As someone who grew up as a Nantucket photographer, I’ve been asked numerous times for wedding photography tips, here are a few suggestions.
Create A List Of Shots.
Request or suggest to the couple to provide you with a list of shots they would like for their wedding. This makes things easy to remember and you can check them off as you click away. very helpful for family and group shots. It would be a real bummer to find out when you get the photos back that you missed Uncle Joe.
Use An Assistant.
Shooting the family portraits can be frustrating when you have people missing and they are not organized. People are just having too much fun and are wondering about – not really thinking about photography. I recommend to bring an assistant (preferably female) to nominate a family member to gather everyone for the portraits. They can round everyone up and make the shoot go so much faster so everyone can go back to celebrating.
Stay Prepared.
So much can go wrong on the day – so you need to be well prepared. Have a backup plan (in case of bad weather), have batteries charged, memory cards blank, think about routes and time to get to places and get an itinerary of the full day so you know what’s happening next. If you can, attend the rehearsal of the ceremony where you’ll gather a lot of great information about possible positions to shoot from, the lighting, the order of the ceremony etc.
Discuss Expectations.
With Your Bride. Show them your albums and samples of your work. Find out the style they want to achieve, how many pictures, key moments they want photographed, format of the shots ( digital, film), and more. Make sure to go over the price so they know exactly what they are paying for.
Minimize Your Camera Noise.
Camera clicks and beeps during the vows and toasts can be distracting. Switch off sound before hand and keep it off.
Shoot With Two Cameras.
It’s too easy for one camera to go down during a shoot leaving stranded with out anyways to finish your work and destroying your reputation. Buy, borrow, or rent an extra camera for the day and set it up with a different lens. I try to shoot with one wide angle lens for candid shots and tight spaces and one longer lens (it can be handy to have something as large as 200mm if you can get your hands on one – I use a 70-200mm).
Capture The Details.
Take pictures of the rings, details in the dress, eyes, lips, table settings, interior etc – these help give the end album an extra dimension. Pick up a wedding magazine at your local news stand for a little inspiration.
Bring A Second Shooter.
Having a second backup photographer can greatly facilitate the day and improve your coverage. It means less running around during ceremony and speeches, and allows for your or your second to capture the formal shots while the other covers something else. Most importantly, it takes a little pressure off you being ‘the one’ to have to get every shot!
Don’t Be Shy.
Being shy won’t get you ‘the shot’. Sometimes you need to step to the front of the line to capture a moment. However, timing is everything and planning ahead to get in the right spot for key moments are important so you don’t disrupt the event. During the ceremony I try to move around at least 4-5 times but try to time this to coincide with songs, prayers or longer readings. During the portrait session take charge, know what you want, and ask for it from the couple.
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Help answer the question about Wedding Photography
Wedding Photography – Pay $500 for a professional factory album or pay $800 for a unique handmade album?I do wedding photography on the side and want to know what the general public feels about this topic.
Keep in mind professional factory albums range from $500 up to $1,500 and handmade albums range from about $700 and could possible be sold for $2,000 depending how intricate.
Thanks!
About Author
Mark Pommett is an accomplished Nantucket photographer serving Massachusetts.
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whoa!!it looks like a PICTURE!
ur an amazing painter!:D
See these tutorials on wedding photography: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/html/teoria_tecnica/ripresa-tecniche/matrimonio-cerimonia-e.shtml
Wedding photography tutorials: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/html/teoria_tecnica/ripresa-tecniche/matrimonio-cerimonia-e.shtml
Wedding photographers charge by the event, not the hour.
My wedding photographer had shot professionally for ten years, but mine was only her fourth wedding. Her experience as a pro combined with her inexperience at weddings led to a price of $750 for the day.
This included:
* Four scheduled hours of work (though she showed up early and also toured the venue with me the day before, so it's more like six hours total).
* Light editing of all pictures (color, contrast, removing any photos that had come out badly) and burning them to CD. This CD also came with copyright release, so I could print the photos legally. Most photographers charge maybe $250 for the copyright-released CD alone.
* No prints
You seem less experienced than my photographer was, so if I were you, I'd charge $500 for the above.
The high yearly saleries and $2000/gig prices are reserved for professional photographers who have lots of experience with weddings. If your sister's friend is going to you, it's because she can't afford them.
You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.
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!
Very nice!!
Great talent Der Mann.
I'm not familiar with any magazine with wedding photography as its main subject.
However, Inside Weddings has lots of good photos. Some of them are studio shots of course, but lots of them are actual wedding shots. I use it to help get the couple focused on the types of photos they like best during pre-planning.
Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D
I know in our town we have bridal fairs at our mall and another at a local hotel. These fairs have booths set up so that businesses can get their names out there. I would start with that. Then word of mouth does wonder. Start some sort of reward program for people who refer you to other people. You may check and see if a local floral shop wants to team up with you and have packages that way. Also check out theknot.com. They are a wedding website that I believe is set up by area of the country.
Wow!!! Your question is very important for which I think you should go online and check this out: http://thestylishwedding.com/articles
Enjoy
I suppose you have experience, a portfolio, have taken formal classes and you've done an apprenticeship with an experienced, established professional phtoographer?
In being a wedding photographer, you will find that you will have dry spells and a lot of free time on your hands; for that reason, I suggest that you expand your business to also include portraits, graduations, Christenings, and maybe even do a little of children and/or baby photos. Those are opportunities to make money ANeD to get your name known. Depending on the area where you're located, you might also want to work for a shop that does on-site photo processing (learn how to operate the equipment, machines, etc… learn as much as you can and keep your eyes and ears open).
Consider also taking a few businesses classes at the local "Y" or local community college through the Evening Adult & Continuing Education Department; it will help you in more ways than one… taxes, accounting, etc. Talented and skilled photographers go bankrupt all the time because they have no kind of business sense; learn as much as you can.
Getting started ain't always as easy as we imagine. For that reason you might want to visit a few churches and speak with the Holy Man, leave a few cards or make a professional looking circular and post it on the bulletin boards, do a few freebies or give them as much of a break as you can (use this to build a portfolio, get recommendations… future referrals) for a few people on really tight budgets. Bridal shops often don't say anything but they may expect a "finder's fee" or a tip (which I am sorely against), flower shops, beauty salons, etc. Speak with the proprietors and let them know that you're just starting out; take a few of their cards and also offer to pass them to any and all of your clients. Do you know anyone in the catering business? That's also a plus.
Don't give up. Starting is always the most difficult part! Listen, all the talent and skills in the world won't amount to anything unless you have the passion to persevere and overcome those obstacles you're sure to encounter; so, hang in there. Good luck and very best wishes.
Excellent work. Pleasure to watch. Perfect music
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equipment is not the main consideration.
Skill and experience is.
If you have never done a wedding before then before you jump in you need to work as an assistant for a while so that you do not completely and utterly mess up the couples big day.
Good wedding photography is a skill which can only be learnt with practice so going solo straight is NOT a good idea.
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Incredible! He looks so life like. Just amazing…and what a beautiful subject
Nice work, you did pretty good.