Leg tremors, that's what you got when your best friend or friend has asked you to be the photographer at their wedding. You have already told him that you are not a professional and that you are not up to that responsibility, but with a sad face he has told you that who better than you, who only wants some emotional photos to remember, than the professional wedding photographer(in the link a mega guide if you want to start as a professional) it goes beyond your budget or any other phrase framed within a true emotional blackmail... And of course, friendship is friendship... How do you say no? Well, if you have already recovered in health and you have insisted that you are not a professional and that the result will not be the same, you have no choice but to be up to the task, if not of a wedding photographer, then of a great friend. or friend. Get comfortable in your chair and keep reading because you will have to prepare yourself well, in this article I give you the most important keys and advice so that your friendship does not end up at the bottom of a well ? .
To begin, I recommend that you read the post that Mario wrote some time ago where he gives six essential tips. I will try not to repeat myself, but given its importance, we will surely insist on some point.
The report of a wedding has three parts: the before, the day of the wedding and after the wedding. Let's see them one by one.
BEFORE THE WEDDING
Preparation and planning. Those are the main keys. The wedding day is the most important, of course, but good preparation will help you to be more or less successful on the big day.
- Equipment: Prepare your equipment with battery and spare cards. Get a bright lens as Mario told you, and as far as possible with a wide angle and a normal lens (type 50-80 mm) that will help you control any situation. The external flash, especially for interiors or if the wedding is at night, is essential. And if we talk about the ideal... prepare a second camera. Two reasons, one is that do you imagine that precisely that day your camera fails you? You will want to disappear from the planet or even from the galaxy!! Another reason is because it is much more comfortable to have to make fewer lens changes and be more agile when it comes to capturing any special moment.
- Location: visit the place of the ceremony and the celebration to know the decoration with which you have and if you can take photos, even better. If it is in a church, try to go to mass one day to practice with the same light conditions. And talk to the priest, don't wait for the day to arrive and he begins to put obstacles to where you can put yourself or not. Also look for a place that they like for the photo session between the ceremony and the celebration. They can be the streets of the city, a park, a modernist building or funny facades; the choice will be based on your tastes. Visit the chosen place beforehand to check the lighting conditions that you will find.
- Soak up the work of others: Knowing the work of other photographers will help you have the clearest ideas and know what kind of photos are essential. With what the couple have told you and with what you see in the other reports, you can be inspired and make your list with all the images you want to achieve that day.
- Do not forget about the light: check what time the sun will set. This is very important to know how much time you have between the ceremony and the invitation to do the photo session outside. If you can take photos without flash, just in natural light, you will get fantastic results.
Take advantage of natural light. - Look for a helper and an "accomplice": although they may apparently be confused, they will have very different roles. The assistant, as his name indicates, will help you with the equipment, the flash and even, if he is also someone who is passionate about photography, he will be able to cover some moments for you to get different angles or perspectives, or even have another vision of the scene. ceremony and surely enriches the final result. You will need the accomplice to gather the guests. The couple will want to take pictures with all the family and friends, so if you don't want to be running after everyone, as well as dragging the camera, readjusting it and everything that entails and ending up with a heart attack stress... ? ask someone family or friends to help you with this task. While you take photos of a group, the accomplice will have to notify the next.
THE BIG DAY
The moment of truth has arrived, this is where you risk it, the important moment and when you have to have all your senses alert so as not to miss a detail and do your best. To reassure you I will tell you something very important that you must take into account. You won't be a professional, but you have something in which no professional, for all the experience they have, could beat you: you know the couple, and most likely the rest of the guests or a large part. How does this help you? Well, in the most important part of a day like this: emotions. You may not get perfect photos in terms of technique, but the fact of meeting the couple, that they know you, will help them to be more comfortable and relaxed and to know what you have to tell. Because you are there to tell a story, to capture the most emotional moments, the glances, the moments of complicity, the details... in short, the soul of the event. And for this, your friendship with them will be your best ally, your strong point, on which you should focus, for the rest, I give you some advice that will also help you:
1. Check that your equipment is ready and with the parameters of white balance, type of focus, ISO, measurement, etc... adjusted.
2. Lighting is very important, if you don't master the correct lighting and exposure, shoot in aperture priority mode, if you don't master it very well either, don't risk losing the best moments and shoot automatically.
3. Ask the groom to get ready beforehand so he can go to both houses (provided that distances allow) and immortalize the preparations of both. If that's not possible, focus on the bride. In the houses, she tries to eliminate everything that distracts in the backgrounds, that there are no entanglements that spoil your photo.
4. During the ceremony try not to disturb the priest or the couple, remember that they are the protagonists. Although it is not easy, move with stealth and prudence.
5. Do not get lost, no moment is going to be repeated to give you a second chance.
6. Photograph the details, when assembling the album they will be of great help, as well as being a beautiful memory: the bride's hairstyle, the flowers, the rings, the details of the table...
7. Do not force, look for spontaneous moments and avoid forced poses.
8. Unleash your creativity, take different snapshots.
9. Look for different angles and perspectives.
10. Take advantage of the elements that you have within your reach: furniture, mirrors or even use architectural elements to frame.
11. Use some props to provide originality. For example, as in this image, with a blackboard even the guests will be able to send a message to the couple. It will be a surprise that they will love.
12. Look for emotional moments, tell a story, your story. You better than any other photographer can capture those moments of complicity between the couple or between the guests. Try to photograph the soul of the wedding.
13. If you want to take a kiss photo, the faces will be half seen, try photographing them touching their noses.
14. Be careful not to overexpose the wedding dress, if you underexpose it will be easier to illuminate the face from your RAW file than to recover the details of the dress.
15. Always focus on the eyes. If you are in profile, focus on the nearest eye.
16. Shoot in a burst.
17. Get a full picture of the ceremony venue from the back.
18. Try to get a picture of all the guests, it will be an arduous task, but if you do, in addition to being very fun, it will be an incredible memory for your friends.
19. During the invitation you will also have to be aware of photographing the important moments: cutting the cake, the dance of the bride and groom... in addition to going around the tables to immortalize the guests. If you use the external flash bounced off the ceiling you will get better results.
AFTER THE WEDDING
Once the wedding has taken place and when they have returned from the honeymoon trip, relaxed, rested and without haste, you can do a photo session in the place that you like best, with no time or distance limits and taking advantage of natural light and choosing the proper funds. Some call this session to destroy the dress , since there are those who literally destroy it, getting into the sea water, throwing themselves in the middle of a wheat field or dancing on the mud. The imagination here has no limits, it is about having a good time, having fun without any pressure. Here I leave you some sample images that can serve as an idea.
So far today's article, I really hope that it has been useful to you and that you make a beautiful report of your best friend's wedding. Remember, planning is very important, and when you're already at it, try to enjoy and put a lot of love into it, surely the result is worth it.
PS: If you share, you will be doing a favor to someone whose legs are still shaking!
PS: Get ready for the hard work of a wedding photographer ?
