Being a wedding photographer on the bride and grooms big day is a huge responsibility.  Heres some tips on making it go well.

1) Make sure you have a pre-defined list of pictures you are going to take. Check out the location ibeforehand and know where you want to position people for the best shots. Involve the bride and groom and ask their opinions on where they might like their photos taken and in what syle.

2) Speak to the best man. Weddings can deviate from the pre-agreed arrangements and its important therefore to have a point of contact with the best man or wedding co-ordinator to help arrange groups and keep things in order. The last thing you should do is ask the bride and groom to help round people up for group shots.

3) Be prepared, very prepared. So much can go wrong so make sure you have a spare camera, batteries, SD cards etc. Request a detailed itinerary from the best man and if possible attend any rehearsals.

4) Remember the little things. Pictures of the rings, the order of service, flowers etc can often be as appreciated as the usual portrait shots.

5) Pre plan the group shots. It can be difficult to take a group shot of large numbers of people. Know in advance where and how this will be done and if you need ladders for example.

6) Be original. It can be all too easy to take the expected portrait and group shots and the end results can be dull. Take informal shots, mix with the wedding guests and be alert for interesting opportunities that present themselves.

7) Dont automatically delete mistakes. With digital cameras the temptation exists to delete everything that wasnt a perfect shot. Very often you may be deleting some of the most interesting pictures.

Consider using an additional photographer. This can take the pressure off and sometimes 2 different perspectives will make for a more varied and interesting set of results.

9) Practise shooting in different lighting conditions. You may be shooting in a dark church where flash photography isn’t allowed or at a reception room that has no natural light. Make sure you know how to bounce a flash or diffuse it to get great results.

10) Be confident. At some point in the day you will be running the show and being able to communicate calmly and effectively is important. Being shy isnt an option.

Written by Marten Holmes, a professional wedding photographer in Cornwall.

Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration. They think about vacation times when trying to coordinate. Or they plan the day according to the best time for family to come into town. Or they make plans according to the availability of the church or restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. This is no small issue.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you realize that the photos are what are going to last a lifetime.

What are the things to think about when making plans with the photographer in mind. The date and time.

First let’s start thinking about the time.  How many people do you think would want their photographer to rush taking the photos? I am pretty confident most couples will not agree to that. 

Not even thinking about your photographer, most of the times the bride and groom will do just that.  They will force the photographer to rush his shots. 

How so you ask? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30. How many photos can the photographer really take with only half an hour to work with? Not that many.

Even worse, let’s say he does take all the shots?  Do you think they will be of the best quality when the shots are rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

Second thing to consider when planning with the photographer in mind is your photographer’s availability.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance. Let’s say you are dealing with a large photography company, they probably have a few photographers.

Well making wedding plans without thinking about the availability of the photographer could be a nightmare. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This happens more than you can imagine when dealing with a big photography company.  You might not realize they have plenty of photographers on staff, and if the photographer you fell in love with is booked, unless you specifically ask, the company might not tell you.  When your wedding day comes, they might just outsource their work or a second rate photographer might show up.

Be prepared that you don’t let something like this happen.  Planning your wedding day is wonderful. Be sure that you also plan it thinking about your wedding photographer.

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