I have deliberately left wedding photography until last as it is definitely not for the feint hearted or the inexperienced. A wedding is an unrepeatable event and leaves you with very little room for error. Moreover, if you think it is just money for old rope, think again. Many hours of work need to go into the preparation before you even get to the wedding venue. The only possible exception is if you are using a Camcorder or the like which I will talk about later. However, the bulk of this section will consider the more traditional “still” wedding photography.

TRADITIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Before I started accepting commissions for weddings, I had had the opportunity of working with a friend who had his own studio. This was a bit like serving an apprenticeship and helped me to prepare for the day when I went solo. If weddings is something you would like to photograph, then I would certainly recommend that you investigate this route.

Before I go on, I am going to be typically British and talk about the weather. When one is planning a wedding, you will invariably hope for fine weather. But let's get real - it doesn't always happen that way does it. This was certainly true of my first solo wedding and the father of the bride remarked the weather was more akin to being on the bridge of a ship with strong winds and torrential rain.

So be prepared for inclement weather although sometimes you can turn this to your advantage. I like to think that the picture below on the left the right tells the story.

BOOKING THE WEDDING

When first meeting a prospective couple, you will invariably be expected to show them examples of your work. If you’re just starting out this may pose a problem although I generally found that only about 1 in 2 couples actually wanted to see my wedding portfolio. However, if you know of someone who has recently got married ask them if they would mind letting you photograph them. A colleague of mine started out by just turning up at weddings and grabbing shots as and when he could. A bit naughty don’t you think as he was ridding of the back of the official photographers efforts - but it got him his portfolio.

But first things first. Before you get into in depth discussions about what you can or can’t do for the couple, check that you are actually free on the wedding date.  If you already have a commitment, don’t over commit yourself by agreeing to another wedding unless you are absolutely sure that you can comfortably fit it in. Personally, I would only take on one wedding a day. But remember, if you do choose to go down this route, that bit of potential extra income could result in serious damage to your reputation if things go pear-shaped on the day.

If you can avoid it, don't just use the church as a
backdrop, as above, look for something a little different

Once you’ve confirmed your availability, you then need to convince the happy couple that you are the right photographer for them.

What worked for me was that rather first try and sell the couple a package, I spent time understanding about their requirements, what was their vision for the day and then I would endeavour to match my offerings against their perceived needs.

Keep in mind that there is no point trying to sell them an expensive all singing and dancing wedding package if they are planning a small registry office wedding – you would probably turn them off.

WATCH OUT FOR THE BUYING SIGNALS

Always listen out for buying signals such as “Oh, you’ll meet my Dad at the wedding” or “Please be careful when you photograph my Mum as she is very conscious of her big nose !”  or “Make sure my Mum and Dad don’t stand next to each other in the pictures as they hate each other”. When you hear something like this that, in their minds they want you for the wedding photography so don’t waste anymore time - CLOSE THE DEAL !

Suggest to the Bride and Groom that their parents might like a formal portrait which could take before the event and presented to them on the day of the wedding. This would be on a the  basis of “if you don’t like the results, there’s no obligation to buy”. This way the have got nothing to loose and you have everything to gain.

Make sure you have a clear understanding of the timing of the day. For example :

Check out the venue(s) for possible opportunities. It is best to do this at the time of day that the wedding is happening for light conditions and sun direction.

If possible speak to who is in charge of the wedding venue to see if there are any restrictions that you need to be aware of. For example some churches don’t allow any photography inside the church except perhaps the signing of the register. One other church I came across one that charged a licence fee to take photographs. In such an event always make sure that the Bride and Groom are aware of any additional costs or constraints well before the wedding and take their instructions accordingly.

The Bridal Gown is often very expensive and an exquisite piece of
workmanship. Try and capture it in all its glory.

If you are not happy with the venues, don’t be afraid to suggest some alternatives on route that you may know which would better lend themselves to wedding shots.

Formulate a “Plan B” in case of inclement weather and look for opportunities. Use your imagination in terms of the what you can use as suitable back drops.

