Wedding Photography Tips – Top  6

Ever wondered what goes on inside the head of a wedding photographer? Here are a few notes about what goes on in my head when I’m shooting a wedding as well as my top 6 wedding photography tips.

The way I see it

Over the past year or so I’ve had a countless number of people get in touch to ask about my work, how I achieve different effect and how I managed to get shots on my blog. So I started thinking about what advice I could give to aspiring and new photographers to help improve their work. The more I thought about it the more I realised how many things are going on inside my head when I’m shooting a wedding or when composing even a single image. I’m thinking about light, camera settings, composition, who’s in the shot? What’s the story? Will this photo be important to the bride and groom? What’s in the background? Are there any distractions and can I move to eliminate them from the frame? Could I get closer? Would a different angle be better? is the moment interesting? Will it improve or should I move on? How is the subject framed in relation to the background? There are probably many more things that cross my mind as I work through the wedding day, but this is just a glimpse into my crazy mind!
In order to ensure that you can keep focused on the task, remain positive and get the best photographs possible I’ve written down a few of my own tips on how to achieve great wedding photography. Unfortunately there are no magic rules, secret camera settings or exposure recipes that will instantly make your photographs better, but the following information will set you on the right path.

6 of my top tips for better wedding photography

1) Prepare your camera gear in advance. In order to start the day off on a positive note with your mind on the job prepare everything the day before the wedding. Spare bodies, lenses, batteries, cards and anything else you use as standard. This way you can focus on the job in hand.

2) Prepare your mind. This is probably the most important tip but everything else will ensure you can stay focused. You need to have a clear idea in your head about the style of photography you want to shoot, as well as all of the things I mentioned in the opening paragraph. Throughout the day you need to be thinking constantly about what you’re doing.

3) Prepare your body. Make sure you eat well before the wedding and have food in your bag to eat as you go along. Energy bars and similar snacks are great for keeping you going. Plenty of water is also essential if you’re going to operate at 100% for 12 hours.

4)Prepare the couple. In the lead up to the wedding make a point of communicating with the couple. meeting in person is best but not always possible. It gives them a chance to get to know you which reduces any awkwardness on the day. It also gives you the chance to explain fully to the couple how you work and the type of images you would like to shoot for them.

5) Socks. Well, shoes too. Good footwear is important. You’re going to be on your feet all day bar an hour or so whilst the wedding breakfast is being served. A good pair of socks can make the difference between good photography and great photography.

6) Be nice. Talk to people, talk to the bride and groom and make sure that everyone who you’re photographing is comfortable with you being there. The more comfortable they are the closer you will be able to get and the more natural they are likely to act around you. If you’ve followed the points above you’ll already have a good rapport with the bride and groom. It’s important that they trust you so they do as you ask without question. I always find it helps to explain what I’m doing as I go along so they have an idea of what I’m trying to achieve.

I hope my short list of wedding photography tips has been useful. Please check back in the future for more photography tips and tricks and check out my Lightroom editing webcasts.