Photographing Weddings
Whether the celebration is an elaborate wedding, a formal bar mitzvah, or a simple home birthday party, photos are a must. They preserve the details and emotions that everyone wants to remember. If there’s no hired photographeror even if there ischarge up your digicam. When they see the prints, folks often prefer the shots taken by guests over the formal professional photos.
One of the advantages you may have over the hired photographer is that you know people at the event. You’re in a much better position to take candid, relaxed pictures of the guests that capture the true flavor of the day. Even so, be careful not to interfere with the professional photographer’s posed shots. Introduce yourself to the photographer and ask if it’s OK to take a couple of shots right after the pro has finished each setup. You’ll generally receive permissionand the opportunity to capture the highlights of the day.
As a digital photographer, you can bring a new dimension to the celebration that most pros don’t even offerimmediacy. If you like, you can hook up your camera to a TV to play the pictures back while the reception is still going on. Or, if you bring a laptop, you can have a photo gallery or slideshow up on the Web before the pro even leaves. (See Chapter 17 for details about creating projects like these.)
Your success at shooting a wedding depends primarily on your ability to anticipate the action. Most weddings have a few classic photo ops in common, so professional photographers usually work from a checklist. If you’re one of the guests, use the following list for inspiration only. Wedding days provide dozens of opportunities for memorable pictures. If you get only a fraction of them, you’ll still have plenty to share at the end of the day.
Before the wedding.
Bride making final dress adjustments, alone in dress, with mother, with maid of honor, with bridesmaids. The groom with his best man, with his ushers, with his family.
During the ceremony.
The groom waiting at the altar, his parents being seated, the bride’s mother being seated, the processional, the bride coming down the aisle, the vows, the ring ceremony, the kiss, the bride and groom coming back down the aisle. And of course the obligatory adorable shots of the flower girl and ring bearer walking down the aisle looking dazed.
Directly after the ceremony.
The wedding party at the altar, the bride and groom with family, the bride and groom with officiate, closeup of the bride’s and groom’s hands on the ring pillow.
During the reception.
Guests signing the guest book, the bride dancing with groom/father/father-in-law, the groom dancing with mother/mother-in-law, the cake table, the cake cutting, the cake feeding, the toasts, the bouquet toss, the decorated getaway car.
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Tip: Bringing your camera to at least one wedding is a great way to hone your photography skills. If you can shoot an entire wedding, then you’re prepared for any other event that comes your way. For example, graduations are just weddings without the reception. Birthday parties are just weddings without the ceremony.
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