Few photographers can stand up to the relentless stress of wedding photography. Some simple rules will see you safely through this assignment and its many challenges.

The Shooting List

Prior to your worrying about your equipment, you should ascertain exactly what shots are required. The bride may have already done this for you. You may find that others have charming but vague ideas about what should be recorded. Now is the time to start worrying. Ask for a list of the photos.

A shot list is best broken down into three general groupings:

1. Before the Ceremony
2. The Service
3. Following the Ceremony

Before the Service

These photos can include the following:

* The bride dressing
* The bride with her friends
* The bride with her parents
* The groom and friends
* The groom with his parents
* The wedding dress
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* Arriving at the church

Several of these can be candid photos. Some work better if you pose them.

The Service

These shots depend on the location and whether you are permitted to shoot the actual exchange of vows, etc. Ask the bride to find out if you can shoot during the ceremony. If possible, place yourself on the groom’s side so you can frame the bride’s face. The bride deserves most of your attention.

These shots should include:

* Three quarter length of the bride, groom and celebrant.
* Take medium distance shots of the bride and groom.
* Three quarter length to full length of the entire bridal party including the maids and groomsmen.
* Frame the bride and groom medium or three-quarter length.
* The ring (close-up on the hands if you can zoom in fast otherwise go for the semi-close-up)
* The kiss (semi close-up)

Lighting plays a big part in the ceremony photos. Flash will result in stark, clinical looking pictures and destroy the mood for everyone, so use what light is available. Get a clear idea of the lighting conditions by going along to the rehearsal. Make sure you use a tripod.

Turn your camera’s shutter sound off. Do that so you can shoot many frames without disturbing the event. The more the better. Set the camera to multiple frames and hold the shutter down at the important moments. You won’t find out if a blink has ruined the shot until later. The remedy is to shoot lots at the critical moments.

Move fast to capture the newly weds walking back down the aisle. Now this is an important wedding photography tip: Work out your own lines of movement (and escape) at the rehearsal.  The walk down the aisle is straight reportage – so use the flash. You can see more about this under the heading ‘Equipment’.

Following the Service

Again some of these may be candid and some ought to be posed. These should comprise:

* The bride and groom outside the church/venue with well-wishers
* The confetti moment (just hold the shutter down!)
* The bouquet
* Groups of bride and groom and all parents
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* The limo itself if it has been tricked up with cans and graffiti etc.

After-After the Service

These usually need to be planned ahead. Now go ‘on location’ to a nearby park or garden. This is when you can shoot the dress to good effect. The couple can chill out and let their hair down for the camera. Once you have taken some photos that are semi-posed, move back and use the zoom for candid photos.

This phase includes the reception. Some guests may want photos with the happy couple but you may also find these are rarely ordered.

Save yourself for the cutting of the bridal cake – shooting it, not eating it. You may have the bridal table on your list – if not just do a general coverage of the toasts. Pictures of the ceremony will most likely be the most popular and worth the most concentration of effort.

Group photos at the reception can get out of hand so request a helper to organize these.

The Completed Product

It is best to supply a CD or DVD with the unusable edited out. Anything that makes you look bad is a dud. For added effect you can use video editing software to quickly make a slide show of the event in sequence. Images should retain sharpness and clarity when zoomed to A4 size – if not, don’t submit them. Make a CD of the best photos and you’re done.

As you might imagine, wedding photography is one of the most challenging types of professional photography. The wedding photographer has to make everyone look beautiful, shooting in a multitude of locations in all kinds of weather conditions–and accomplish all this in minimum amount of time. At the same time, your wedding photographer should have the personality to complement you on your most joyous day. Take your time and follow some of the simple suggestions discussed below, and you will most certainly be satisfied with the outcome.

Where Do You Begin?

Seeking advice from your friends, relatives and co-workers or personal referrals is a great way to start. Typically, people who have had positive experiences with photographers are more than willing to share that information.  In addition, you’ll already have some insight about the photographer’s personality before you actually meet.  After compiling a preliminary list, visit each photographer’s web site and thoughtfully review his or her online portfolio. If a portfolio looks appealing you, chances are, that photographer might be a good fit. Next, call or email each photographer on your list.  Through this initial contact, you can determine the photographer’s availability, the type of work they specialize in (candid or traditional) as well as an estimate of the cost and what you’ll receive for that fee.

