50 Tips For Wedding Photography To Turn You Into A Master

Capture The Moment

A wedding is one of those periods of time where people want to remember their whole life. Everyone's happy and laughter fill the air.

This is the moment you want to capture. Properly. Let's sharpen our skills with some insider knowledge so we don't screw up people's happiest day of their life.

Be Spontaneous

Use the widest aperture you can lens can go to create an appealing effect for wedding photography. Keep your subject in focus and blur the background. All you need to do is focus accurately.
Use light patterns outside the church or register office to add impact and drama to your images. Such pattern often come and go as the day progresses, work quickly to take advantage of it.
If you are using flash, use the slow shutter speed to capture as much ambient light as possible. Try panning when your subject moves.
When taking pictures of the bride and groom with their bridal car, be creative. Don't just stand there with all the other people shooting away. try and use the car window to frame or jump into the car, if they are fine with it.
For flattering images of the bride, have her arms slightly bent. while holding her bouquet. Never straight or totally bent. If possible, have her create an "S" bend with her body, similar to the way fashion models pose.
Take advantage of strong architectural lines, such as pillars for backdrops to your wedding photographs. Scout out the venue beforehand to familiarize yourself and see which architectural elements might work best.
Be adventurous and tilt the camera. No one said you must keep your camera at landscape or portrait format. However, don't over do this.
If the sun is very strong, try moving your subjects into a shade and use fill flash for a better exposure.
Experiment pictures of the first dance using slow shutter to give a sense of movement. use only ambient light to accentuate the mood. Crank up your ISO if need be, although noise can be more obvious in darker places.
Attach your flas unit to a strobeframe bracket to lift the flash a few inches above the lens, eliminating shadows on the subject.

Be Considerate

Smiling is contagious. When you smile, people smile. So make lots of eye contacts and smile. Don't hide behind you camera, it's really irritating to have a stranger continuously taking your pictures.
Always have a pre-wedding consultation with the couple to get to know them and find out what they want. It's their day, not yours. Don't promise anything you can't deliver.
While the couple get congratulated, you can go around and get some candid shots. The unobtrusive photographer can have some of the best shots of the wedding day.
pre-focus and compose your subject through the lens then get their attention by talking to them or smiling at them. They won't know you are taking their pictures. When they do know, they'll laugh and you can take a more natural photograph.
Every problem is also an opportunity. Always try to take advantage of a supposedly bad situation.
Plan for the rain. if it rains, use brollies. Always have a black one and a white one. Get the couple walking with them kissing and so on. They make excellent props plus it prevents your equipment from getting soaked.
Manage your time and take into your calculation the time taken to travel between A and B. A disorganized photographer can miss out on key moments, don't let it be you.
Relax and have a good time, wedding is fun. Your photography can improve significantly as you relax.

Use A Telephoto Lens!

Long lenses keep you out of the action as an observer. They create interesting perspective which of course can add drama to photos. A sturdy tripod is highly recommended for this.
Look around for opportunities for you to capture. There might be interesting things happening behind you.
Always pay attention to details and the small stuff. Often a detail shot can bring back a flood of memories. Be bold and capture everything that you see.
Befriend the organizers. These are the people who knows what you be happening when, where and how. It's therefore wise to consult to be at the right place at the right time.
Try shooting from a low vantage point. Kneel or even crouch. The shot can be worth it because it presents a unique perspective.
Grains from high ISO can add atmosphere and character to a photo. Plus, lack of flash can keep attention from you. You wouldn't want to distract wedding guests and draw attention to yourself.
Let other people take their photographs and then capture your subjects when they are relaxed. People who appears happy, relaxed and unworried about people taking pictures of them come across better in photos.
Take advantage of the wind if it's windy. The bride's gown especially can look wonderfully dynamic when there's a breeze - its lines will flow with the movement of air. Remember though not to change your lens in a windy environment to prevent dust from reaching your CCD.
Don't take picture of people you don't want their photos taken. Period. They bring down your mood and spoil the frame.
Be on your heels for laughter. When there's laughter there's a relaxed happy person and they work best.

More Awesome references

Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories

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The Best of Wedding Photojournalism: Techniques and Images from the Pros

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The Art of Digital Wedding Photography: Professional Techniques with Style (Amphoto)

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Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography

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Be A Reporter

Learn about the family before the wedding day. If some relatives haven't seen each other for 20 years, a shot of when they first meet can be pretty emotional.
Don't take pictures of people eating. They never look good. Instead, you can either take this time and go eat yourself or prepare for the next event.
When using flash, bounce the flash from the ceiling to balance the exposure with ambient light. Bounced flash is more diffuse, producing a less harsh shadows that are characteristics of amateur snaps.
Mingle with guests. There are often all kinds of characters in a wedding. Be ready to capture reactions when these people tell stories.
Look for pictures that tell a story. Be journalistic. Get three pictures of each moment - not necessarily taken at the same time. For example, a close up of the cake, a shot of the couple cutting the cake and the guests' reactions.
Try to retain details of the bride's gown in bright sunlight by underexposing by 1EV and then bringing the shot back up to correct exposure on photoshop. Shadow details are often recoverable, it's highlights which is often not. As always, shoot in RAW rather than JPEG. RAW takes up much more space and therefore make sure you have plenty of memory space. I typically have 8GB memory space with me.
Never use your camera's auto sharpen feature. This is best done on the computer where you have full control.
Always edit ruthlessly. Remove anything you think they won't like seeing, like a pimple or a blemish. Only let people see your best shots. It's better to show only 20 awesome shots rather than 20 awesome shots and 2000 average ones.
Don't peek at your LCD screen after each and every shot. First, it doesn't give you a very accurate feedback anyway. More importantly though it uses up batteries and take your eyes off from the action. Delete only those you absolutely cannot use.

The Contemporary Approach

Think ahead of time. What moments will be most likely to have emotional or funny images? For example, during the ceremony itself and the couple's interaction while register is being signed. This is often the first time they've spoken together on the day and their reactions can produce some wonderful images.
All shoot in colors and convert them in photoshop later on. You have much more control and don't risk of spoiling a perfectly great shot. If you shoot with special effects, like B&W or sepia, you'll not be able to turn the image into standard color shot afterwards.
Find a good position during the ceremony, like two or three rows from the altar and to the side of the bride and groom. You can capture some emotional pictures during this time. Turn off you camera's sound so you don't disturb people near you.
Never ever use direct flash. The least you must do is to place a diffuser over the flash head if you are not planning on bouncing it off the roof.
Practice slow-sync flash methods, which can transform interior shots. This method ensure the background is properly exposed. Remember to use the tripod for this.
Watch for the groom's and bride's reaction during the best man's speech. This can be the funniest moment in the whole wedding. Their reactions will be very much worth capturing. Prepare for them instead of listening to the best man yourself.
Use exposure lock to ensure you get the correct exposure. Take spot meter readings from faces and lock in on them.
Always use reflectors and natural light when possible. They are inexpensive and the effect is very obvious. Reflector reduces harsh shadows, which you want to eliminate if you are to take flattering images.