The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

LEFT—Working as a pair or trio of photographers allows one of you to get up in the choir loft and make an incredible shot such as this. Photograph
by Charles Maring. RIGHT—David Worthington is a master of the formal bridal portrait. This image was made with window light and a small
reflector with a Fuji FinePix S2 Pro and 37mm lens at ISO 200 at 1/45 second at f/3.3. The room lights add low-key accents throughout the background
of the image.
entering the church, the parents being escorted in, the
bride’s dad “giving her away,” the first time the bride and
groom meet at the altar, the minister or priest talking with
them, the ring exchange, the exchange of vows, the kiss,
the bride and groom turning to face the assembly, the
bride and groom coming up the aisle, and any number of
two dozen variations—plus all the surprises along the way.
Note that this scenario applies only to a Christian wedding.
Every religion has its own customs and traditions
that you need to be familiar with before the wedding.
Some churches don’t allow any photography during
the ceremony. You will, of course, know this if you’ve
taken the time to visit the church prior to the wedding.
Regardless of your style of coverage, family groups are
pictures that will be desired by all. You must find time to
make the requisite group shots, but also be aware of shots
that the bride may not have requested, but expects to see.
The bride with her new parents and the groom with his
92 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
are great shots, according to Monte Zucker, but are not
ones that will necessarily be “on the list.”
FORMALS
Following the ceremony, you should be able to steal the
bride and groom for about ten minutes—no more, or you
will be taking too much of their time and the others in attendance
will get a little edgy. Most photographers will get
what they need in less than ten minutes.
In addition to a number of formal portraits of the
couple—their first pictures as man and wife—you should
try to make whatever obligatory group shots the bride has
asked for. This may include a group portrait of the wedding
party, a portrait with the bride’s family and the
groom’s family, and so on.
If there are too many “must” shots to do in a short
time, arrange to do some after the ceremony and some at
the reception. This can be all thought out beforehand.