How To Do Wedding Photography

Wedding photography arouses enormous interest in this profession. And it is that, luckily, times have changed, what was once a mere sustenance that some were even ashamed to admit, has become an admired and award-winning discipline.

The creativity and good work of those dedicated to wedding photography have made many amateurs look at this sector to launch themselves professionally, or photographers from other sectors look at them with eyes to expand their line of business.

That is why today I have decided to publish this mega guide dedicated to wedding photography, especially for you…:

• if as a professional you are thinking of expanding business in other areas
• that you want to turn your hobby into a source of income
• that you are getting married and are looking for advice when choosing a photographer

«How can I take my first steps as a professional wedding photographer? What equipment and materials do I need? How do I get hired? what lenses do I have to wear? I get questions like this from time to time from blog readers who dream of becoming wedding photographers and are looking for some guidance.

I would like nothing more than to be able to give you the infallible formula to be successful as a wedding photographer, but I do not do wedding photography. I never dedicated myself to this type of photography and I don’t see myself as the best person to advise on this matter.

However, at the insistence of many who have written to me (to whom I may not have been able to respond, I apologize), it has occurred to me to write about the steps I would take if one day I considered working as a wedding photographer and gathering all the information that we have on the blog about this discipline, written by both the team and wedding photography professionals who have wanted to participate as guest authors.

I know that many other professionals in the sector read us, they are invited to share their ideas too, further down in the comments section.

In summary, in this mega guide I compile all the information that a wedding photographer needs to know, in addition, I explain, in great detail and with concrete examples, the steps that I would recommend to anyone who wants to establish themselves as a professional wedding photographer, including the mistakes most neophytes fall into and what I would do to fix them.

What you are going to read next is the guide that I would follow by heart to start my career as a wedding photographer, and from which you will surely be able to get many ideas. And it is that, a wedding photographer has to be a photographer and an entrepreneur.

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WHAT IS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?

The first thing I would say is that it is a huge responsibility. Above all. A wedding is such a special and unique event that failure becomes a catastrophe. For the couple (and the memory they have of one of the most important days of their lives) and for your reputation as a photographer.

It is not a portrait session that you can repeat whenever you want. It is a wedding that (hopefully) happens only once in the life of the protagonists, so in wedding photography there is no second chance to get it right.

Clarified this point, wedding photography is that photographic discipline that portrays the entire process of a marriage bond.

It can be from the pre-wedding session to the post-wedding session if the bride and groom want it that way (if you are interested in convincing them, I will tell you why below).

What it does include is always the same day of the wedding: the preparations of the groom and the bride at home; the celebration, which can be religious or not; and the banquet, with the reception, lunch or dinner and dancing (the latter can never be missing from a wedding, right?😜 ).

PHOTOGRAPH YOUR BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING

Everything we are talking about becoming a wedding photography professional may not go with you. Maybe the brown has fallen on you (yes, it’s a brown no matter where you look at it) from photographing your best friend’s wedding. A really good friend, I wouldn’t ask you. And a good friend, really, would tell you to hire a professional.

Now, if the bride and groom still insist for whatever the circumstances may be (it is a very intimate wedding, without much budget, they value memories and trust more than a good report, or whatever the reason…), I recommend that you read this article, but above all, don’t photograph your friends’ wedding without reading this first.

Now yes, we return to the question of “what would I do if one day I were to dedicate myself to wedding photography?” here is my answer…

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WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AS A BUSINESS?

I would think twice. Not three. Just two.

I want you to think how many wedding photographers do you think there are? A lots of? Some? Okay, and now I also want you to think about the number of couples that get married, or at least have a union celebration, and that require a photographer.

In principle, everything seems to indicate that the market for wedding photographers is slightly saturated. More and more people are launching with a SLR camera to cover weddings and, on the other hand, I have the feeling (I don’t handle specific statistics) that the number of marriage unions is not especially growing. In other words, more and more photographers have to fight to divide the wedding cake, and I am not referring to the meringue cake precisely, but to the number of clients.

