Wedding Photography Tips

Hello and welcome to our new and extensive Wedding Photography Tips section at All Things Photography. Please use this part of our site to refer to often as you make your journey to hopefully becoming a successful wedding photographer. Use the navigation bar on the left to find your way through the "book" or simply follow the links at the bottom of each page.

Now is probably the best time to say that wedding photography can be one of the most stressful and demanding, but at the same time, enjoyable and lucrative professions within photography that there is.

Wedding Photography Tips

It is hard work, tiring, no...exhausting and time-consuming although at the end of the day when you are handing over a beautiful wedding album or book and see the look of pleasure on the brides face, it can be a very rewarding experience both financially and personally.

Before I start I would like to give you some background on myself so you can see where I am coming from.

I will include mistakes and cock-ups to show that nobody is perfect...far from it. However, a strong desire to succeed and a "perfectionist attitude" will go a long way to moving you up in this highly competitive market.

I am a full-time, professional photographer and I attended my first wedding in 1984 as an assistant at 16 years old during an apprenticeship with a local, well known photographer in Kent.

I shot my first solo wedding at 23 or 24 in the early 1990's using a Canon EOS 5 and a Mamiya RBZ67, I immediately felt the buzz! It was as a favour for a family member so in some respects the pressure was more than if it were a stranger.

Note: For the record, that was also the last wedding I ever shot as a favour or for friends or family, you will see why as we progress.

Last year I shot close to 40 weddings, (not many some would say, I will come to this later also) with 12 in June alone. I made myself a mental note after this season to teach myself to say "No!" now and again.

I have shot weddings of all shapes and sizes in a variety of locations and religions/traditions so I hope to make these wedding photography tips as diverse as possible;

Some of these weddings include;

• Traditional English church weddings
• A 2 person wedding in a cave in Spain
• On board a posh catamaran in Puerto Banus harbour
• In a converted monastery in the middle of nowhere
• A "Wiccan" wedding for White Witches in the heart of the New Forest in England (Jumping of the broomstick included!)
• 6 Star, "no-expense-spared" Jewish weddings with hundreds of guests
• Beach weddings

I have no favourites as each wedding is different and the Bridal Party and guests are what really make it a hit or miss affair with regards to the success of your photography. Of course, a spectacular location and good weather make your job that much easier and enjoyable but with un-cooperating people, all that goes to waste!

My point here and as a start to these wedding photography tips is that you must be prepared for any situation and above all research the wedding to death well before you arrive on the big day and that is where hopefully this entire section will help.

Wedding Photography Tips

I am going to start by assuming your details and availability have been requested for a wedding and then work my way through the entire process. I will cover other things such as recommended equipment, presentation, pricing and marketing at the end.

Remember, these wedding photography tips are my "thoughts" and my personal experiences told in a way that I would tell my son if and when he ever wants to shoot weddings. It is important for you to develop your own style, demeanour and structure early on in your career.

Note: Before I go any further...two things...

• This whole section of wedding photography tips includes some images but to see them (and others), larger and with a better description, visit the wedding gallery once you have read this book. Alternatively, have the gallery open and simply refer to relevant images as you read.

Copyright: All images on this site and all wedding photography images used in this section are strictly copyrighted and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever unless sold as stock photography through the appropriate channels.

• I am giving away over 20 years of experience for free here. The way I see it I am giving something back after whatever successes I have had. This section has also taken me months to write and get online (I have even bothered to learn a bit about HTML to do it myself).

  So. If you want to show your gratitude, especially if this helps you to start out and secure your first wedding, you can either leave a tip at the end (€1 or €10, it doesn't matter). Or you can make a promise to "pass it on" to someone else when they need it (yeah, yeah, the promise option sounds good)!

  Wedding Photography is all about integrity and professionalism so if this free information helps you, use it to help someone else...or leave a tip!

So, let's start my wedding photography tips with the initial meeting after being contacted for a quote.

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