Tips from a San Diego Wedding Photographer
Being asked to take photos for a wedding is a huge responsibility.If you are doing it as a favor, or if you are doing it as your profession, following these 5 tips will help you do the job right.
This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.You could be a seasoned pro, or you could be an amateur, but by following these tips, you will do the job smoothly without second guessing yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.
Our first tip is easy and that is to have the couple and maybe their families make a list of photos they want to take. When the day is hectic and chaotic, this will help immensely when you are trying to get family and group shots later on in the day. You will love it and when you can just go down the list and get everything without leaving anything out by accident.
The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots. In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Great as they are, they might tempt you to delete a shot they may like that you don’t since it is so easy to do. Don’t even look at the previews.What you think may be a great photo, can differ widely in what the couple considers a great photo.You know what, they might like all those un “professional” shots you take.
For the the third tip, make sure you get candid shots during and after the wedding.A good wedding photographer doesn’t look to just take your typical shots, like group shots, or wedding shots or your standard newly married shots. But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It could include things that don’t go perfectly, like a flower girl not wanting to walk down the aisle or the ring bearer making a wrong turn. Every shot counts.
The fourth piece of advice is make sure you have back up equipment.Do you even want to think of the horror of not being able to take any more shots of the wedding because of a broken camera.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.Being prepared with more equipment will ensure that you avoid that awkward moment of not being able to finish the rest of the day because of a broken camera.
Finally, you have to be prepared for the lighting and you do that by practicing. The difference between the lighting in the church and the outside reception can throw you a curve ball, so just practice for all different lighting situations. You should try and see if you can scout the locations for the big day and try and find the best spots to shoot as well as gauging the lighting needs.
Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely. It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be. Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.