For many experienced wedding photographers, it’s easy to go unnoticed and take great pictures during a wedding ceremony. However, there are some who still make some mistakes by appearing where they shouldn’t or by taking pictures at less precise times. But don’t worry, next we’ll give you some tips and we’ll tell you where the photographer should be during a wedding ceremony and how you can make the best photos of this event.
The Bride and Groom Meeting
In recent years, the way in which the bride and groom first saw each other on the day of the wedding has changed a lot; many customs have given way to more innovative skills. This is undoubtedly a great advantage for the photographer, as it gives him more opportunities to take different photos.
Keep in mind that the first look of the bride and groom will be one of the most emotional images of the day. We will give you at least one piece of advice for this first look.
Beware Of the Light
One of the situations that usually occurs in outdoor ceremonies, and in some hours of the day when the sun offers us its hardest light. Look for uniform lighting and clean backgrounds. Try not to make the bride and groom face the sun since the shadows that can be produced are not very flattering.
Choose a longer focal length to limit the amount of light offered by the environment, and try to capture as many details as possible despite the bright light and shadows it produces.
Communicating With Your Team
If a second photographer accompanies you, they must be clear about what situation each one will occupy. But both of you have to have a good vision of the two bride and groom, to capture any detail that happens. Sometimes everything happens so quickly that it is important that one focuses on the couple and the other on the family or that each photographer focuses on each of the bride and groom.
It is very important that all photographers share the settings in their cameras (white balance, shutter speed, etc.) to ensure a consistent report (this will also make editing easier) and above all it is important that both shoot in RAW format to have a better latitude and possibility of correction in those settings that are made later in post-production.
In the case that you also work with a videographer, you must avoid crossing their angles and not get into the shots of others. Although sometimes it is almost impossible, one of the best options is to work side by side.
Going Unnoticed
If you want a style of documentary wedding reporting, you have to get the bride and groom to ignore your presence. In this way, this first glimpse and everything that will happen next will be captured insincere and very emotional images.
Stay Tuned
After the first reaction to seeing each other, emotions will not stop, they will talk to each other, they will hug each other, they will smile and they may even kiss each other. Be attentive to any reaction and don’t interrupt the moment, let the situation flow.
The Wedding Ceremony
There comes one of the most important moments of the day. Although a wedding ceremony has an average duration of between 20 and 40 minutes, which for wedding photographers is a problem because in this space of time they have to photograph all the important moments (in a creative way) and the reactions of many people close to the couple.
Talk to the Officiant
Today every wedding is a world (and even more so if they are civil) couples seek originality through different and original ceremonies, and this can cause them to miss very important moments.
Talk beforehand with the officiant, who is the person who knows the times of the ceremony and the order in which they are going to happen.
A “common” ceremony comes to be:
- The entry of the bride and groom
- Blessing of the father, also known as “Delivery of the bride”.
- Prayer or reading
- Votes
- Exchange of rings
- First kiss
- Signatures
- The departure of the bride and groom
Beware of inexperienced officiants; they often spoil an important photo because they do not know how to get out of the way.
The First Moments Importance
From the entrance of the bride and groom and their godparents until the ceremony starts, hundreds of emotions happen, you can not miss any. The problem is that the situation can appear in any person at any time.
Try to give it all at this moment, really the bride and groom, when they see the report will appreciate these photos of their loved ones with emotions so sincere.
Remember to always be in the right place at the right time.
Important Situations at the Ceremony
In order not to miss anything, keep in mind the important moments and people that you must photograph during the ceremony:
- Exchange of votes.
- Exchange of rings.
- First kiss.
- Parents and godparents.
- Guests (attention to children).
- The place of celebration as part of the scene.
- Cultural traditions.
Apart from these fundamental points, you have to know the important moments of each culture, each religion, and each ritual.
If the bride and groom are going to get married through a ceremony you don’t know, it is important that before the wedding, you have consulted them about the most important rituals and their meaning.
Know at that moment of the ceremony they are going to happen and be more or less clear how you intend to capture them with your camera. There are ceremonies that contain a multitude of traditions and truly, they end as quickly as they begin.
The Bride and Groom’s Outings
This moment is undoubtedly one of the most creative, and in the final report, this image will be one of the most appreciated. A wedding report, its joy, its emotion, the love of the couple, can be summarized in a photo. The departure of the bride and groom.
At this moment all the guests are ready to pay tribute to them and to show them happiness for their wedding. Take advantage of this emotion. The rice, the confetti, the bubbles, the smoke, the butterflies or whatever you throw at them will do the rest.
These are the basic tips that every photographer should keep in mind at the time of a wedding ceremony. Capturing every moment of this event is fundamental for a photographer, as emotions are floating all over the environment. However, you must keep in mind that it is at that moment that you must do your magic with the camera. Look for the difference and start to create your own style, do not take the same photos that any photographer would do, without losing sight of documenting some of the most important moments in the life of that couple.
