Blog
A Saturday in the life of a wedding photographer
29/12/09
Preparation:
I guess for me the job actually starts the evening before a wedding assignment. I have to check that all my gear is working, that sensors are clean, cards are formatted, batteries are changed/charged and that everything, including spares of anything important, is packed and ready to go. Making sure that all of the above housework is done is absolutely necessary for ensuring a smooth shoot. There’s nothing worse for example than finding that the memory card you’re using must have already been half full and that you have to change card just as the happy couple are walking down the isle, or finding under similar circumstances that the batteries that you could have sworn were pretty well charged really weren’t.
All main equipment goes in a backpack with less important spares in a shoulder bag, which stays in the car provided I don’t have any problems. I also carry a simple portable Strobist-style studio kit, which again stays in the car unless the weather turns foul at the reception venue. Being packed and ready to go the night before the gig can be an absolute Godsend if you’re running late for any other reason. Making sure that you also have other things sorted in advance including the address of the venue/s already in your sat-nav and the wedding contract in your suit pocket can also prove invaluable. I always like to leave for a wedding shoot in plenty of time, arriving at least 20 minutes early lets me get settled and hopefully looks good to my client, who with a bit of luck will be boosting my reputation among friends and relatives, otherwise known future customers.
Pre Wedding:
I’m increasingly asked to shoot bridal preparation or ‘boudoir’ images before the bride departs for the wedding. It’s a good opportunity to capture some reasonably intimate (within the realms of taste) shots of the bride and to build a rapport with her prior to the main event. I find it’s wise to have a clear discussion with the bride about what kind of shots she wants from the session, as while some brides quite clearly enjoy their moment as a glamour model and are therefore quite happy to pose in their underwear, others may well not be so enthusiastic, so I’m always keen to get things straight before I start. This is also a golden opportunity to get some detail shots of the day: the bouquet, the lipstick imprinted glass of bubbly, the unoccupied wedding dress, shoes, jewellery etc.
A boudoir session is straightforward enough provided that the bride’s preparations run to plan. However on one or two occasions I’ve been very pushed for time getting to the ceremony venue because things haven’t run to plan and despite this the bride has insisted that I stay for those precious dress-fitting shots. This is of course the bride’s prerogative, though the simple practicalities often need to be explained when they realise that there are few if any shots of the guests arriving at the wedding venue.
Another reasonably popular pre-wedding session involves the groom and his team in the bar before the main event. Again this is an ideal opportunity to build a rapport with some of the key players and is often the best chance capture a flavour of the unique relationship the groom has with his best man. It’s also a good chance to get some fun shots of the groom before the pre-gig nerves set in.
Pre-ceremony material is always good for a wedding album because it captures those moments that are hidden from the bride and groom during their respective preparations.
The ceremony:
On arrival at the ceremony venue I first make contact with the principles who are already in attendance – usually the groom and best man and most important of all the ceremony officials. Obviously its important to make the acquaintance of the groom early on, assuming that you haven’t already met at a pre-wedding meeting/shoot, but remember that the best man is going to be crucial in the organisation of certain aspects of the shoot so its equally important to make sure you are acquainted with him. The best man may also have a better handle on the early progress of the day as he is likely to be in touch with the bride while the groom is not. Above all people to make earliest possible contact with is the official/priest/vicar etc who is actually conducting the ceremony in order to get first hand knowledge of what they don’t allow during their ceremonies.
The dos and don’ts of weddings vary from church to church, register office to register office, registrar to registrar and so on and should never be taken as red. They should also come straight from the horse’s mouth if at all possible as I recently found to my annoyance and embarrassment when, acting upon misinformation given by a lesser register office official, I sat quietly at the back of a ceremony until I was called for the ‘signing shots’, only to be questioned by the registrar herself following the ceremony as to why I hadn’t taken any shots during the show!
After I’ve made contact with the necessary individuals its time to scout the territory, if its somewhere I’ve not worked before, and also to get some shots of the venue before guests arrive. These are often useful starter shots for an album or can make good backgrounds for layered album pages.
