Although nowadays weddings are celebrated all year round, without a doubt spring is still the preferred time for it. So the time comes when many couples have decided to get married. Of course, they need someone to immortalize such an important moment in images. And that someone may be you, and it may be the first time you take on such a challenge, complex and undoubtedly stressful. Therefore, we will help you with wedding photography tips for brides.
General wedding photography tips for brides
There are many other issues to choose a person for your life. But some of them will be discussed chronologically as we describe the different phases in which a more or less standard wedding would develop. For the moment, to finish this first part, we leave you with more wedding photography tips for brides and interesting recommendations for those who want to start in wedding photography:
Prepare everything in advance
Study previously the locations and the environment in which everything will be developed to know the possible framings, the type of lighting, etc. Also, you also need to be informed of how the ceremony will unfold, what the key moments will be and how long it will take to get to the different sites where everything will be celebrated.
Organize a planning
In addition to deciding with the bride and groom the style that the photos will have. You have to study which sessions you will develop in the house where the bride will come from, in the groom’s, etc. to organize a work plan. So that, you arrive at everything in advance and without haste that could cause the session to fail.
Use the RAW format
As you know, it is usual advice, but here it is perhaps more for being unrepeatable moments in which it is convenient to have more room for maneuver in case the chosen settings are not the correct ones. Also, its greater dynamic range will help us to solve the difference between the white dress of the bride and the (normally) dark groom. It will also allow us to forget about the subject of the white balance.
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And although immediacy is not as important here as in other disciplines, it is also good that we also make a JPEG copy of medium quality. It will help us quickly send some photos to the couple, perhaps the day after.
Choose quick memory cards
We have already talked about the need for cards to spare but it is also important that they be quick. And it is worth nothing to have many cards if at the time of saving the photos (and many are made at a wedding) causes a bottleneck that prevents the further shooting. Of course the faster, the better, but it will depend on the capacity of your camera so you will not always need “the last of the last.”
Focus and measurement of light
Achieving well focused and illuminated images is undoubtedly key, so choosing the best method of focus and analysis are fundamental points. In the case, it is not advisable to leave these two sections to the automatic or general modes of the camera. ISo, it would be suggested to limit the number of focus points and decide on the precise measurement of the light, but as in other things here It is almost more important to practice and knows well how our camera works to ensure results.
Use the fill flash and the rear curtain sync
Although the flash built into the camera we have already said that it is not the best, it can be useful outdoors to provide extra light on the faces (although we can also use the external flash for it). On the other hand, when the light is already dim, a good idea may be to make long exposures combining them with the synchronized flash at the end of the exposure, to freeze the subjects before closing the shutter.
Use the burst mode
We have already pointed it out as one of the interesting requirements for a camera that we are going to use in this type of photography. It is not about shooting as if it were a submachine gun, but it is clear that in a wedding it is important to capture the decisive moment and for that nothing better than the burst shot that allows us to save several successive shots.
It has a second photographer
If you are thinking of dedicating yourself seriously to this, you should not disdain to have support. The recourse of a second photographer is usually common among professionals for obvious reasons: A photographer alone can not cope with everything and cannot be everywhere. If in addition, the idea is to make a report of creative type risking with different shots, it would be ideal to have someone support which is responsible for taking more freely photos, while the other (in principle you) is responsible for the most “conventional” photos.
This advice may seem out of place for a beginner, especially if yours is going to be a simple work of friends, but think that maybe you can get hold of someone who will attend the ceremony. Ask the couple if they know someone who also likes photography and has a decent team. In this case, ask to be presented and try to make your “assistant” trying to share the style of photos and commissioning him to take those images that you escape. If you get it, you will not only get a very useful add-on, but you will also avoid duplicating the photos that you are already going to do and, perhaps, getting in your way with your presence or your flash.
Make a list of the photographs to be made
A wedding is a unique and unrepeatable event that can not be directed to the millimeter but, as we have been saying, good planning can help a lot. That is why it is interesting to make a list of the essential photos that are going to be made and put it in common with the couple (including example images). This is not going to guarantee that you can do all the planned photos, but of course, it can become a good guide and also serve as an inspiration.
By the way, we have left this wedding photography tips for brides. We suggest you a list of the essential shots for each of the sessions that we make, as well as recommendations to face them.
Finally,
Let’s not forget the transport bag. For reasons for “decorum” maybe a backpack is not very appropriate or the camera strap. Making a wedding report is hard work that requires many hours of standing and carrying a team that can be quite heavy. So choosing a good transport system and a belt that allows us to go as comfortable as possible is important, especially if we are going to face the task alone.
