Make Backups Of All Images
A photographers worst nightmare is losing photos, either through accidentally deleting files or a corrupted memory card. Make it a habit to copy images to your computer and an external hard drive immediately after the shoot. Yes, making twoor even threecopies is ideal, and doing it the minute you get home from the wedding is the best time to do this.
Understand Rights To The Photos
The permissions and legal intricacies around rights to wedding photos can often be blurry, so any clarification you can get before signing off will benefit both you and the photographer down the line.
For my clients, I typically own the rights to the images, while giving the couple/family personal use to them. They receive high resolution files so they are able to print and post on the internet for personal use as much as they would like, with the only modification allowed being cropping. Before using any couples imagery in a business portfolio, its best to check with them first. When it comes to any type of commercial usage or business usage with other vendors, it just becomes a conversation, but I am typically very flexible. I look at photo permissions on a case-by-case basis, and if you have specific desires for the images, just ask so we can work something out.
Tip 08
Wedding Photography Tips: Tips By Pros
Dylan Howells wedding photography tip:
Dylan is from Portland, Oregon. He works in different countries trying to tell wonderful love stories of his clients. To reveal the incredible natural beauty and true feelings through the wedding photography is his main goal.
Candice Cusics wedding photography tip:
Candice specializes in different family celebration images and wedding photos. She does not like to shoot lots of similar pictures with identical smiling faces. In the wedding photography tips for brides, she emphasized that the greatest photos can be shot in the natural situations, when they are not specially prepared or stage.
Chrisman Studios wedding photography tip:
Those couples, who want to have their wedding photography gallery in documentary style, offer Chrisman Studios services. A talented videographer and 4 creative photographers will satisfy all the requirements.
Jonas Petersons wedding photography tip:
Jonas is a top wedding photographer who has been working in the industry for many years. If you visit his website, which he has started in 2008, you will understand why he is so appreciated and honored. And his additional brilliant beach wedding photography tips are unique and exciting.
Pranjal Kumars wedding photography tip:
Gabe McClintocks wedding photography tip:
Laura Babbs wedding photography tip:
Hafenliebe Wedding Photographys wedding photography tip:
Dan ODays wedding photography tip:
Ann Young
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Use Clone Tool To Get Rid Of Flaws
No bride wants her photos of the wedding to be imperfect. A problem, in this case, can be redness, pimples, small wrinkles, black circles and much more.
On the other side, be very careful when using it, you can easily overdo the face, thereby making the image unnatural. Using this tool in Photoshop is one of the most common wedding photography tips for beginners.
Tip #1: Show Up Early And Scout The Location For The Best Light Source
One of the best wedding photography tips for beginners is to arrive at the venue early. Not only does this give you ample time to prepare your equipment, but also time to scout for shooting locations and available lighting.
When you arrive 30-60 minutes early, you wont risk working under pressure to get all the necessary shots. In addition, you can carve out time to talk with the coordinators, and other vendors who will work with you during the day.
Whenever you arrive at the venue, one of the first things to do is to check the lighting that might be available throughout the day. There are four common sources of light that you can optimize:
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How Long Does Hair And Makeup Take
All together you should set aside about 2-2.5 hours for your hair & makeup.
Having your hair and makeup timings just right is really important. This is where you can really upset your wedding schedule if you get behind. Brides normally allow about 2 – 2.5 hours to get ready for hair and makeup for their bridal party and themselves.
Typically bridal prep can vary depending on different reasons, such as:
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the size of your bridal party
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the complexity of the hairstyles and makeup for each person
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travel time between where you get ready and where the ceremony will be held.
All of these can contribute to the timing for getting ready, which is why it is really important to plan well in advance.
So How Do You Become A Wedding Photographer
Almost on a weekly basis I get emails from aspiring wedding photographers asking how to break into the industry. Facebook groups are filled with the same question. Like running any business theres so many different ways of going about it. Im a strong believer that there is enough work to go around so Id never discourage anyone from trying to build a business in this industry. Sadly though, I also see couples who have had their wedding days ruined by inexperienced and underprepared photographers. I think you can have the best of both worlds building a business you love without risking ruining someones big day. Here are some of my tips to breaking into the wedding industry.
Second Shooting/Assisting
If youd like to offer your services as an assistant or second shooter here are some hints and tips:
DONT send a mass email to loads of photographers. We can spot that a mile off and they are really freaking annoying. Follow some local photographers whose style you like and when you approach them make sure your email is personal. When you get in touch make the email personal make us believe youve actually looked at our website for more than 3 seconds. And finally do not just tell us what you want. Tell us what you can do for us.
Once you bagged a second shooter or assisting role youll be really keen to make a good impression. Pop over to blog post on how to be a good second shooter here
Workshops and Styled Shoots
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Get A Sense Of What Poses Work For The Couple
Every couple is different and will have a different level of comfort in front of the camera. During the engagement shoot, try different poses and directives. This wont only help the couple get used to posing it will help you determine the most flattering poses that you can recreate on the wedding day.