One wedding I did in December didn’t start until 4:30 pm. So I agreed with the Bride and Groom that I would take my studio flash lights along and take all the post wedding shots in the hotel booked for the reception.

If it is a venue with wide steps (a country house or perhaps a hotel) these could be ideal for group shots. But unless you have absolutely no alternative, don’t just stand the bridal party up against the church doors do all your photography from there. Use the church doors as a record shot by all means but don’t use it as your main back drop.

Don't just take the agreed shots, be prepared to grab any candid opportunities that present themselves.
The couple above loved this shot and ordered a large print for their lounge.

Establish if any family conflicts exist that may need to be carefully managed. Divorced parents can sometimes be a problem. Where family conflicts do exist, try and identify who it is you need to handle sensitively in advance. Ask one of  the Ushers to point out them out to you if you haven’t already been introduced

The worse case I ever came across was that one half of the brides family wouldn’t speak to the other half and neither would stand in the same photograph as the others. It made for a tricky group shot. Fortunately, digital technology had arrived and I was able to “cheat” and create a full family group.

WHAT ABOUT PAYMENT

When should you collect the money ? I used to ask for a £100 deposit when the couple signed the agreement and the balance to be paid not later than 10 days before the wedding.

I know of two photographers whose policy it was to collect the balance on delivery of the proof prints. However, both fell foul of this. One was when an ex-girlfriend of the Groom turned up to the church claiming that her child was also the Groom’s. That proved to be a bit of show stopper and the Bride ran off.

The other photographer went to deliver the proofs after the honeymoon only to find that the couple had split and weren’t interested in the photographs thank you very much. They were even less interested in paying for them.

If a couple ever challenge you about paying in advance, you can diplomatically point out the they have to pay for the cake, the wedding cars, the reception and the honeymoon etc. in advance so why not the photographer too ?

ON THE DAY

Before leaving for the wedding venue, check and then re-check that all your equipment is working and replace any pieces that are suspect (I always carried at least three cameras with me for weddings). I usually took along a teenager who perhaps was on work experience so at the very least they could mind the equipment that you are not using at any point in time.

If you depend on batteries (and most of us do) always have some spare with you. And if you’re shooting with film rather than digital always take at least 50% more than you think you will need.  If you are using digital cameras, make sure you either don’t run out of space on your memory card. Again, spare memory cards wouldn't go amiss.

BEFORE THE CEREMONY

The assignment may start at the Bride's home so you can get shots of the bridal party preparing and then leaving for the ceremony. Experience has taught me that things can get fraught so being as unobtrusive as possible would certainly help, particularly if you are trying to capture some candid shots.

In your planning, you must always allow time to get from the Bride's home to the venue. Avoid clashes such as being expected to be taking shots at the Bride's Home when you are also expected to be taking shots outside the ceremony venue. Believe me you can be expected to work miracles sometimes.

AT THE CEREMONY

Subject of course to what the Bride and Groom want, you will usually start with a series of record shots of the Groom and Best Man etc along with shots of the guest arriving. Things will pick up and pace when the Bridal Party arrive and a series of shots often with the bridal car and will usually finish (venue permitting) with the bride and her father walking down the aisle.

There will always be the standard shots to take such as the
signing of the register.

Look for opportunities to take shots of the couple during the service, again I stress again if permitted. But you must at all times remain unobtrusive.

This shot was taken from the balcony of the church allowing me to remain completely unobtrusive.
The only caveat was that I could not use flash

AFTER THE CEREMONY

I tended to find that the majority of photographs were taken after the ceremony. As previously recommended, ask if it possible for one of the Ushers to organise the photographs. Give them a copy of the script so they can make sure that people are lined up ready for their particular shots to avoid delays

You will need to be able to organise large groups of people who in the main will be waiting for you to instruct them where and how to stand. I also suggest that you take along some step ladders which will enable you to get a much better angle for large group shots.

Apart from possibly a few during the service, after the ceremony
will be when you take most of the photographs of the "happy couple"

Work quickly and efficiently – the Usher can make a real difference here.