Does this mean that you would abandon the idea completely? In any way. I’m just saying that, like in any other serious aspect of our life, in this case too, you have to think twice before getting into this story. And notice how I say at the beginning of this section “twice, not three.” I say this because I wouldn’t give it too much thought, nor do I want you to. Spending your whole life thinking about something does not make it work, that “we’ll see”, “little by little”, or “someday” is usually no guarantee of success. If you are interested in entering the world of wedding photography, that “someday” is today, right now. This mega guide will provide you with everything you need to get off to a good start, so don’t put it off any longer.

Once the decision has been made, let’s continue with the rest of the elements that we would have to consider if we wanted to live from wedding photography.

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THE IDEAL EQUIPMENT FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Naturally, we would need a camera. Here I have a personal opinion that perhaps not many share: the camera does not need to be especially expensive or professional.

Yes, photographing a wedding is a completely professional job, but carrying a professional camera is not an essential condition. If you can afford one, go for it, but if not, any medium-advanced user camera should do the trick.

I would, however, spend some money on an extra camera. This is very important because at a wedding you cannot afford to present yourself in front of the bride and groom and with a smile announce that due to technical problems beyond your control (come on, your camera is broken), you will not be able to cover the rest of the event. More than anything because your life would be in some danger 😉

Carrying a second camera will allow you to have a kind of “spare tire” if at any given time your main camera fails you.

On the other hand, a second camera can be useful if you want to switch between two lenses (which is highly recommended). You would have one mounted on the first camera and one on the second.

Permanently. So you could switch between one camera and another without having to stop, turn off the camera, unscrew one lens, while a guest holds the other lens.

Just imagine the situation please: everyone celebrating at the height of the wedding, and the photographer there huddled in a corner fighting with the lens that doesn’t finish screwing on correctly 🙂

If you can’t afford two cameras don’t worry, you can start with one and later when you’ve earned a few reports you get another. In the meantime, what you can do is work with a camera that allows you to record photos on two memory cards at the same time.

What, is that possible? Yes sir, some cameras have 2 memory card slots and allow you to automatically record photos on two cards at the same time.

The advantage of this is that if during or after the wedding you realize that a card has failed and you can no longer recover its contents, you rest easy knowing that the second card still has a copy with all the photos.

This is my opinion, here is that of a photographer specialized in wedding photography on the necessary equipment ; from the hand of our guest author Adrián Sanchez.

LENSES AND ACCESSORIES

As I always say, half the beauty of a photograph lies in the lens with which it was made. We have already talked about the choice of lenses at length here on the blog, (you can take a look at the article dedicated to lenses for social photography , or consult my article with the best lenses that I recommend ).

In general, you will almost necessarily need what I call the king of lenses , along with a telephoto lens, ideal for photographing spontaneous scenes of the bride and groom, family and guests during the wedding while going unnoticed.

Finally, a wide angle can also come in handy to take group photos or simply to contextualize the wedding within the environment in a wide way.

I have also seen some wedding photos taken with a fisheye. You are not going to photograph the entire wedding with the fisheye, but if you have one, the occasional snapshot is fun.

In addition to the objectives that I just mentioned, you need some accessories. Inevitably a good flash , the best you can afford please ( some recommendations here ) and if you can also a flash diffuser .

It will allow you to obtain very illuminated portraits of the bride and groom but with a touch of softness that is very good for the occasion. You can also get LED lights.

From there, the rest of the accessories for my taste are optional or, at least, not essential at all: tripod, reflector, etc. You can start with what I just mentioned, the rest you will acquire as you go, without hurry, and according to your needs.

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You’re going to be meeting with clients, before and after the wedding. You should have a tablet or iPad to show examples that will allow you to agree on details. It is important that you do a wedding report not how you like it, but how they would like it.

In your pre-wedding meetings you will have to show them examples, whether they are taken by you or by other photographers, they can even be simple photos from the Internet.

The important thing is that you see examples and comment on them. Your task in these meetings is to find out about the type of photography that would fascinate them, that would leave them completely satisfied.

To the iPad or tablet is added the computer with which you would process the photos before delivering them to your clients. If you’re on a tight budget, you can get one of these lightweight laptops out there now, and you use it both to edit your photos and to meet with the bride and groom to discuss examples.

