Wedding Photography Tips Tutorial

Looking for some wedding photography tips? Well, look no further, in this tutorial I'll tell you all you need to know in order to start you off on the right track in order to take some great shots.

Maybe you just want to take some good shots of an upcoming wedding with your dslr and/or have been given the responsibility of being the photographer, or maybe even looking to make some profit from wedding photography.

Either way you will want to do a good job, so let's get started...

The Set Up

Hopefully you will already be fairly familiar with the bride and groom. If you do get a chance to meet them before the wedding (highly likely), then make sure they are aware of what shots you are likely to take, and some of the other wedding poses you may ask them to do.

If they both feel comfortable with you, it will really improve the shots and also enable you to direct them easier where needs be.

Make sure you are where you need to be hours before they are is one of the best wedding photography tips you can be told, not only so you can scout out good locations for the set-piece shots, but also to take some tasteful pictures of the reception area. Not to mention being able to predict the lighting and therefore your dslr settings.

Close ups of flowers sent, table place cards with handwritten names on and even the daylight beaming through the windows onto some flowers in the reception area, can make nice addition shots. These wedding photography tips of themselves can really push your quality of work right up.

The Cake – Traditional Wedding Photography Poses

What follows are just a few of the traditional poses every wedding photographer should take. Even within these shots, some creativity is allowed, only not too much creativity. If you want to pose the guests in the e'nsomble piece to look like the the zombies in the Michael Jackson thriller video, you may get the odd objection... although possibly not from the children.

About as far as you can go creatively with the set poses is in altering the angle of the bride and groom to create more interest in the shot, and making them stand out from the other people, assuming you are taking a group shot.

One of the main possibilities for creativity in wedding photography tips is in actually choosing the background of these set pieces.

An attractive background is a must. What constitutes an attractive background? Some kind of shrubbery or natural surroundings is often a good start.

Sometimes a right angle in a wall can really add to the background interest, and so too, the interest of the whole picture.

Maybe hanging shrubbery, trees or an expansive background. Just make sure though, the background compliments the shot and doesn't distract from the main focus, the bride and groom/family/friends.

Here are just a few of the set pieces that tradition dictates you should have:

1. The bride and groom

2. The bride and the father of the bride

3. The bride and groom and bridesmaids

4. The groom and the best man

5. The bride and groom and friends of the groom and bride

6. The bride & groom and their parents

The Right Gear for the Job

Wedding Photography Tips Equipment A zoom lens will come in very useful, as in some shots will need to alter the focal range on-the-hop, so to speak.

The main shots you will probably want to do with a standard lens or in some cases a wide-angle lens. A telephoto lens can also useful for taking those natural shots of people from a distance.

polarizing filters are also a nice addition for bringing out any strong colors.

It may also be desirable to have an additional warm-tone filter in case the day is somewhat overcast, just so you can warm up the shots a touch.

The Icing on the Cake

As mentioned above, if you can take some nice 'setting' shots of the reception area, or where the wedding will take place, then so much the better. Obviously if the wedding is taking place inside an actual church, then you may or may not be allowed to take shots inside that venue.

A wedding is a happy occasion, and all the shots you take should reflect that. So no matter what wedding photography tips you read, an ability to make people smile is a must!

When taking shots try to imagine certain concept words that your photo should express in some way, words such 'love', 'purity', 'happiness/joy' and/or 'devotion'.

Although you have no idea how much I love the shot below (I truly do), a wedding photo probably shouldn't be saying 'Gooooooaaaaaaaaal!!!'

Further Wedding Photography Tips - the Lowdown

Remember, Your not the paparazzi, so any “Oi, darlin', give-us a look over 'ere!” probably won't be appreciated when they are in the middle of their special moment (you're also probably not a cockney English chancer either, but it is a great accent).

They don't care about the aperture you will be using, or even the why's or wherefores of shutter speed and ISO's, they only care that they will get some great shots at the end of it. So don't bother trying to explain why your doing certain things, they trust you already, they don't need photography lessons.

Wedding photographers should be very rarely seen, but sometimes heard. Keep a fly-on-the-wall mentality throughout most of the wedding when not doing set poses. When you do do the set poses, make sure your not spoiling someones moment, and they'd rather be doing something else.

Be prepared! Know when and where the shots will be that are the 'one-chance-only' shots. Otherwise known as 'The Money Shots'. The bride kissing the groom where possible, the bride and groom walking through confetti. The bride and groom in the car. You won't have much time to shoot these, let alone chances. Forewarned is forearmed.

If you are serious about wedding photography go to as many weddings as possible and watch and learn how wedding photographers do it. Become a wedding crasher if needs be. But don't say I told you so!



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