The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

LEFT—Being a fly on the wall as the bride is getting ready can lead to some great shots. Photograph by Ron Capobianco. RIGHT—Joe Photo tries
to get a shot of the bride’s shoes as she’s getting ready. Few things are as special to a women as shoes and the wedding day produces some classics. Be
sure to make a nice shot like this if at all possible. FACING PAGE—Sometimes the most amazing things happen without you planning them. Here
Marcus Bell waited for the bride and groom to exit the altar of this massive church and the three flower girls, whom Marcus referred to as “having
their own little party,” provided the perfect foreground element. He said he had to wait throughout most of the ceremony to get this shot. Marcus
used a tungsten white-balance setting and photographed the scene with an EOS 1DS and 35mm f/1.4 lens.
in there. Try to blend in and observe. Shots will present
themselves, particularly with the mother and daughter or
the bridesmaids.
BEFORE THE WEDDING
You do, of course, want to photograph the groom before
the wedding. Some grooms are nervous, while others are
gregarious—like it’s any other day. Regardless, there are
ample picture opportunities before anyone else arrives. It’s
also a great opportunity to do formal portraits of the
groom, the groom and his dad, and the groom and his
best man. A three-quarter-length portrait is a good
choice—and you can include the architecture of the
church or building if you want.
When photographing men, always check that the ties
are properly knotted. If they are wearing vests, make sure
90 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
that they are correctly buttoned and that the bottom button
is undone.
THE CEREMONY
Regardless of whether you’re a wedding photojournalist
or a traditionalist, you must be discrete during the ceremony.
Nobody wants to hear the “ca-chunk” of a camera
or see a blinding flash as the couple exchange their vows.
It’s better by far to work from a distance with a tripodmounted
35mm camera with the motor off (or in quiet
mode, if the camera has one), and to work by available
light. Work quietly and unobserved—in short, be invisible.
(Of course, it should be noted that recent SLRs—especially
DSLRs—are much quieter than past cameras.)
Some of the events you will need to cover are: the
bridesmaids and flower girls entering the church, the bride