Well, we already have a camera, lenses and other accessories, what else do we need? A Dropbox account 😉

I say Dropbox because it is very popular, but any similar service can work for you. Dropbox, for those who do not know it, is an online service that will allow you to:

• Store photos in your Dropbox account, outside of your computer. This is essential because as a professional photographer you will have to keep a complete file with all, absolutely all the photographs that you take for your clients, even those that the client discards and initially tells you that he does not want. If one day the client needs them, you can always have them on hand. The good thing about being able to store them outside your computer is that you have the security of never losing them. They will always be in your account. Even if you change your computer over the years, even if you lose it, even if it’s stolen.
• Another utility of Dropbox is to be able to organize all your work in folders, they can be by date, or by client name, or whatever you see fit, and thus share the folder of each wedding with the corresponding client. It is very practical.

If you don’t like Dropbox, you can use Google Drive, Apple’s iCloud, Amazon, or other similar services.

Oh, Dropbox and most of the similar services are usually free “to start with”, but since you are going to end up storing thousands of photos, probably in the very large original resolution, sooner or later you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.

It is usually little, like 3 or 9 euros a month, but if things are going well for you and you need so much space, you can afford them without any problem 😉 I hope so.

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WEBSITE FOR THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER (FORGET BUSINESS CARDS)

Business cards are from the past. Creating them is an economic expense but then they are not very practical. Think about it, how many business cards do you have with you right now? Fifty, a score…maybe none? 😉

On the other hand, isn’t it true that you take your mobile with you everywhere? The Internet has become the new and most effective business card.

Also, you’re not a hairdresser, you’re a photographer. You need to attract, and expose a sample of your work. Your “business card” should be more than just a phone number and email address. Your “business card” should be something people see and say “Oh my gosh!” .

A website or online gallery is the best way to present your work in front of a client who has surely heard of many photographers.

An online gallery is a tool that allows you to stand out from the rest of the photographers on your own merits, showing your contact information, your prices, your competitive advantages, and exposing some examples of your work. With a web page of this type you also allow the client to contact you, even to hire you.

I am not going to go into much detail on this part as there is an article on the blog in which I explain step by step, and with a video tutorial, how to set up your own professional photo gallery and this other complete guide on how to create your own website .

PRICING STRUCTURE IN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Before starting you will have to consider what pricing strategy you want to apply. Survey the prices that are handled by your area, country, city and, based on that, think about the range you want to apply. To do this, take into account the following aspects.

It may seem that people like cheap, however, seriously think about whether you are interested in competing on price or if your differentiating advantage will be something else.

If what you want is to compete on price, you may have a hard time. As I said before, the market is full of photographers, all fighting for the same piece of the cake and, many of them, willing to lower the price as much as necessary. This fierce competition sometimes destroys the profession, leading to situations in which the photographer looks bad, the photographic result is poor and the client is dissatisfied.

You can decide to work with a slightly higher price than the average and still have clients, later we will talk about your possible “competitive advantages” that will make clients want to hire you knowing that there are other photographers who charge much less.

Also keep in mind that starting out, and not having many jobs or a name yet, it may be difficult for you to charge aggressively high prices. Keep that in mind.

The beginnings can have a low remuneration, nothing happens. You are starting, and for having your first report or the second, you should be willing to sacrifice part of the benefit for your first clients.

Also think that those first clients are going to trust you with something very valuable to them, their wedding, perhaps without knowing you. It is a risk they run. Treat them well and charge them a little 😉

Your price structure has to take into account all, absolutely all the expenses that you are going to have: equipment, cameras, lenses, memory cards, the Dropbox account that we mentioned before, transport expenses if any and, as we professionalize and charge for work, there is the famous issue of making invoices and paying taxes. Keep all of that in mind when outlining your pricing structure.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AMONG WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Among the hundreds of wedding photographers that may be in your city or area, why would the wedding couple have to hire you? As a wedding photographer, what is special about you?

I know, I know: you take very beautiful wedding photos. But that is what all other photographers think and say. So, beautiful wedding photos you will have to do in every way, but you will have to find a competitive advantage that distinguishes you, something that the client appreciates in you or in your work and that few photographers offer.

