The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

BUILD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP
Alisha and Brook Todd, successful wedding photojournalists in the
San Francisco area, send out a bottle of Dom Perignon and a
hand-written note the day after the contract goes out, then follow
it up with monthly phone calls to check in. The more familiar the
couple is with the photographer, the better the pictures will be come
the wedding day!
possible to adhere to one. Make a note of the names of
the parents and also of all the bridesmaids, groomsmen,
the best man, and maid of honor so that you can address
each by name. Also make notes on the color scheme, the
supplier of the flowers, the caterer, the band, and so on.
You should contact all of these people in advance, just to
touch base. You may find out interesting details that will
affect your timetable or how you make certain photos.
At many religious ceremonies, you can move about and
even use flash—but it should really be avoided in favor of
84 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
a more discreet, available-light approach. Besides, available
light will provide a more intimate feeling to the images.
At some churches you may only be able to take photographs
from the back, in others you may be offered the
chance to go into a gallery or the balcony. You should also
be prepared for the possibility that you may not be able to
make pictures at all during the ceremony.
Armed with information from the briefing meeting,
you need to visit the couple’s wedding venues. Try to visit
at the same times of day as the wedding and reception, so
that you can check lighting, make notes of special locations,
and catalog any potential problems. Also, you
should make note of the walls and types of ceilings, particularly
at the reception. This will affect your ability to use
bounce flash. It is useful to produce an “A” list and a “B”
list of locations. On the A list, note the best possible spots
for your images; on the B list, select alternate locations in
case your A locations don’t work out on the wedding day.
LEFT—Part of your post-production thinking may be to prepare a montage of prints like this one created by Joe Photo. It is the same image printed
in varying intensities of green and brown. RIGHT—David Beckstead, in his wedding coverage, always takes time to get some overheads of the bride
and groom. Here he stole a moment of the bride and groom dancing all by themselves.