Top Wedding Photography Tips

Find out some impressive wedding photography tips that will help

First, create a complete shot list

The main tip regarding wedding photography is to get the couple to think ahead about the shots that they’d like you to capture on the day.

Find a professional wedding and family photo coordinator

The family photo part of the day can be quite stressful. People are going everywhere, you’re unaware of the different family dynamics at play.

The Couple must nominate a family member who can be the director of the shoot. They can round everyone up, help get them in the shot, and keep things moving so that the couple can get back to the party.

List the locations that will be used for shooting

You need to visit the locations of the different places that you’ll be shooting before the event day.

While I’m sure most pros don’t do this, I find it really helpful to know where we’re going, to have an idea of a few positions for shots, and to know how the light might come into play. In wedding photography, preparation is key. So much can go wrong on the day, so you need to be well-prepared. Get an itinerary of the full day, so you know what’s happening next.

Shoot the small details

Photograph rings, backs of dresses, shoes, flowers, table settings, menus, etc. These help give the end album an extra dimension. Flick through a wedding magazine at a newsstand for a little inspiration.

Use backup cameras

Get an extra camera for the day, and set it up with a different lens. Test before everything starts.

Learn how to use diffused light

The ability to bounce a flash or to diffuse it is key. You’ll find in many churches that light is very low. If you’re allowed to use a flash (and some churches don’t allow it), think about whether bouncing the flash will work (remember that if you bounce your flash off a colored surface it will add a color cast to the picture), or whether you might want to buy a flash diffuser to soften the light.

Shoot in RAW

Many readers feel that they don’t have the time for shooting in RAW, but a wedding is one time that it can be particularly useful, as RAW gives so much more flexibility to manipulate shots after taking them. Weddings can present photographers with tricky lighting that results in the need to manipulate exposure and white balance after the fact, and RAW will help with this considerably.

Display your shots at the reception

One of the great things about digital photography is the immediacy of it as a medium. One of the fun things I’ve seen more and more photographers doing recently is taking a computer to the reception, uploading shots taken earlier in the day, and letting them rotate as a slideshow during the evening. This adds a fun element to the night.

Consider your backgrounds

One of the challenges of weddings is that there are often people going everywhere, including the backgrounds of your shots. Particularly with the formal shots, scope out the area where they’ll be taken ahead of time and look for good backgrounds. Ideally, you’ll want uncluttered areas and shaded spots out of direct sunlight where there’s unlikely to be a great aunt wandering into the back of the shot.

Don’t discard your “mistakes”

The temptation with digital is to check images as you go and to delete those that don’t work immediately. The problem with this is that you might just be getting rid of some of the more interesting and useable images. Keep in mind that images can be cropped or manipulated later to give you some more artsy/abstract shots that can add real interest to the end album.

Get creative

Be creative with your shots. While the majority of the images in the end album will probably be fairly “normal” or formal poses, make sure you mix things up a little by taking shots from down low, up high, at a wide angle, etc.

Wedding group shots

One thing I’ve done at every wedding I’ve photographed is attempted to photograph everyone who is in attendance in one shot. The way I’ve done this is to arrange for a place that I can get up high above everyone straight after the ceremony. This might mean getting a tall ladder, using a balcony, or even climbing on a roof. The beauty of getting up high is that you include everyone’s face, and you can fit a lot of people in a single shot. The key is to quickly be able to get everyone to the place you want them to stand, and to be ready to get the shot without having everyone stand around for too long.

Fill flash

When shooting outside after a ceremony or during the posed shots, you’ll probably want to keep your flash attached to give a little fill flash. I tend to dial the flashback a little so that shots are not blown out. But, particularly in backlit or midday shooting conditions where there can be a lot of shadow, fill flash is a must.

Switch to continuous shooting mode

Having the ability to shoot a lot of images fast is very handy on a wedding day, so switch your camera to its continuous shooting mode and use it often. Sometimes it’s the shot you take a second after the formal or posed shot when everyone is relaxing that really captures the moment!

Predict the unexpected

In every wedding that I’ve participated in, something tends to go wrong with the day. The best man can’t find the ring, the rain pours down just as the ceremony ends, the groom forgets to do up his fly, the flower girl decides to sit down in the middle of the aisle, or the bride can’t remember her vows.