Schedule appointments with the photographers who seem most appropriate and ask to view their portfolios in person and discuss more details. Ask each of them to show you a complete portfolio of a single wedding–this will give you a much clearer sense of what you can expect than a collection of choice shots from several different events. Pay attention to whether the photographer is adept at portraying individual expressions and personalities. Ideally, these meetings should include the bride and groom as well as the bride’s parents since you will all be interacting with the photographer.

What Questions Should You Ask?

Be sure to write down all of your questions beforehand, and take thorough notes during the meetings. Although most professional photographers will provide you with a clear outline of their services and fees prior to your meeting, you will, in all likelihood, still have a large number of questions to ask. Remember, the more information you have, the more confident and relaxed you’ll feel on your special day.  The following are some questions, courtesy of http://www.iqphoto.com, you may wish to consider asking:

•How will you show me pictures for selection (e.g., electronic, proofs, contact sheets, online gallery, etc.)?
•Will you help me choose the final pictures?
•How will you make it easy for friends and family to order reprints?
•What are the costs of the various levels of coverage?
•Are there different degrees of coverage?
•What is your photography style; photojournalistic, traditional, mixed, etc.?
•How much for the duplicate prints, albums, folios, enlargements, thank you cards, etc.?
•What’s your time frame for preparing the pictures for my selection?
•How about engagement session?
•How long do I have to make up my mind as to which pictures I want and how many?
•How long have you been in business?
•What kind of guarantee comes with my hiring you?
•What’s your philosophy for photographing weddings?
•Will you have an assistant?
•Do you have travel fees?
•How much is your overtime fee?
•What do you plan to do at my wedding to make my wedding photographs unique and personal to me?
•Do you have a backup?
•Will you be shooting my pictures personally?
•Will you use film or digital?
•What’s your payment policy?
•Do you give any guarantees on your services and photographs?
•What is the possibility of the pictures fading?

How Much Will It Cost?

The following are some points will help prepare you for what you might expect to pay for your wedding photography:

•Plan to allocate a significant portion of your wedding budget to ensure photographs are perfect. The least that you should expect to spend on a professional wedding photographer to document your event is 00. Albums and prints are usually extra. Other extras that may increase your bottom line include additional hours, additional photographers, custom albums etc. etc. Add on too many extras – and your photography budget could quickly creep to $5000 and beyond! 

•Cut the extras and purchase a basic wedding photography package from a skilled photographer. By paying for the photographer’s expertise only, you will ensure great images – and you’ll buy yourself some time to save up for the custom album and prints after the wedding.

•Get the proofs! Towards that end, try to find out a photographer who will make the proofs avaiable to you. Many photographers consider themselves to be photographers only – artists not in the business of selling photographs. After the big day, they’ll hand over your proofs and be on their way. They’re yours to keep – you can print them in any manner you please or save them for printing after you’ve saved up some cash.

•Enter the digital age with digital photography. It’s less costly than film, and with technological advances in equipment – digital images are no longer a sacrifice in quality. Many photographers have taken the digital plunge – which results in savings for you!

Cut the timeline since the cost of documenting a longer event is more. Since photographers often charge based on the number of hours they will spend at your wedding, a shorter/smaller wedding celebration will yield big savings in your photography budget.

Making a Commitment

At this point, you should be able to make out as to which photographer is best suited to capture your wedding day memories. Once you have made a decision, be prepared to leave a deposit to reserve the date. You may still wish to reassure yourself by asking about a few final details. For example, find out what the photographer’s policy for wedding-date changes is and what the alternatives are if he or she is not available on the backup date. Also, ask about their policy for an unexpected cancellation. If you feel the photographer is right for you, then relax and make the commitment with the confidence that you’ve made a well-formed, intelligent decision in planning the most important day of your life.

This article is support by Puerto Rico Wedding Photographer

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