Take Better Wedding Photos

The first rule to follow when someone pops the question to YOU is to recommend a professional wedding photographer! Seriously, photographing a wedding entails awesome responsibility, and pros may shoot two or three hundred weddings a year. They are good at what they do and that's how they make their living.

Relatives or friends on a tight budget may not be able to afford a pro, or they want you to take the wedding pictures because you are special to them. In any event, if you find you can't get out of it, don't panic. You can take great wedding pictures even if you've never shot a wedding before!

As an outdoor and nature photographer, I find shooting a wedding now and then a change of pace. It provides an opportunity to learn new skills and to create images that will be treasured for many years to come. If you find you enjoy the experience, and word gets around about the quality of your work, you may become a weekend wedding photographer or seek work as an assistant to a professional to gain more experience.

My experience as an outdoor photographer shows in my wedding pictures. I look for outdoor locations for both formal and informal wedding portraits. Columns, arches, doorways, and brickwalls are just a few of the architectural details that can create a memorable wedding portrait that is also artistically creative. Just as I do for a landscape, I try to scout the location beforehand and find good spots for outdoor portraits. I shot Sharon and Jake, above left, framed in doorway of a beautiful old church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Jennifer and Rodney's portrait was taken at the reception in the courtyard of a Mexican restaurant in Houston, Texas.

Before the ceremony, I talk with the bride or couple and find out what they want. It's their wedding, after all. I check out the lighting in the church, determine where to do the group shots after the ceremony, and draw up a list of standard wedding pictures. I find out what the rules are for shooting during the ceremony. Most churches will allow a shot of the bride walking down the aisle and one of the couple marching out at the end of the ceremony. Even if photography is allowed during the ceremony, I don't do it. It's rude, distracting to others, and disrespectful. You can get better pictures recreating the ceremony afterwards. Ministers are glad to cooperate, and you can reshoot the exchange of vows and rings, candle lighting, and the kissing of the bride.

The image at left is a recreation of a candle lighting ceremony at Sharon and Jake's wedding. This shot is a traditional view, but is a much better shot than if I had tried to capture it during the ceremony. The picture at right could not have been created during the ceremony. This nice shot captures the intimacy and emotion of the candle lighting ceremony in a way the traditional shot cannot.

In addition to the recreations of the cermony, I usually do group shots in the church. Depending on what the bride and groom want, groups will include the couple, the couple with the bridal party, the couple with brides parents, then groom's parents, and perhaps both sets together.

As the photographer, it's also your job to make sure everyone, but especially the bride, have hair neat, dresses straight, and jackets buttoned up. Don't fuss too much over the wedding gown. It should just fall naturally. Before shooting, look each person over, looking for any flaws that may show up in the picture. Watch where hands are placed. They should be entirely in view or not at all, and avoid interlocked fingers. Take several shots of each set up. It's cheaper than ordering duplicates, and you should get at least one with everyone's eyes open. Finally, don't forget a record shot of the exterior of the church or wedding venue for the album. Click on NEXT below for tips on equipment and film.

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