If you’re a decent photographer, sooner or later someone will ask you to capture their nuptials. While this is a job often best left to pros, you can up your odds of success with a bit of preparation. Here are 25 ways to stay friends if someone asks you “shoot my wedding!”
DO be clear about what you’re offering. “Make sure the couple knows that you’re shooting as a favor and that you can’t guarantee results,” says New York City-based wedding pro Cappy Hotchkiss. “I’ve seen many friendships end over this.” Limit expectations, and “don’t get roped into doing a ton of large family groups. Explain that you will capture groups as they occur,” adds the photographer. If it’s going to take you months to deliver the photos, let the couple know in advance.
DON’T miss colorful background detail. For the Brooklyn, NY, wedding pictured above Dennis Pike included an ersatz NYC taxi and the Williamsburg Bridge.
DO learn the basics. Visit the websites of wedding photographers and see how they do it. “Try assisting an experienced wedding photographer. You will see first hand how it’s done, with zero pressure on you,” recommends Dennis Pike, the northern New Jersey photographer who shot the couple in the car at left. “The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be, and the people you are photographing will feed off of that.”
DO pre-plan. “Don’t walk into a wedding thinking you can go with the flow. Weddings aren’t like street photography, where you can walk around taking pictures,” says wedding pro Jonathan Scott, who has studios in both New York and Florida. “Pre-planning will make sure you don’t miss important shots.” Scout the location in advance for good backgrounds and lighting. Do Internet searches for the venue to see how other photographers capture the location.
DO ask what the couple wants. Pre-planning includes finding out what pictures and which guests are most important to the couple. “Make sure you get good portraits of the VIPs,” says Pike.
DO know the agenda. Learn in advance how the day will flow. “You need to know what is going to happen and when in order to be in the right place at the right time. Be sure you find out, for example, when classic moments like the first kiss, first dance, and the cake cutting will occur,” says Dennis Pike.
DON’T be afraid of high ISOs. It’s better to take a sharp, noisy image at 1/500 sec and ISO 6,400 than a low-noise image that’s blurry at 1/30 sec and ISO 400. You can always do noise reduction when processing your RAW files.
DO finesse compositions. Instead of asking her subjects to move, Hotchkiss moves herself. “You don’t want to disturb the moment by heavy-handed posing. I block out unwanted background clutter by tweaking my position left, right, up, or down.” She also says to be aware of the lighting. If, in your viewfinder, the lighting looks harsh on your subjects’ faces, it may look even harsher in the final image.