Wedding photographs capture the memories of your big day for a lifetime. Though the cost of elaborate wedding photography package can be very expensive, there are still many options even if you are planning your wedding on a budget.
Before meeting with potential wedding photographers, here are some things that you should consider.
What pictures do you want? Do you want pictures of just the two of you? Or do you want multiple pictures of the bridal party and your entire family? Which shots are must-haves at the ceremony and reception?
Where do you want the pictures taken? Do you want posed shots before and after the ceremony? Or just candids taken during the ceremony and reception? Do you want some outdoor shots?
What’s the maximum you can spend? Talk with your fiance and decide the maximum you want to spend on wedding photos and videos. Consider only having a professional photographer for the ceremony and using alternatives at your reception.
You can have a friend volunteer to take the pictures at your reception. Point and shoot digital cameras are very easy to use and the quality is pretty good. Plus you can see what the pictures look like instantly and re-take them if the lighting or other factors aren’t just right.
Another way to get plenty of good pictures at your reception is to place disposable cameras at every table. You will get a lot of candid shots of your relatives and friends. People love taking pictures!
Here is a convenient checklist that you can use when planning your weddding photography.
You can use this list as a rough guideline when talking to your wedding photographer. Check off the must-haves and provide a copy of the list to the photographer for his reference.
Photos Prior to the Ceremony
* Bride’s dress hanging up
* Close-up of bride’s bouquet
* Bride and bridesmaids getting ready (hair/makeup)
* Bride together with all the bridesmaids
* Bride with mother
* Bride alone looking out the window
* Bride looking into a mirror
* Flower girl dressed with basket
* Groom putting on tie/cufflinks
* Groom with all the groomsmen
* Groom talking with dad
* Ring bearer dressed and holding pillow
Ceremony Photos
* Limos or cars arriving at church/ceremony site
* Bride stepping out of the limo
* Wide shot outside the church
* Wide shot of inside the church from the back
* Ceremony decorations and altar
* Guests arriving at the church
* Ushers walking guests to their seats
* Flower girl/ring bearer walking down the aisle
* Groom and groomsmen waiting at the altar
* Bridesmaids walking down the aisle
* Wedding party standing at the altar
* Bride and escort about to walk down the aisle
* Front and back shots of bride walking down aisle
* Back shot of bride and groom together at the altar
* Bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up
* Officiant presiding over the ceremony
* Musicians and vocalists performing
* Rings exchange
* Candle lighting ceremony
* Close shot of bride’s face from over groom’s shoulder
* Close shot of groom’s face from over bride’s shoulder
* Shot of parents and family watching the ceremony
* Close and wide shot of the kiss
* Couple walking back down the aisle
* Guests showering the couple as they leave the ceremony
* Bride and groom walking out of church/ceremony site
Formal Photos
After the ceremony time is often set aside for the wedding party to have a formal photography shoot. If you will not have time between the ceremony and the reception, these photos can be taken prior to your wedding, or you can skip these formal photos altogether.
* Bride Alone
* Groom Alone
* Bride and groom together
* Bride with attendants
* Groom with attendants
* Bride with all the men
* Groom with all the women
* Bride with maid of honor
* Groom with best man
* Entire wedding party
* Hands with wedding rings
* Couple with children from wedding party
* Couple with best man and maid of honor
* Couple with parents, grandparents
Reception Photos
* Couple entering the reception site
* First dance
* Bride dance with father
* Groom dance with mother
* Bridal party dance
* Table centerpieces
* Buffet or dessert tables
* Musicians
* Wedding cake before cutting
* Cutting the wedding cake
* Toasting
* Candids at the reception
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Help answer the question about Wedding Photography
Wedding photography?I am planning a 4-26-08 wedding. It's going along very nicely, and it's turning out to be very inexpensive due to a lot of connections I have. For example, my dad is a member at the hall where we are having our receptions, so we get a 50% discount.
Photography is the one thing I don't have taken care of yet. The places I've looked into START at $2000, and that's without the prints. There is no way we can afford to spend that much. Our parents are already helping as much as they possibly can, so asking them is out of the question.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get quality photos that don't put us WAY over budget? Thanks!
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whoa!!it looks like a PICTURE!
ur an amazing painter!:D
You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.
Incredible! He looks so life like. Just amazing…and what a beautiful subject
Well, I do quite a few different types of photography, including weddings.
Just because you are 14 means only that age limitations apply. You have the youth and energy to craft your photographic trade for decades to come though! Having a Nikon D40 is a great thing. I shoot a D90 with a Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 and love it! The fact you can edit is a great plus, seeing that digital photography has a requisite for that kind of talent.
Now, on to your questions…
You've already have gotten started. You have a great camera, you're computer savvy and have drive. Now you need the channels to utilize those energies. How about the school paper? The local paper? Be a free-lance photographer for them! Learn what clients want and find out how you can supply it. How will you make yourself unique (differentiate) as compared to other photographers? Think about this.
As to how to further get started in wedding photography, I learned by taking lots of photographs and reading up on books in the library. I also asked other photographers (like you're doing here) on some tips. It takes time, and you have lots of that!
As for your camera, right now the D40 is fine. Learn the operations of the camera if you haven't already. Knowing your tools is of utmost importance to getting the most from them. In a few years, think about upgrading possibly. Always look to buy the best lenses you can afford. The lens will outlive the camera by decades! Read articles, look at product reviews and see what is the right kind of lenses and bodies for what you want to do. I still have my 6 year old D70 and lenses because my wife is getting into photography and she loves it.
You can do some work on wedding photography right now. Not for pay possibly, but doing some free-lance work and then showing the bride and groom your work afterwards would set you up for something in the near future. I'd say that the earliest you could get some sort of paying work is at 17 or 18. Don't ask me what you could charge… your work/portfolio quality will determine that in a few years.
