How To Survive Your First Wedding Shoot

So your friends have heard about your photography habit; they’ve seen what wonders you have presented to the world via your Flickr page, and now they’ve gone and done it… they’ve entrusted the most important day of their lives to you and you alone, and have asked you to take their wedding photos!

Don't worry - we'll do what we can to get you through the day! (Photo by Stuart Mackenzie)

Before you had the time to see sense you agreed, and now as the day draws near the vague niggling worry has built to a palpable gnawing of panic in your gut. There’s no getting out of it now, so let’s see if we can’t help relieve some of the worries and get you focused on the important things:

Have A Little Chat – Sit down with the happy couple and go through in detail what they are expecting of you on the day: do they want reportage-style coverage, posed photos, or a combination of both (as most do, these days). Do they want you shooting for the whole day, or just the ceremony? It’s best to have this chat a couple of months before the main event – as if either party has a change of mind at this stage it still gives them time to find somebody else! As part of my services I like to couple this chat with a short informal portrait session – this gives me a chance to see what works and what doesn’t with a particular couple (in a far less stressful situation) and also helps to build the relationship between photographer and client, which means that on the day itself the subjects will hopefully be a little more at ease in front of the camera. Not so important if you’re shooting close friends, but still a worthwhile exercise.
Itinerary – It’s important to know what’s happening on the day, where and when. Look at the itinerary and work out when the best time for the posed formal photos will be (if they are required). Try to plan on having a good hour for these – as organising people and places can be a little tricky. A good time is usually between ceremony and wedding breakfast, or between wedding breakfast and reception.
Create a Shooting List – This is for the formal shots, and can be put together with the aid of the couple during the initial chat. Basically you will need a full list of every group shot required by the couple – i.e. Bride With Bridesmaids; B&G + Parents; B&G + Witnesses; B&G + Grandparents… etc. Then, on the day, cross them off the list as you take them. That way the chances of forgetting to take a portrait with Uncle Maurice (who travelled all the way from Somerset) will be minimal.

Children can be hard to control - but sometimes their unruliness can make a photo special! (Photo by Paul Broome)

Recon - Try to visit all of the locations before the day itself. Find good locations for the formal shots, vantage points for the ‘confetti assault’, alternative locations in case of bad weather, etc.
Preparations – Recharge all batteries, and format all memory cards the night before – and have plenty of spares. Clean lenses, and make sure your bag is properly sorted with all the essentials.
Arrive Early – On the day itself arrive with plenty of time to spare and check your equipment while taking general shots of the area, the church, street signs, all the little things that add up to make a special day.

Photos of the Venue Help to Balance and Round-out the Album (Photo by Paul Broome)

Photos of the venue help to balance and round-out the wedding album (Photo by Paul Broome)

The Ceremony – It’s important to speak to the vicar/registrar before the ceremony to find out what is permitted, in terms of photography, during the ceremony. Use of flash is almost certainly a no-no – so ensure you have a fast lens and up the ISO a little. If possible try to get a spot at the front of the room (preferably one where you can crouch unobtrusively) so you can shoot the couple’s faces and capture the expressions during the ceremony (keep an eye on the guests at the same time, some of the expressions and emotions out there can be priceless).

Getting a good vantage point for the ceremony is a must! (Photo by Paul Broome)

Shoot EVERYTHING – And Everyone. You should have plenty of memory cards with you, so use them.
The details help make the wedding special - so photograph them (Photo by Paul Broome)
Play To Your Strengths – Don’t be afraid to put your own individual personality into the photography – tempered with common sense of course – after all the couple has seen your work, and they have asked you to photograph their wedding on the strength of that work. For example, use that Strobist knowledge and ability you’ve been working on so hard in your 365 photos!
Get Some Help – When it comes to organising the formal shots, rope the Best Man or Ushers in to help gather people together. The chances are they’ll know who is who, which helps!
Look Out For The Buttonholes – Chances are that those wearing buttonholes are VIPs, so get plenty of shots of them.
Wedding Breakfast – Get into the meal venue before the guests, and take plenty of shots of the table settings, decorations and cake (before they are wrecked by the guests). Also be sure to get shots during the speeches and presentations.
Try to introduce some creativity into your table setting shots (Photo by Stuart Mackenzie)
At The Reception – The evening reception is where the reportage style of wedding photography really comes into its own. Be sure to circulate (otherwise you’ll end up with lots of photos of the same people in the same place), and get creative. The first dance is one of the most difficult things to photograph – it’s going to be dark so the temptation is to use flash, but that will eradicate the ‘atmosphere’ from the shot, so maybe try to couple a long-exposure with some rear curtain flash for a more dramatic effect.
Experimenting can result in special individual results! (Photo by Stuart Mackenzie)
Don’t Forget! – It’s a cardinal sin for a wedding photographer to forget to take photographs of any of the folowing: The Bride’s Bouquet; The Wedding Cake (prior to being cut); Close-Up of the Rings; The Bride’s Hair; The Groom’s Top Hat; Details on the Bride’s Dress (for example, lacing on the back); Confetti Aftermath shots (littering the pavement, etc); Bride Arriving in Car; The Groom Looking Nonchalent with His Buddies Beforehand… and any other number of essentials that will be pointed out to you on the day (no doubt!)
Bravado before the event! (Photo by Stuart Mackenzie)
Be Prepared – Shooting a wedding from ceremony to evening reception involves a very long and intense day, trying to keep your energy levels and enthusiasm up for the full length of time can be a challenge. So make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes, and drink plenty of coffee! (Try to avoid the tempting free alcohol!)
Be ready to shoot from the hip - some special moments are fleeting & unrepeatable! (Photo by Paul Broome)
Pay Attention to the Backgrounds - There’s so much going on at a wedding, and so much pressure on you as the photographer it can be easy to overlook something obvious at the time of shooting (like a TV aerial in the background sticking straight out of the bride’s head… yes, I speak from experience!) Try to get the backgrounds right in camera, to avoid lots of lengthy cloning in Photoshop afterwards!
Afterwards – Try to get a selection of the best shots ready and waiting for the couple when they get back from honeymoon. Even if you just upload them as a slideshow to the web. Most couples are looking to keep the celebration going after the honeymoon (instead of coming back down to Earth!) and looking back through the photos is a great way of doing this.

That’s just some of the things I’ve picked up myself from shooting weddings, coupled with some advice I was given before I faced my first one. We’ll go into a bit more depth on subjects such as posing and lighting large groups of people in future tutorials.

If you have any advice of your own to share, please feel free below! And if you’re about to shoot your first wedding – Good Luck! The first is always the most challenging