Photography Lessons from Weddings

Took pictures at another wedding, my third so far. Wow! I feel like I’m learning a lot about the business, but I know I still have much to learn.

So far:

It’s the bride stupid. It’s all about getting shots of the bride. In the first wedding I shot I angled myself all wrong when I shot the bride walking down the aisle. Sure, she’s in the shot, but instead of getting some nice clear pictures of the bride’s pretty face, instead I got her father. The bride, the bride, the bride. In every shot make sure you get the bride. She’s the one who is going to love or hate the pictures in the end.

Watch your aperture. Aperture? You may ask what an aperture is. Aperture controls your depth of field. With a high aperture (2.8 or there abouts) you get pictures where part is in focus and the other part is out. For some pictures that’s a great idea. In other pictures you need a lower aperture (8-11) so that each part of the person is in focus. The picture’s no good if the bride’s shoulder is in focus, but her face is not.

Set yourself before snapping. Sometimes I find myself nervous about getting a shot. To make sure I don’t miss it I snap the picture while my body is still moving or the lens hasn’t focussed yet. The result? Though I pressed the shutter button at the right time because I wasn’t set the picture is still blurry. It’s a waste. I’ve got to get set first.

Don’t drink. Probably everyone who reads the blog would know that, but the last three weddings have convinced me of the ills of drinking. It’s almost humorous sometimes to watch the change in people who only moments before were perfectly sober become stupid idiots in front of a crowd of a hundred people. I can’t believe it. There’s really no surprise that a portion of these people then go out and run their car off the road or into someone else.

Equipment. A good camera does not a good photographer make, but without the right equipment, you’re wasting your time. You wouldn’t try to start a tree service with only a handsaw. Without a good camera (or two), flash, extra battery and memory cards you’ll never make it. Buy the equipment you need to do the job.