A very common competitive advantage is offering very low prices. Hey, okay. There’s nothing wrong with setting yourself apart for a particularly low price.

Although it seems at first that you are not going to gain much margin, in the long run, by the simple fact of doing very cheap reports, you should end up with endless queues of clients and in the long term you end up winning.

The problem with offering a very low price is that it will not distinguish you much. There are many photographers who do the same. too many.

Look for another competitive advantage. It may seem difficult, but surely you end up coming up with ideas. Here are some:

• Don’t sell photos, offer an experience: Beautiful photos will have to be done anyway, however, it is what all wedding photographers try to “sell”. Make your competitive advantage another. More than just some pretty photos, it offers the bride and grooms an unforgettable experience. Think about every detail of your work and take care of it to the millimeter. Make everything special: dealing with clients, the way you welcome them in your studio or wherever you meet them, the patience you show in the face of their requests, the photos you give them, CDs, or memory cards. Everything, take care of absolutely everything. Do not leave anything to chance. For example, guys, in general, we are less than details, but think that in a couple of clients that the girlfriend hires you will have an important involvement. When you think of pleasing the wedding couple, think of the bride as a potential “decision-maker” for the entire wedding, including whether to hire you or someone else. So make sure that whatever you present to them likes both of them and especially her: colors, decorations, fonts, etc.
• If you are going to set up an online photo gallery on a website as we said at the beginning, take care of the detail in the sense that you do not choose black color for your website, nor a font more typical of a Heavy Metal band. In wedding themes, light colors like white or pink work very well, although I personally do not like them in the least, I have to accept that it is what my potential clients are going for and therefore I have to offer that “experience” that they find attractive and enjoyable.
• The photo gallery is just an example. Follow this advice in everything you do in your work. More than a few photos, always think of the complete experience.
• Surprise with a different photograph: You will have enough memory cards so as not to run out of space, so take advantage of it and shoot photos that are somewhat out of the ordinary, a little “crazy”. Surprise the bride and groom with photos that normally no photographer would take. Group photos were taken with the fisheye, for example, giving impressive results.
• Show photos immediately to the guests: If you have the means and the place lends itself to it, you can place a screen in a visible place and occasionally upload some photos to it in which both the bride and groom and the rest of the guests appear.
• You will cause a pleasant surprise among everyone and believe me, in the process, you will capture some attention as a photographer. I have seen people use one of these television screens that have a memory card slot or to place a USB stick.
• On the TV itself, you have the function of showing the photos in animated gallery mode or with rotation. If you can’t afford a TV, a simple laptop would work just as well.

These are just a few examples, but the idea is to try to distinguish yourself from the rest of the photographers and gradually become known in the market with a personal stamp and style.

MARKETING STRATEGY

To succeed as a wedding photographer you do not need to get a master’s degree in marketing, but it does help to keep in mind at all times what your strategy is to make yourself known.

In your preparation efforts I would like you to take some time to sit down with a blank notebook or sheet of paper in front of you and write down, in bullet points, how you intend to make yourself known.

Here we talk about “strategy” because it is not just about advertising, but about doing it with a certain “strategy” in mind, with a purpose, an objective, a reasoning.

To give you an example, in your list of marketing actions, maybe you go and put something like “advertise in a local newspaper”. This may or may not be successful.

It’s not just about advertising in a local newspaper, but about knowing with yourself why that is going to be a good idea, what do you gain by advertising in a local newspaper, the answer may be that the people who will see your advertising will be specifically the people of your city ​​that you are interested in capturing as clients, because clients from other cities may not interest you yet.

Things like how you intend to pay for that ad in that newspaper, which may be by paying,

The positive thing about defining a marketing strategy is that you will know at all times that your advertising efforts are not in vain.

He is not like the one who decides to print 100,000 brochures and mail them without knowing how that can serve him. Remember that it is not about advertising, but about effective advertising .

On the other hand, marketing or advertising does not always have to be paid. There are thousands of ways to make yourself known completely free or at a very affordable price.