Try and make people feel at ease. I found saying something like “Well the front row’s smiling but the back row looks positively miserable”. This never seemed to fail to raise a smile and “CLICK” – you’ve got the shot. Keeping a smile on your face also helps as people tend to smile back.

When taking group shots, use something like a step ladder to give you a better composition.

Things will go wrong so you must be able to keep calm under pressure and be prepared to be flexible. The bride can be late, wedding cars can break down, I was once shooting at a registry office that caught fire just as the ceremony was starting – the list could go on. These are just a few of the reasons why you need to be cautious about over-committing yourself by agreeing to photographing back-to-back weddings.

A cheeky little moment that I couldn't resist
which I would entitle "I've Got Him"

Be ready to react to opportunities as they arise. Confetti throwing, for example. If you miss it, then you’ve missed it. Don't be afraid to ask guest to refrain from throwing confetti until you've posed the couple.

THE PROOF ALBUM VERSUS THE WEBSITE

I wish that the internet had been around when I first started out.

If you have a website you can put the pictures online and make them available to all attendees without the traditional proof album, sometimes taking months to do the rounds. Let's face it, these days with the quality of the average point and press camera that are seen in droves at weddings, sales to wedding guest beyond the immediate families of the bride and groom will at best be limited.

So these days I would say put them on your website and if you haven't got one then get one and the sooner the better !!

Moreover, a website is a fabulous extension of the traditional shop window. Here we are now in the 21st century and I firmly believe that "if you're not visible on the internet then, as a business entity, you're invisible".

One final point on Traditional Wedding Photography. Remember that a Bride will more often than not look upon her wedding as the most important day of her life. If you're the photographer selected for the occasion, make sure you don't let her down.

CAMCORDERS AND WEDDINGS

If you have not got any wedding photography experience at all, then this may be the better of the two to try out. There is less stress involved, you don’t need to be able to organise people in the same way as a traditional wedding photographer.

Although my preference has always been traditional wedding photography, a friend persuaded me to video her wedding back in the mid-80s. I would describe the camera that I hired for the occasion as more “luggable” than “portable”, or to put it another way I would have rather carried the camera for a week than a fortnight.

In my case what had helped was that I had used a cine camera for a number of years for my own personal use. Consequently, I was comfortable with the principles of video cameras.

I have to admit that although I was apprehensive, I rather enjoyed the experience – particularly the editing afterwards back in the studio and needless to say that I added it to my list of services. It’s probably also worth saying that the editing equipment looked like something that would have been more at home perhaps in an episode of Star Trek that in a photographic studio. But once again thank heavens for the digital revolution.

The next wedding I shot a video for was about 5 months later and that in itself was an experience. I met with the bride a couple of weeks before the event and she greeted with “I think I’m going to have to call it off”. I naturally thought that she and her intended had fallen out. But no, it was worse than that she told me. Apparently, the bride had discovered that the priest who was due to marry her had in fact served time for murdering his wife. Perhaps the poor woman had visions of being throttled in front of the altar.

To cut along story short, I’m pleased to report that the wedding went ahead as planned and without incident. And who said wedding photography was boring ?

In my opinion the job of the wedding video photographer is to remain unobtrusive while recording the event. I don’t expect him or her to be directing what people are doing as that should be left to the “Still Wedding Photographer”. Instead they should be discreetly and quietly observing, capturing all those little moments – things that happen and things that are said too – often things that perhaps the bride and groom didn’t see on the day.

If you want to have a go at this type of wedding photography, I suggest that you try a few dummy runs first.  Remember my colleague who built his portfolio by just going to weddings (that he wasn’t always invited to), you could build up you own portfolio in the same way for videos.

What about the editing and final production. If you plan to do it yourself (and the technology is available and more user friendly than in my day), you must be on top of your computer and the software that you plan to use.

Also be mindful of any material you may be asked to incorporate in the finished DVD’s such as music because you may fall foul of copyright restrictions. So make sure you understand what you can and cannot do.