I always try to get as wide a variety of shots preceding and during the ceremony as circumstances allow. Sticking to ‘the usual stuff’ may be acceptable to some if not many of my clients, but it certainly won’t separate me from my competitors when it comes to attracting new customers. Post-production treatment also needs to be as inventive as possible for the same reason, more on this later. Apart from anything else, always looking for that interesting angle, that unusual composition or that curious ambient lighting effect stops me getting bored. After all there are only so many times you can shoot the bride and groom from the end of the isle no matter how wonderful a scene it is. Its also quite gratifying to find how often some of the more unusual images I make end up chosen by couples to feature in their wedding albums. Having said that I am always conscious of capturing those ‘expected’ shots as bride’s mothers in particular demand these, they also buy prints or even album copies, and they certainly help to carry my reputation by recommendation.
Post ceremony:
This is where the fun can really begin. The ceremony will have been pretty much completely controlled in respect of everyone being where they need to be when they need to be there, bridal prerogatives accepted. Depending upon the schedule post-ceremony shooting may involve either a brief or more extended session at the church or registry office followed by a quick transfer to another venue. During this time, no matter how brief, I may need to take some or all of the required formal group shots, get at least some of the bride & groom portraits I’ll need, capture as many post ceremony reportage shots as possible (this is usually one of the most spontaneous and interesting period of the day) and also take one or two impromptu pics of Auntie Agnes with her nephews and nieces before she has to return to the nursing home. If I’m lucky the bride and groom will have talked to their respective parents and will have a definitive list of required group formals. Most of the time however I won’t be so lucky and what was discussed as half a dozen shots during the pre-wedding meeting/correspondence quickly turns into twenty or more group shots, many of which always appear to contain the same people save one or two. The biggest issues here involve managing to persuade often sizeable groups of people to a) be where they’re required when they’re required (remember what I said about the best man!) b) stand as you need them to c) not deliberately hide behind each other and d) move location occasionally so that all of the group shots don’t look pretty much identical. All of this while the next wedding party is arriving.
The reception:
Depending upon the schedule of the wedding many of the group formals and bride & groom portraits can be taken at the reception venue either prior to or immediately following the wedding breakfast. These opportunities can however be just as fraught as shots taken at a separate ceremony venue as I will quite possibly have to deal with a pushy wedding organiser constantly asking how long it will be before the bride and groom can take their places to receive guests; and I will almost certainly be in direct competition with the lure of the bar.
At some point before the line-up (or more like a line-out at some weddings I’ve photographed) the wedding organiser will need to go over details with the happy couple, this is an ideal time for me to get some shots of the breakfast room before in a virgin state as it were. The details captured here can sometimes be regarded as among the most important memories of the day and I always try to include place settings, seating plans, the menu, the place card with the bride’s new name, table decorations, favours etc and a few all important wide shots of the whole space (I’ve managed to flog a couple of these to venues themselves for brochures etc). Before the line-up I also try to get a few pics of the cake if it’s on display and a mock shot or two of the bride & groom cutting the cake (this is essential if your booking ends before the ‘real’ cutting of the cake later on).
The reception and wedding breakfast themselves are an ideal opportunity for informal and reportage shots. Again I aim for as much variety as I can possibly get and try to include candid, fun shots, informal groups, couples and children. When shooting reportage material if at all possible I try to shoot from as many different levels and as many different locations as I can and to include close-up and wide angle material. The important thing here is to ensure that I have as large a volume and variety of material as possible because I know that there will be a reasonably high reject rate in editing. One thing I’ve learned to avoid is shots of people eating, they’re rarely flattering and capturing these can leave me open to hostility from subjects if I’m noticed. The only real exception to this tends to be younger children.
One of the most important stages of the day is the speeches. It’s important that I try to capture some of the flavour of this part of the day be it simply the brides father kissing his daughter at the close of his speech, the groom passing out flowers to his and his bride’s mothers or responses from the groom and possibly the crowd during the most humorous parts of the best man’s offering.
The latter part of the reception can be a very productive time for me as I gather more reportage style shots of the bride and groom relaxing among their guests, or sneak the happy couple off for a few more portraits. Depending on the reception schedule, weather and time of year I’m sometimes lucky enough to have a little time with the bride & groom outside during late evening, which can provide some of the most magical lighting of the day. Alternatively this can be an ideal time for some exterior shots of the venue. Back inside it’s time for me to prepare for the ‘real’ cutting of the cake and the all-important first dance, which is often the last of my photo duties for the day.