Wedding Photography How To

When I was invited to create five lighting tips for this Exploring Light column, my initial thought was to avoid common lighting tips you’re familiar with and likely using now. Instead, I wanted to offer a few tips and techniques that have benefited me throughout my career while shooting portraits.

Canadians Cici and Clement were not only serious about each other, but they were so serious about their wedding photos that they hired Life Studios, Inc. of Vancouver to join them in Iceland to document the nuptials. And the resulting images are breathtaking.

Photo enthusiasts tend to have a love-hate relationship with camera settings when viewing an epic photo. Some are more concerned with the backstory and artistic details of a shot, while others seem obsessed with the arcane minutiae of every camera setting used to make the image.

Wedding photography is serious business. Anyone who’s ever shot a wedding or, more specifically, tried to make a living as a wedding photographer will undoubtedly know this.

The late Mr. Newton was certainly onto something. I believe the overwhelming desire of most portrait photographers is to please the client, with seduction, amusement, and entertainment far from their minds. Let me submit this idea: shoot what the client says they want and then shoot something challenging their assumptions. Most wedding clients tend to be traditional but even introducing black and white or infrared images can increase sales and show clients you’re thinking outside the veil.

Photographing couples is an art form that should not be underestimated. Finding the right way to get two people, no matter how wellthey know each other, to pose and stay in a position worth shooting can be extremely difficult. Success requires the right combination of clear communication and dexterous shooting ability. That’s why it is so crucial for portrait and wedding photographers to follow a clear system in order to have time to both shoot classically-posed shots and fun, candid photos.

Sooner or later most photographers will receive the dreaded question: “Would you mind shooting our wedding?” If you’ve never taken on this daylong assignment, you may not realize how important and challenging it is. Be sure to watch this video before saying “yes.”