Wedding Photography Complete Course.pdf

INTRODUCTION

DO IT YOURSELF

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

In November of 2003, I attended the wedding of my wife's oldest nephew. He and his fiancé both

work full time and go to school, so they don't have a lot of money, and neither do their parents.

Regardless, they managed to have a very nice wedding with the money they did have available.

Fortunately for Mike and Wendi, a family friend and semi-professional photographer (not yours

truly) agreed to do their wedding.

On the way home from the reception it occurred to me that a lot of couples are in the same

position of not having a lot of money for their wedding. Mike and Wendi were lucky to have a

photographer to call on, but not everyone will have this asset.

A wedding is one of the biggest expenses a couple will generate, and parents can't always be

counted on to help defray the cost. Many times, expenses will need to be cut and some aspects of

a wedding lend themselves to budget cuts more than others.

For the budget-conscious wedding, the photography is frequently one of the things to suffer. As

there is no shortage of people taking pictures at a wedding, often the couple will just figure on

using the pictures taken by their guests. One practice I’ve seen is to place disposable cameras on

each table at the reception.

Virtually everyone knows somebody that has a camera and these people are often called upon to

fill the role of the wedding photographer when the budget is tight. In all likelihood, these friends

or family members really have no idea how to go about shooting a wedding.

Does this mean the couple should have to settle for amateur photographs of the beginning of

their life together? No, it doesn't.

Just because a couple doesn't have a lot of money to spend on their wedding doesn't mean they

shouldn't still have quality, professional-looking photos.

On reflection, I realized that shooting a wedding isn't that difficult, per se. It's basically just a

series of staged shots that anyone can do with a bit of guidance. It’s the seriousness of the

occasion that is the most intimidating factor.

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I’ve been in, or involved with, a lot of weddings and seen a lot of wedding photography. I’ve

seen what works and what doesn’t and thought I would share that knowledge with those friends

and family members that have agreed to take on the responsibility of photographing a wedding.

That's how the idea of my amateur guide for wedding photography was born.

I was very fortunate to be able to work with Gary Maiers of Robin Gary Photography. Gary is a

seasoned wedding photographer with a solid reputation in my area. He was very kind to supply

all of the photos that I used.

Thank you, Gary.

James Booth

May 2004

James Booth is the News Editor for the ZATZ publications and Contributing Editor for

Connected Photographer and Computing Unplugged Magazines. James is a Jack-Of-

Many-Trades and Master of absolutely nothing. All of his computer and handheld

experience is self-taught through trial-and-error. He is a stay-at-home Mr. Mom that

enjoys reading, Asian culture and martial arts, exotic foods, golf and his saltwater fish

tank as a surrogate for scuba diving.

James also dabbles in digital graphics and is an intermediate-level photographer. By far,

the light of his life is his daughter Elizabeth. Computing Unplugged Magazine is James'

first foray into writing for publication. He can be reached at lizardworks@mchsi.com .

All photos in this guide are courtesy of Gary Maiers of Robin Gary Photography in Moline,

IL. After twenty years in marketing, Gary opened his own studio, and with his wife JoAnn,

has specialized in wedding photography for the last twelve years. Gary left film behind

three years ago and has been strictly digital since.

His work can be seen at http://www.robingary.net .

Special thanks go to Gary and JoAnn for their help with this guide.

Production note : Due to production requirements on our server, all the images provided have been

converted to .GIF format, and therefore are not at their optimal viewing quality. Gary's pictures are, in

reality, of much higher quality.

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CHAPTER 1

PREPARING YOUR

EQUIPMENT

Not everyone has the budget to hire a professional photographer and must rely on a friend or

family member that owns a good camera to document their wedding. Just because someone can't

afford a professional photographer doesn't mean they shouldn't have nice wedding pictures.

These are the photographers this guide is aimed at.

With the exception of the day their children are born, there is likely no other day in a couple's life

that is more important than their wedding day.

And invariably something will go wrong, it always does. Is this really something you want to be

a part of? I certainly don't, I know better.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not against marriage. I like it so well I've done it twice myself. Neither

am I against the wedding photographer. As a matter of fact, there is no photographer I respect

more than the wedding photographer, with the possible exception of the child photographer.

There is no way on Earth I would want to take on that kind of responsibility.

I myself have been approached on several occasions to photograph weddings, but have always

been smart enough to decline no matter how much compensation was involved. I'm just not

confident enough in my own skill to take on that momentous task. The way my luck goes, I

would be the one thing at the wedding that got screwed up. It would be my fault that the day was

ruined and there were no memories of this most important of days.

Even though I've never actually played the role of the wedding photographer, I have personally

been in quite a few weddings and been involved with many more. I am more than familiar with

the role of the wedding photographer and with what works and what doesn't. With that in mind, I

may have a few nuggets that will help you out.

If you're already a professional wedding photographer then I'm sure there is very little, if

anything, you could learn from me. I'll defer to your proven expertise, and if I don't know what

I'm talking about, then send me an email and let me know.

PREPARATION 101

Whether you're using actual film or digital "film," you'll want to make sure you have enough.

However much you think you'll need, double it. Then triple it again. It's much better to have too

much and not need it than to run short. You'll be going for quantity in order to achieve quality.

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Besides, it's not like you can't use the extra film later. If you're fortunate enough to be using a

medium-format camera and have more than one film carrier, enlist an assistant to load the spare

film carriers while you shoot. It will save time when you've finished a roll and need to reload.

If you're using a digital camera, make sure to have extra media of whatever kind the camera

takes, (i.e., SD card, Memory Stick, CDR, whatever). Again, it's better to have too much than not

enough. You never know when one of those cards or CDs is going to be corrupt. You don't want

to be stuck without extras. Gary tells me he goes through six CompactFlash cards per wedding.

Connected Photographer recommends you have at least 2GB of on-hand media before you even

consider wedding coverage.

The same goes for batteries. Make sure you put fresh batteries in your camera before you leave

and have at least one set of brand new extras. Your camera's flash is something else that will

need batteries. Flash equipment can eat up batteries pretty quick, so make sure you have plenty

on hand. Connected Photographer recommends you bring at least four sets of fully charged

batteries to the event.

PREPARATION 202

Preparation is one thing that can't be stressed enough. Check your equipment before you leave

the house. Test it and check it again. This includes cleaning the lenses, mirrors, focusing screens,

and penta-prisms if appropriate.

Make sure all your contacts are clean, that your flashes fire and cycle appropriately, and that any

slave flashes are working. If you use any type of remote shutter release, such as a bulb activator

or an IR remote, make sure they're functioning properly (and also have spare batteries, if

necessary).

Take everything you think you might possibly need. None of us like to lug around unnecessary

equipment, but when you're in the trenches you don't want to realize you need something you

don't have. After you've shot a few weddings, if you choose to continue doing them, you'll know

what you need and what you don't.

Believe it or not, an inexpensive tripod will go a long way to improving the shots that don't have

to be hand held. I know I can't hold a camera steady even if my life depended on it. I rely on my

tripod as a necessary extension of the camera.

Gary suggests investing in a good external flash. He says an on-camera flash is only good for

about 15 ft., whereas an external one will extend that range to 30 to 40 feet. "It's all in the

lighting," he says. When you get to the wedding site, check your equipment again.

So far, all of these tips would apply to basically any shoot that you would be doing and are not

wedding specific. I think they're a good refresher because sometimes we can overlook the

simplest things in trying to prepare for every eventuality.

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