Take Better Wedding Photos

Camera

Although most pros shoot with medium format cameras, us amateurs can get good pictures with any Nikon, Canon, Minolta, or other modern 35mm SLR. For wedding photos, I prefer to use the A (aperture priority) setting, matrix metering, and a flash set for TTL balanced fill flash. On the A setting, the camera automatically sets shutter speed and will sync with your flash. If you have two bodies, have the second one ready to go in case something happens to the first body. If you only own one body, try to borrow another. Cameras do die at the worst times. If you have no other choice, carry a point-and-shoot as backup.

If you have an older manual SLR, you can take excellent pictures as well. You will just have to be more careful and pay attention to your settings. Obviously, you must understand exposure and how to sync with a manual flash. For tips on achieving balanced fill flash with a non-dedicated flash unit, check the Phototips article, Fill Flash Techniques

Lenses

I do 99% of my wedding shots with a 35-105mm autofocus zoom lens. The 35mm end is usually adequate for group shots, and the telephoto end out to 105mm gives great portrait shots. Because church interiors aren't too bright, and my eyes aren't that good, I usually leave the autofocus on. Just be aware of where the focus spot is. For moving shots of the bride or couple coming down the aisle, I use continuous servo autofocus and continuous low speed advance to ensure several in-focus shots. Otherwise, I switch to single frame advance and single-servo autofocus. My particular lens is an f/3.5-4.5 lens, and I usually set it for f/4 or f/5.6. For tight portraits, I'll shoot wide open if the light allows, to minimize depth of field, i.e., to throw the background slightly out of focus. For large group shots, I switch to a 24-50mm zoom if the 35mm can't get everyone in. Other zooms with similar ranges can be used just as effectively. Nikon's 24-120mm zoom, or another make in a similar range, would be a great all-around lens for wedding photography. And don't forget the old standard 50mm. It's a great lens.

Flash

If possible, buy a dedicated flash unit for your camera and shoot TTL for balanced fill flash indoors and out. For weddings, I just let the flash and camera do it all automatically. If you want to give the camera complete control, shoot on P, or programmed mode. It's hard to mess up flash pictures with a modern camera. You can concentrate on creating great portraits and candids. Just keep an eye, though, on flash to subject distance. Most flashes provide some type of scale that indicates the usable flash range. Don't shoot close up or too far back without confirming that you are still within range. If you shoot too close, you'll wash out highlights, and if you are too far back, your pictures will be too dark. Open or shut down your lens to adjust for your shooting distance. To avoid red-eye, I use a flash bracket that raises the flash above the camera center. Stroboframe makes a variety of brackets. With a bracket, you'll need a special cord from your camera maker to preserve TTL flash functions.

When shooting the bride and groom outdoors or with a strong light source such as a large window, generally pose the bride opposite the light source. This will reduce the chances of over-exposing the wedding dress, and the dress will reflect light back into the groom's face.

Film

Wedding photography is a challenge for film. The white wedding gown and black tux represents extremes of tonality that exceed the ablity of any film. If you follow the steps above under the Camera section, your should get satisfactory results, but test your equipment first to know what it can and can't do in these situations. Since the bride is the center of attention at the wedding, you want her gown and skin to be properly exposed. This means that the groom's tux will most likely go totally black with little or no detail. That's the compromise. Fortunately, nobody really cares about him anyway! This is the bride's day.

Buy lots of film and shoot multiples of every shot. Print (negative) film is probably the best choice for weddings. Enlargements and reprints can be made by any lab and prices are reasonable. ISO 400 speed film from Kodak or Fuji is an excellent choice. Generally, avoid the supersaturated films which don't always render skin tones well. For more neutral, natural skin tones and nice white wedding dresses, try a pro film such as Fuji NPS (ISO 160) or Fuji NPH (ISO 400). Kodak's Portra films in ISO 160 and 400 are great films, too. Some pros are even using ISO 800 films. Slower speed films may be necessary when you shoot outdoors. I used Fuji NPS for the picture top page, left, and Fuji Reala, an ISO 100 film, for the formal outdoor portrait of Lydia and Jean, top page, right. But for most indoor wedding photography, stick with a 400 speed film. Black and white images are very popular and both Kodak and Ilford make black and white films that your local color lab can process. The photo of Rodney and Jennifer, above left, was shot on Ilford XP2, and the image of Sharon and Jake, at right, was made with Kodak T400CN. If you have several bodies, load one up with black and white film.

Preparation

Before the wedding, check all your equipment. Put new batteries in every camera, flash unit, motor winder, and exposure meter you plan to use. Load film in each camera and check to make sure it is loaded properly and advancing. Check the ISO for proper setting. Then check and verify every setting on each camera body--Mode (A, M, S or P), meter setting (matrix, spot, or center-weighted), autofocus function and film advance mode. Check the programmable settings on your flash unit. Is it on TTL balanced flash? Double check every setting. If you are using an exposure meter, is it set for the ISO of the film you are using? Have your backup camera ready to pick up and take over if your main camera crashes.

Finally, if you plan to shoot a wedding, don't use a new technique you haven't tested first. Shoot one or more test rolls of film and make sure you understand the process before risking someone's wedding memories. Click on NEXT below for more tips on wedding photography.

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