What kind of pictures? What do you WANT to take pictures of? What really makes you want to snap that picture? That is the motivation you need to focus on! That is what helps differentiate your work from everyone else! I do a lot of landscape, macro, flowers/plants and specialty photography personally.
The best thing to do is:
1) Learn your camera and lenses. What/where are they good at performing? How many lenses do you really need to just start? If you only have one lens then fine. Learn its strengths and weaknesses. Know the camera operations by memory so that when conditions change, you can change the settings accordingly.
Do you have a good prime lens (50mm f/1.8), a good low end zoom (18-70/105mm), a good high focal length zoom (70-300mm)? Maybe, like me, you have a good "walk about" lens (18-270mm). Even if you just have the 18-105mm Nikon lens the D40 came with, it's a very good lens! You can do a lot of fine work with that lens.
2) Read up on the types of photography you'd like to do. Take notes. How about some classes in middle or high school? Go to the library and check out some books so you can refer back to them. That is a no-cost option! Learn the basics of exposure and composition and how to get different effects from different settings of the camera. Don't rely on your software to make a semi-good picture better. Learn to take a great picture right off the bat so you don't have to do any rework on the computer.
3) Learn from your mistakes. Why did the picture come out bad, over or under exposed? How can you work to not do that again? Why is is that certain pictures came out fantastic? What did you do correctly so you can repeat that? Since you have a digital camera, you can usually take several shots of the same subject and see how different settings make the picture change to you liking.
4) Have fun doing whatever you do. I have seen so many people get into photography and get lost in the details that they forget to have FUN!
Good luck!
Make sure sister is prepared to receive less than stunning photos of her big day. Although you may do a decent job there will still be things that would be done better using a professional. Also think of this: As the event photographer you will not be participating in the festivities as a sister and honored guest. You will be working. All day. No time to chat with sis and family members. Also family members and other people may not take you seriously as the real photographer, so you may find it difficult to take control when you need to.
Anyway, here is a link:
http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Wedding101-page1.html
Also http://www.photo.net, look for the beginners section in the wedding and event forum.
If you decide to do it, be sure to get backup equipment of some sort. Cameras do fail, so you need to be able to continue shooting. I have given many tips to first time shooters, just look at some of my past answers and you will find my sage advice repeated many times. Good luck.
Great talent Der Mann.
The sun is nothing but another light source. If you know lighting, you know how to use the sun.
Study, practice and know your equipment. Your three questions are very basic for someone who needs enough experience to photograph such an important and irreplaceable day. Be sure you're ready for the huge responsibility of such a shoot.
Not that you can't, just be TRIPLE sure you're ready.
Here are a few websites with good tips that will help you get started. My advice would be to use a digital camera and have several memory cards and batteries available to switch out. You can always delete bad pictures, but you can never go back and get another picture after the moment has passed. I also recommend asking someone else to help you out – they can help round up people, make sure your batteries stay charged, etc.
http://www.ultimatewedding.com/articles/get.php?action=getarticle&articleid=531
This gives you a good step by step guide:
http://www.basic-digital-photography.com/beginners-guide-to-wedding-photography.html
These are some more unique shots:
http://www.wedpix.com/articles/008/taking-the-photographer-for-a-ride/
I also recommend looking at wedding photographer websites with your friends and getting an idea of their style. It's best to look at actual photos and not go by descriptions because their idea of casual and fun may be different than your idea of casual and fun. Talk to them ahead of time and find out if they have specific photos they want taken, and what their expectations are. Maybe even do a test shoot with them at a local park before the wedding so you can get comfortable with each other – this is a new kind of relationship for you.
In other words, try to function as much like a professional photographer as you possibly can. Good luck!
Very nice!!
Talk with other photographers. Check out web sites for them. I used Gary Woods in Sevierville TN for my wedding he was great. He has an awesome website.
Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D
Wedding photography tutorials: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/html/teoria_tecnica/ripresa-tecniche/matrimonio-cerimonia-e.shtml
Excellent work. Pleasure to watch. Perfect music
))
It's not necessarily the newbie or novice wedding photographer asking about shooting a wedding for a friend or family member who can't afford a pro that bothers me. I have a good link that I offer them, as well as my best wishes.
What DOES bother me are the folks who plan to go into business shooting weddings soon, but are asking basic simple newbie-type questions that anyone who has been shooting for a while should know. Obviously they have plans to make a lot of money for a few hours work on Saturday and the cost of a CD. Many are not prepared in any way, equipment-wise or in the photographic skills department, to even think of shooting a special occasion for pay. (Or sometimes even for free.) The wedding photography industry is suffering because of these Johnny-come-latelys. The thing is, they usually are not in "business" for long. But the weddings they manage to book before their business fails take away from the "pool" that working photographers have to dip from. Of course, the higher end pros really don't have to worry about the $400 and a CD beginner, they are targeting different markets after all. The mid-range and budget photographers are feeling some pain, though, at least from what I see and read about.
I imagine that many couples regret going the beginner or cheapie route when it comes to their wedding memories. Unfortunately, once it's done, they have what they have, good, bad, or mediocre, art or snapshots.
Hi dude,
It is interesting that you want to get tips for wedding photographs.
I don't know that you are asking for you or others;)
I have some links for you, so please visit them.
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/wedding-photography-21-tips-for-for-amateur-wedding-photographers/
http://www.all-things-photography.com/wedding-photo-tips-for-amateurs.html
Nice work, you did pretty good.
if you need to ask such basic questions you dont have the skills to shoot a wedding. consider the consequenses when the couple is not happy with your work because the pics are not as good as they expected.
btw… $100??? thats sad. you shoud really research what other wedding photogs in our area charge.