It's Never Perfect...
Shooting a wedding is one of the greatest challenges, stress tests and pains in the butt a photographer chooses to put themselves into. Fortunately, it also yields some of the greatest rewards. You just have to remember that wedding photography shares a common tenant with the wedding itself... no matter how much you plan, it won't be perfect. Things happen fast, and some mishaps will happen - especially if you are shooting by yourself. When mishaps do occur just keep 'flying the plane', as my best friend would say.
At the most recent wedding, there were three mishaps during the day. But much like everything else, most people won't notice if the mishap is small. The biggest of the three... I missed the signing of the marriage license. I was outside setting up for the traditional throwing of the bird seed, thinking the signing would occur later. Nope. While I was waiting outside, they were signing inside - and nobody thought anything of the fact that I wasn't there. Fortunately, I had a good relationship with the bride and groom, and they were very gracious regarding the missed shot.
Which brings me to an important point... the single most important prep work you will do before shooting a wedding is building a relationship with the bride and groom. Have lunch with them. Shoot their engagement photo. Talk with them several times before the big day. This does a lot for you... you learn their style and personality, you gain a foundation to work from when things don't go as planned, and most importantly, you learn to trust each other. That last one can't be understated. You get much more authentic pictures when the bride and groom trust the person behind the lens.
By day of the wedding, I want my clients so used to me and my camera that is easy for them to ignore me and go about their day as if I wasn't even there. Trust me, this is how you get the best pictures. Not that I am against posed pictures, but they do lack the authenticity that comes from a client who trusts you and let's you get in a little closer.
I've mentioned this before, but I also choose my clients carefully. I won't work with a couple if I don't think we can have fun together. Now, the day is all about them - that's a given. But if we can't have fun together, they won't ever relax in front of the camera. Without that, the images aren't fun either - and they have to be a little fun.
Of course, you still have to have the traditional posed shots in your toolkit. Practice the lighting beforehand and be ready on scene to grab the perfect pic when the moment presents itself.
Nope, it's never perfect, but it doesn't have to be...
D
(Stacey and John's wedding highlights can be found here. Thank you, Stacey and John, for letting me share your day and for being such a great couple to work with!)
At the most recent wedding, there were three mishaps during the day. But much like everything else, most people won't notice if the mishap is small. The biggest of the three... I missed the signing of the marriage license. I was outside setting up for the traditional throwing of the bird seed, thinking the signing would occur later. Nope. While I was waiting outside, they were signing inside - and nobody thought anything of the fact that I wasn't there. Fortunately, I had a good relationship with the bride and groom, and they were very gracious regarding the missed shot.
Which brings me to an important point... the single most important prep work you will do before shooting a wedding is building a relationship with the bride and groom. Have lunch with them. Shoot their engagement photo. Talk with them several times before the big day. This does a lot for you... you learn their style and personality, you gain a foundation to work from when things don't go as planned, and most importantly, you learn to trust each other. That last one can't be understated. You get much more authentic pictures when the bride and groom trust the person behind the lens.
By day of the wedding, I want my clients so used to me and my camera that is easy for them to ignore me and go about their day as if I wasn't even there. Trust me, this is how you get the best pictures. Not that I am against posed pictures, but they do lack the authenticity that comes from a client who trusts you and let's you get in a little closer.
I've mentioned this before, but I also choose my clients carefully. I won't work with a couple if I don't think we can have fun together. Now, the day is all about them - that's a given. But if we can't have fun together, they won't ever relax in front of the camera. Without that, the images aren't fun either - and they have to be a little fun.
Of course, you still have to have the traditional posed shots in your toolkit. Practice the lighting beforehand and be ready on scene to grab the perfect pic when the moment presents itself.
Nope, it's never perfect, but it doesn't have to be...
D
(Stacey and John's wedding highlights can be found here. Thank you, Stacey and John, for letting me share your day and for being such a great couple to work with!)
Labels: photography, weddings
posted by dano @ 4:19 PM
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