Let me tell you a story. ‘Here comes the bride’ plays in the background. Everyone turns around, they all are eager to see the bride. Her white aura fills the room. Gasps are heard all around. A little girl starts giggling and pointing, ‘Mommy look, a princess!” The bride walks next to her dad, each step towards love, towards happiness. All eyes are on the bride, but my eyes are fixed on the groom. He’s nervous. His under-eyes have this unusual glitter to them and just then he wipes away a tear. Misty-eyed, he scans the room to see if anyone caught him. Everyone was focused on the bride but I saw him. I captured that moment. That’s just the thing about wedding photographers, they miss nothing.
A Wedding Dream
Whenever I tell somebody about my profession, they always ask me, “Why not editorial work? Why don’t you do portraits?” I chose wedding photography because it’s about real people and real emotions. There isn’t anything fabricated about the work I do. I don’t have to worry about poses and tens of filters, instead, I get to focus on the people, on the love they have for each other. Weddings are as pure as the white of the bride’s dress. They join families together and pave the path for new generations.
Wedding Photography 101
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Saying, ‘I love you’ is way easier than planning a wedding. If you want to get married, you have to be all in. The wedding process will test you each step of the way. As a wedding photographer, I make sure to click all those moments so that you can get a kick out of it after the wedding.
After spending my fair share of time at weddings, I’ve picked up on a bunch of tips that help me get the job done.
- Get To know Your Clients – I know everything is digital nowadays but nothing beats a good old-fashioned coffee date. Going out with the couple is extremely important. Tell them about yourself, ask questions about them and listen to what their ideas regarding the wedding are, conversation is key!
- Check Out The Venue – It may not always be possible, but visiting the venue is always a plus. Locations make all the difference. I personally love outdoor weddings, the sun really is your best friend there. If the wedding is in an inside location, it helps to know about the lighting, the exposure, and the color scheme. You don’t want to show up to a wedding unprepared with the wrong lenses and no lighting equipment.
- Be Prepared – A major rookie mistake is showing up to the wedding without backups. You never know what might go wrong and so I prefer keeping an extra of whatever I can. Also, take special care of your equipment. This wedding is not the only project you’ll be covering, so don’t let your guard down.
- Be Nice – The worst thing you can do is go to a wedding and act all high and mighty. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, if you can’t create good relations with the people around you then that will show in your pictures. Always be polite and smile. I promise you, the pictures you take will be phenomenal.
- Learn About Body Language – One thing that can take your photography to a whole new level is body language. If you can learn what makes a person feel uncomfortable and when they feel they’re most confident, then you’ll be able to showcase that in your photos.
- Give Instructions – The people you’re working with are not models. They don’t know anything about poses, angles, contrast, etc. To them, it is all gibberish. Try to simplify things by giving easy instructions and everyday scenarios. When I was a Minneapolis wedding photographer, I wanted to take an ‘over the shoulder’ shot of my client. I asked her to pretend as if there was a butterfly on her shoulder.
It turned out to be one of my best shots!
I love weddings and that is why I try to capture each and every special moment as if it were my own.