3.14. WeddingsWeddings 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 ForIn 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:
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. |