Being asked to be the photographer for a wedding is a big responsibility.  If you’ve been asked to do it as a favor, or have been asked to do it professionally, here are 5 tips to do to get the job done right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.  So whether you are seasoned pro, or a rank amateur, if you follow these tips, you will feel comfortable and not have to second guess yourself.You will be ready for whatever may happen.

Our first tip is a simple thing you can do and that is to have the couple and the families go and make a shot list.  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.Imagine how wonderful it will be to just go down your list and know that you aren’t leaving anything out.

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 also are tempting to delete a shot since it is so easy to do.Don’t even think of looking at the shots.  What makes a great shot in your mind could differ widely that what makes a great shot in the couples minds.  And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.

The third tip to make sure you do is taking candid shots.A good photographer isn’t one who just takes the standard basic shots, like family shots, typical wedding shots, or whatever is the usual.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It may include the things that go wrong also, like a flower girl making a wrong turn or the ring bearer not wanting to walk down the aisle.Every picture counts.

The fourth one to consider, and something that can easily be overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras with several lenses as backup.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.By being ready with extra equipment, you will avoid the uncomfortable time of not being able to take any more pictures of the wedding day with a broken camera.

Last piece of advice, make sure you know the lighting of the wedding. 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. Go see the locations and scout it out for the big day, by finding the best places to shoot as well as studying the lighting needs.

Doing these 5 tips 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.