Section 3.14. Weddings


3.14. Weddings

Weddings dominate special event photography, not to mention being the primary income source for a huge percentage of professional photographers.

If you can shoot an entire wedding , then you're prepared for any other event that comes your way. For example, graduations are just weddings without the reception . Birthday parties are just weddings without the ceremony.

If you're a guest, one critical element of successful photography at a wedding is not interfering with the hired photographer's posed shots. Introduce yourself to the photographer and ask if it's OK to take a couple of shots right after the pro has finished each setup. You'll generally receive permissionand the opportunity to capture the highlights of the day.


Tip: As a digital photographer, you can bring a new dimension to the celebration that most pros don't even offer: immediacy. If you like, you can hook up your camera to a TV to play the pictures back while the reception is still going on. Or, thanks to iPhoto, you can have shots on the Web before the pro even gets his film to the lab. Put your favorites together and add a little music; suddenly you have a QuickTime movie for downloading.

3.14.1. Shots to Look For

In part, your success at shooting a wedding depends on your ability to anticipate the action. If you've been to any weddings recently, you probably know that you can expect classic photo ops like these:

  • Before the wedding . Bride making final dress adjustments, alone in dress, with mother, with maid of honor , with bridesmaids, and so on. The groom with his best man, with his ushers, with his family.

  • During the ceremony . The groom waiting at the altar, his parents being seated, the bride's mother being seated, the processional, the bride coming down the aisle, the vows, the ring ceremony, the kiss, the bride and groom coming back down the aisle. Oh, and of course the obligatory adorable shots of the flower girl and ring-bearer boy walking down the aisle looking dazed.

  • Directly after the ceremony . The wedding party at the altar, the bride and groom with family, the bride and groom with officiate, close-up of the bride's and groom's hands on the ring pillow.

  • During the reception . Guests signing the guest book, the bride dancing with groom/father/father-in-law, the groom dancing with mother/mother-in-law, the cake table, the cake cutting, the cake feeding, the toasts, the bouquet tossing , the decorated getaway car.


Tip: One of the advantages you might have over the hired photographer is that you'll know people at the wedding. You'll therefore have the opportunity, in theory at least, to take candid , relaxed pictures of the guestsa sure bride-and-groom pleaser.

That's the checklist for a professional photographer, of course. If you're one of the guests, use that list only for inspiration. Wedding days provide dozens of opportunities for memorable pictures. If you get only a fraction of them, you'll still have plenty to share at the end of the day.




iPhoto 6
iPhoto 6: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 059652725X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 183

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