Here I leave you as an example 6 elements that could form that list that I want you to write, your marketing strategy as a wedding photographer:

• Web page with an example photo gallery ( here, step by step ).
• Presence in common social networks: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
• Presence in social networks focused on the female audience, future brides, etc. The clearest example is Pinterest.
• Presence in forums related to weddings, female audiences, etc.
• Develop relationships and exchange contacts/favors with other professionals related to the world of weddings: wedding planners, honeymoon planners, animation/music companies for weddings, etc.
• Offer incentives to clients: This consists of offering each new pair of clients some incentive so that they send you future clients in exchange for something. There are a thousand ways to conceive it, but it occurs to me, for example, to propose to each wedding couple a free mini-report a year after their wedding (or as long as it is) once they have sent 2 or 3 clients recommended by them. Something like that.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: YOUR FIRST REPORT

You already know that the road is made by walking. What can cost you the most is the first step, it takes a lot of effort, especially on a psychological and mental level.

Once you have taken that first step, the second and the next thousand steps are taken almost by inertia. So if you have always dreamed of making a living from wedding photography, I want you to make that “first report” your main goal. Forget for now what is going to happen in 10 years, forget about the tenth report, focus on that first report.

The first report will trigger a series of effects on your career as a photographer:

• It will allow you to live, in a practical way, the experience of working as a wedding photographer.
• It will fill you with self-confidence. Whether you do it right or do it just average, you will have done it anyway.
• It will allow you to learn. Don’t worry, as a wedding photographer you are going to screw up, a lot and many times. Of that you can be sure. It is impossible to plan everything to the point of never being wrong. What happens is that it is those mistakes and those blunders that will provide you with the field learning you need. Only then will you learn. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll experience it, the sooner you’ll fall for the “novice professional photographer” mistakes, the sooner you’ll learn from them, and the sooner you’ll become a better photographer.
• It will allow you to start looking for the second report, and this one the third, and so on. The first report sets the whole gear in motion and everything begins to roll.

So think about how you can get that first wedding. When you have it done, go for the second report, and so on until eventually you have an important wedding catalog under your belt.

I know it’s not so easy to get that first report when you’re starting out, when you’re nobody, people don’t know you, you don’t have a reputation and it’s hard to find people who want to risk the most important day of their life just for you to practice. Here I bring you a series of ideas that can pave the way for that first report:

• Make your first report for free. I’ve already said before that I’m not a big fan of competing on price, and we’re not going to do that, but when you’re starting out, money isn’t your goal, but gaining experience and filling a catalog of clients and examples to show. So, if you offer that first report for free (and you take it as an investment in your experience), it will surely be easier for you to find a couple willing to hire you.
• Offer yourself as a collaborator with other established photographers. Surely more than one wedding photographer could use a collaborator to help by taking photos from other angles, and as a “backup” if bad luck causes the main photographer to lose the photos for some reason.
• If the wedding day is valuable enough for engaged couples to entrust to you, the days before and after the wedding should be easier to come by. I explain. You already know that many wedding photographers, in addition to the wedding itself, also offer pre-wedding and post-wedding reports. It consists of photographing the bride and groom a few days before the wedding, in couple poses, but without the wedding dress or party. Then come the wedding photos, and finally, a few days or weeks later, the post-wedding. There you have a golden opportunity to work with a wedding couple who, although they have already hired a professional photographer for their wedding day, want to let you take their pre-wedding or post-wedding session. Then I will tell you how to successfully carry out both sessions.
• Bride and groom kissing on a rock by the sea, post-wedding session
• The post-wedding, a great opportunity

And now that I have told you everything I would do to start as a wedding photographer, it is time to take action. We are going to see practical and specific advice for the pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding moments, and other aspects that you are interested in knowing first-hand.

BEFORE THE WEDDING

In addition to all this that I have told you related to the business strategy, there is work to do before the wedding: find couples, meet them, draw up the contract, etc. Our guest author explains it very well at the link David Redondo, better known as Artisan of Light.

HOW TO MAKE A PRE-WEDDING

Adrián Dominguez is another wedding photographer who tells us about his experience and advice when it comes to photographing a pre-wedding in a complete article that you will find at the link.

