If I
want to begin selling prints to guests I would do likely launch an
e-commerce application on this
site.
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