Digital Photography Tutorial - Weddings Pt. 1 Comments

I've just done my second wedding and wrote down some brief 'lessons learned' from my experiences (http://halesy.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/wedding-photography/). I'm still learning but the two key points here are 1. Planning 2. Pro's are worth the money. Since the last wedding it has taken over three work days just to work through the good from the bad and do some basic editing, next its putting the actual album together.

You are a warrior in your craft, Mr Smith. Not a photographer myself, I have long since appreciated good photography, and have found myself absolutely entranced by the art of examining/taking photos thanks to you and the heartwarming, passion-infused articulations that are your articles! Thank you, good sir!

Great article. I've shot a couple of weddings and am about to do another one in a few weeks time so the shot list is particularly handy.

When it was "film"....Pros averaged 12 hrs per wedding(from consultation to delivery).
You can triple that time with digital unless you want to pass your junk shots off as
"journalistic" which I thinks is the biggest joke of the trade. But, it's what all the top pros sell to get you to attend all the seminars. Pros are putting shots together that would have been trashed in the film days. AND, folks are buying it. AND, pro photographers are buying it. I'm not saying I don't include some in the selections myself....It HAPPENS digitally. How do I explain these "journalism type shots?" Folks don't see what I see, so I don't have to. No way in the past would you see washed out faces & clothing in my candids. BUT, look in all ad photos, and they're included as "artistic design".
I say, book the weddings if you think it's easy....Spend the 3-5 days sitting at your computer editing after you've fought the Battle of Jericho getting all the shots at the wedding "they really don't want to take the time to take", and after you've cut your price to the bone.....then go back and see how little pay you've worked for considering all the stress you (and your family) have gone through. I've photographed for over 30 years, and they never get any easier. I'd like my life back!!!!!you want weddings, then book 'em. I'll shoot only 2 per year now....and fear those.

I agree with all the comments above - below is my experience last week.

I've just done my first wedding last week for friends as they've both recently become unemployed in the recession. I think myself as a competent keen amateur photographer but I specialise in studio and landscapes. Well, I can honestly say I've never had such a terrifying experience in my life! The hours I've spent at my computer editing the pictures has left my eyes on stalks. Thank goodness the finished result was beyond my expectation but it will be a cold day in hell before I ever do another wedding. I did try to cover all eventualities though - I took 3 cameras, 3 sets of spare batteries and memory cards for each. My wife was acting as my assistant (don't even THINK of doing it alone!)which was a godsend, especially running backwards and forwards with my white balance sheet, and taking shots with the other two cameras. If you have no other option but to do a wedding shoot please spend plenty of time talking to the happy couple finding out not only what type of shots they want (mine wanted half "formal" half "candid"), but who the various personalities are with names so as you can call them in as you require.
Bottom line though, I wish I'd spoken to some of the other guests prior to the day to try and organise a whip round to hire a pro. Whatever they cost, they're worth it. They may charge what seems to be a lot, but don't forget they've got to save up for private medical care when the stress finally catches up with them!

Absolutely great advice! If only more photographers and brides/grooms to be would take heed!

Weddings (and christenings, etc) are such an important day for all those involved and definately a difficult gig for the photographer. I'm a reasonably successful 'part time' photographer - although NOT a wedding snapper - and my work is popular (landscape and wildlife), and get a fair few requests to shoot weddings for friends, family and the odd friend of a friend. The vast majority of which i turn down, more to hopefully encourage the bride and groom to hire a specialist than doubting my own abilities.

I do, however, get the occasional request for wedding shots to be done in my 'style' (a kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Wizaed of Oz feeling), so i'm more tempted with this asa the client has seen what i do, and is interested in me for that reason. If i can give any advice, its to be completely honest with your client.Let them see your work (and a good selection of it, not just a couple of your best shots) and let them make an informed decision. When i got married, we hired a friend (who was a fellow student photographer of mine) to do the job. Even though we were only asked to pay cost for the prints, we were a little disappointed with the results. As much as he was a great photographer, his calling was in photojournalism and not in the wedding business.

On the other hand, i have worked in labs processing and printing the wedding shots of so-called pro's, and if some of the wedding parties had seen the original raw files, i doubt they would ever have been booked again, lol!

Great tut! I have no interest in shooting weddings for all those reasons and more haha!

One thing i would question though is the image stabilisation point. If you're a nikon shooter, the upshot of that advice is that you wont be using their best quality lenses. The 24-70 normal zoom has no VR, for example, but i would guess - along with a tele - is a staple for many nikon wedding shooters.

When i first bought the above lens, i was pretty shocked at the poor sharpness i was getting even at 1/25s shutter. However, i have since come to believe technique is a huge factor. i can shoot usable images reliably at 1/15 or a 1/10 handheld with no VR these days, just by carefully honing my technique!