In addition, it explains the importance of pre-wedding, why it is necessary to do it, both for you as a photographer, and for the clients, who are the bride and groom.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH A WEDDING

The big day arrives. D-day. The day of the wedding. What does a wedding photographer do on that day? I have compiled information from several experienced photographer friends and that is what I am going to share with you in this section in a summarized way. At least the most important points.

It is essential that you build a schedule with the times of the wedding. It will help you both to control your movements and to plan how much time you have at each moment to take the photos.

WEDDING PREPARATIONS

At the house of the groom and the bride, keep these aspects and suggestions in mind:

• Going with a helper is a good option and will give you confidence. In addition, he can give you a hand with the equipment, the lighting, etc.
• Arriving calmly and on time transmits security and confidence.
• It is important to be respectful and not disturb as much as possible.
• Before you start, introduce yourself to the relatives, if you know their names beforehand you will have put them in your pocket in the first few minutes.
• Study the light of the place.
• Ask about the objects, the watch, the shoes, etc. Photographing the details at a wedding is much more important than it may seem. In the link you will find tips to photograph them, it will help you practice at home with rings you have, shoes and other details.
• Starting with the details makes it easier for them to get used to your presence while they continue with the preparations.
• Look for different perspectives and angles that allow you to tell what is happening. If you can include several stories in the same image, your photography will gain in impact.
• At the end you will have to have photos of all the accessories, the groom and the bride, and someone to help them get dressed. Especially the closest people. Concentrate on the looks and gestures of complicity. It is what will give the most value to your work. The emotions.
• But don’t ask them to smile, kiss each other, etc… Provoke them. Imagine that you are a film director and that they are your actors, they get you to do what you want but spontaneously. For example, tell the boyfriend, “Look at your mom, she’s so excited, when she helps you with her jacket tell her how much you love her. What better day than today. You will have provoked a most emotional situation without them feeling forced to take a look pose. That is much more authentic and natural. And it is one of the aspects that can help you to differentiate yourself from other photographers.
• Keep in mind that the bride requires more dedication, due to hairdressing, makeup, dress, accessories, etc. Evaluate it when establishing the times and how much you are going to dedicate to each moment of the preparations.
• Sometimes surprises come to the bride, the delivery of a bouquet, a speech from the best man, the visit of someone special, the reunion of a family member who lives far away… Do not miss any of these moments because they are the most emotional and the ones that more will value the couple.
• Team up with someone from your family or friends so that they can tell you who the most important people are if there is someone whom the bride and groom do not want to have in the main photos even if they have gotten into the soup (in almost all families there are 😅 ), who should be there but hides in the corners out of shyness and all those secrets that the couple probably doesn’t tell you but that you want to know. Be careful, do it subtly, with sympathy, and without asking impertinent questions.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY DURING THE CEREMONY

Whether religious or civil, these are the main aspects that you should take into account when photographing the wedding ceremony:

• If you have the opportunity, visit the site before to see the light, it can be a few days before around the same time. This will give you a great advantage. And on the same day, before the bride arrives, do all the necessary light exposure tests.
• Plan the time that the wedding will last and study the possibilities you have to get the photos you need.
• Photograph the details of the church or the place of the civil ceremony. Also, take general photos of the place.
• Secure the important moments. Bring a written list of the moments of the ceremony that cannot be missed. Take a photo of these essential moments, a “safety” photo, once you have it, you can get carried away by creativity, but first make sure.
• You can not miss: photos of the bride’s arrival, the exit of the car and its entry, the face of the groom when he sees the bride, photos of the hands putting on the rings, of the intertwined hands, looks between the bride and groom, family members, close-ups of the bride and groom, general shots of these and of the bride and groom with the godparents, another overview of the altar, the Eucharist in religious ceremonies, readings and speeches and, of course, the “yes I want”. You can’t miss the exit with the rice, the petals or the surprise that the guests have prepared. Seeing different wedding albums and full reports will give you an idea of ​​what you can’t miss. You can also specify with the bride and groom in advance what moments, in addition to the “classics”, are important to them. They may tell you a time you haven’t thought of.

