What to Prepare on Your First Wedding Photo Shoot

Wedding photography is a lucrative business and you might have felt it is time to be in on the action. In shooting weddings, the photographer has a huge responsibility to make sure all the special moments are recorded. Since it’s your first time to shoot a wedding event, there could be butterflies in your stomach and stress as well, as excitement might start to mount up. You might start to think you’re more nervous than the bride to be as the wedding date looms closer. There’s one thing that can lessen those jitters and that is knowing that you’re prepared.

Make a shot list– you can take dozens of various photos of the whole event but there are some that you just must take. Photos of the wedding cake, the bride and groom at the altar, the wedding dance and so on are just a few of the ‘must shoot’ subjects. Also ask the bride and groom what or who they want you to include in a photo since there could be special people you might not know about and might overlook when taking photos.

Bring an assistant if you can – someone who can help carry your equipment for you and do some crowd control will make it easier for you to concentrate on getting the shots. Not only that, the assistant could be your friend or relative who will provide moral support, even indirectly, just by being with you. Better yet, bring someone who can also take photographs. There could be a big gathering of people in a large area and having another photographer in a strategic location means you don’t have to cover the entire area and event yourself.

Bring extras of your camera gear – extra batteries, extra memory cards, especially an extra camera. It’s always good to have extra gear since you never know when one of them could suddenly stop working. It would be a disaster to have your camera conk out and not have a back up right in the middle of the ceremony. If you don’t have extras, rent the equipment or borrow them since this is one time when it is essential to be prepared.

Check out the site beforehand – it is best to be at the location at the same time of day that the wedding will happen so you have a good idea of what settings you’ll be using. Scout the ideal locations for group shots and also check out the light conditions.

Be discreet – in wanting to get great shots, it is possible to forget that there is a ceremony going on and people can become bothered by you constantly moving around. One way to lessen being disruptive is to take shots less often and to time your picture taking during sermons and hymns Also make sure your camera doesn’t make sounds such as beeps since this can be distracting for others.

Be aware of your surroundings - you might find yourself in the middle of a crowd during the reception and could bump into people holding wine glasses or that delicate tall ornament that you didn’t notice since you were too busy looking through the lens.

This list is by no means finished since there are dozens more tips to help you prepare for shooting the big event. Stay tuned for more tips in forthcoming articles!