PHOTOS OF THE COUPLE ALONE

Once the ceremony is over and before the banquet, it’s time to take some pictures of the newlyweds alone, so you should find the best location. The normal thing is to leave it agreed before the wedding.

In this video you have some tips for the poses of the couple. I would also tell you to provoke emotional situations by asking them what was the most exciting moment of the wedding, with which guest they were most excited, etc.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY DURING THE BANQUET

• Make sure that the bride and groom have the photos with the family and friends that you had agreed on. If these captures have not been made at the ceremony, for whatever reason, take advantage of the cocktail or banquet. It is you who has to worry about this, not the couple, they have other things to think about and enjoy. Here are some tips for taking group photos (it is important that they are all in focus) but from now on I tell you that it is advisable to have photos of a closed plane and another more general one in which they can be seen in their entirety. The guests put a lot of effort into dressing for the occasion, they will thank you for having a graphic document 😉
• Find out before the day of the wedding, with the bride and groom or family members, what will be the most important moments of the banquet (in addition to the classics), in this way you can prepare and locate yourself in a strategic place. Here are some examples of moments your camera can’t miss:
• the bride and groom’s entrance
• the kiss
• the delivery of the bouquet (ask when and to whom it will be)
• if there is any surprise for the couple or for any of the invited people
• the cake
• The toast
• etc.
• Do not forget here the details, decoration, table lists, flowers, etc. If you can photograph them before the guests enter the room, much better. This will not only be valued by the bride and groom, if there is any company organizing the event they will also thank you and with this type of organization it is convenient for you to ally yourself.
• The dance is another important moment. Find out if the bride and groom have prepared a dance, and study is the best angle to record the couple. Get close-ups and long shots that feature guests as well.

MISTAKES A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD NEVER MAKE

At the beginning I commented that a wedding is an unrepeatable moment, you cannot spoil it. For you and for your responsibility with the bride and groom. Caro tells you in this article what are the mistakes that should never be made in wedding photography .

Perhaps some of them seem too incredible to be true, but they are lived in the first person. Please, read them so you don’t fall into any of those mistakes or your career as a wedding photographer may end before it even started.

HOW TO MAKE A POST-WEDDING

If the pre-wedding has its importance, the post-wedding should not be ignored either. Away from stress, without fear of spoiling the suits, in the place dreamed of by the bride and groom, whatever the distance to this location. THERE ARE NO LIMITS. That’s the best thing about post-wedding.

You can allow yourself all the creative licenses that your body as a photographer asks of you and those that the couple dreams of. In the following link you will find tips, tricks, locations and other ideas for a post-wedding.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY INSPIRATION

Every photographer, whatever his discipline, needs a good dose of inspiration, right? In this article you have prepared a good series of inspiring wedding photos . In this other you will find nothing more and nothing less than 100 of the best wedding photographers from around the world , write down ideas for your next wedding report 😉 .

You can also find inspiration in books , in this case, I strongly recommend Roberto Valenzuela’s book on Wedding Photography to which we dedicate a complete review on the blog that you can read by clicking on the link. If you want to delve into the subject and you read on paper, this book should already be on your shelf.

And what about wedding photography accounts on Instagram? I recommend these three, although there is much more inspiration on this network,

Finally, I would like to remind you of the wedding photography awards as an option to find inspiration.

The profession of wedding photographer is not easy. Knowing how to take good photos is only the first requirement, then comes a long list of skills that you have to know how to work on if you want to stand out in a particularly competitive world. Wedding photography is full of intruders, of people willing to do botched jobs as we say here. If you want to prosper as a professional wedding photographer, make sure you prepare and take care of all the elements that we have discussed. If this is your dream, follow it please. Don’t wait any longer to start. You’ve already taken the first step when you started reading this mega guide 😉 Use it as a reference, cross off each item as it becomes clearer, and go for that first wedding!

Did you like this mega guide on wedding photography? Do you find it useful? In that case, I’m going to ask you to share it on your favorite social network. I am going to thank you and it is very likely that someone among your contacts will do it too. And if you have questions, doubts, suggestions, recommendations… don’t hold back! Leave them in the comments ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ , we will try to answer you as soon as possible.