Taking engagement photos gives you a chance to learn what poses work for your couple before the wedding day.
Tips For Destination Wedding Photography
Destination weddings are weddings that take place in an exotic destination. Think of beaches in the Bahamas or cliffs of the Grand Canyon.
As a photographer, destination weddings can provide some very beautiful locations. They help to create special images that stand out from the usual wedding photos.
But, there are disadvantages that come with this style. For example, you might not be able to scout the area beforehand.
If you are looking to enter this field of wedding photography, read our tips. they will help to ensure you are as prepared as can be.
A really creative way to photograph people at weddings could be something really creative such as a photo booth.
Something like this is relatively easy to set up and will work wonders at the reception.
The guests will be able to photograph themselves in a more relaxed manner than having a photographer in their face. Plus, everyone loves photo booths.
This is something you can leave for people to use on their own, while you are still shooting.
You could even plug an instant printer there and charge people for the photographs.
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When Should You Take Your Engagement Photos
Couples usually take engagement photos about three months before their wedding date. You should work with your photographer to determine the best time for your needs. Some couples will adjust their timing to have a warm-weather engagement shoot, but dont shy away from a winter photo session. We find winter engagement shoots to be among the most intimate, cozy and romantic!
Rent Photo Gear If Needed
As someone newer to wedding photography, you may not have the resources yet to buy everything you need, and thats okay! One of the cost-effective ways to shoot quality photos at first is by renting gear. To try before you buy, consider these rental solutions:
Make sure each piece of equipment has a secure, designated space in a bag on the wedding day. Number your bags and pack them consistently to prevent misplacing items or leaving anything behind.
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Free Wedding Photography Contract Template
You can download the free photography contract template below to study. There are particular things to look out for in a wedding photo contract. It begins with the basic information that asks for your name, spouses name, and contact information. The services obtained by your contract, wedding date, location, and time. A signature slot is also important for all parties to sign.
Other things to look out for are
Finding The Right Laptop
When you think of photography, you probably imagine holding a camera to your face and composing beautiful images. But thats only one part of the process. You also have to edit tons of photos. Luckily, advances in technology mean most laptops are able to give photographers everything they need to succeed. But some laptops offer features that are more aligned with the needs and lifestyle of a photographer. What should you look for when seeking the best laptop for photography?
- Top-of-the-line display: Youre going to be looking at photos closely on your laptop you need an absolutely top of-the-line display so that you can see every nook and cranny of your photos. If youre looking at photos on a laptop with so-so display, you likely wont be able to make edits with confidence. The Apple Macbook with Retina display is a popular choice for this reason. Retina display offers detail, brightness, contrast, and saturation. If you want a larger screen that still has powerful display, the Dell XPS 15 is 15 inches , which means its a great option.
- Long battery life: You may have to edit on the go and you might not always want to drag around a charger on top of the other equipment youll have. A laptop with long battery life gives you peace of mind and allows you to edit for long stretches of time without interruption. Lucky for you, most major brands are making advances in battery life, so you should be able to find an option that lasts you a while.
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Best Memory Cards For All Photography Budgets Cf
These are important, as they will be saving all of your beautiful images. At the actual wedding, your camera might be set to photograph in rapid succession.
This is called burst mode or continuous high-speed mode. Photographing many images in a short space of time will put your card under stress and pressure.
You dont want a slow memory card in these circumstances. Here, the camera might stop and need time to go through the 15 images you just shot.
This is the area you cant save money on. Get the fastest, best memory cards and they will reward you with amazing images.
Scroll Through Social Media And Online Reviews
One of the easiest ways to choose a wedding photographer is to research online. Moesia Davis, owner of Mo Davis Photography, highly recommends checking our reviews to gauge whether or not this person will be a fit. “Before you hire a photographer, read the reviews to make sure their past couples consider them as trustworthy vendors,” she says.
Another tool you can turn to is social media. “Social media has become a popular and pivotal tool in the wedding industry,” Davis explains. “Searching hashtags and following wedding blogs can often lead to finding a great photographer.”
One of our favorite pro tips is to search your wedding venue and check out the tagged photos. Often, you’ll be able to discover many talented pros with a swipe of your finger.
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Get To Know The Couple Before The Wedding
Engagement photo shoots can be a great way to break the ice.
If you want to be a great portrait photographer, you need to do more than just take pictures. You need to get to know your subject and connect with them on some level.
The same is true for wedding photography. The better you know your couples and the more they trust you, the better their wedding photos will be.
Depending on your circumstances, you might not have time to meet up with the bride and groom in person before their wedding.
Ideally, youd be able to take some engagement photos together to get to know each other or meet up for a coffee to chat about their expectations of you as a photographer, but this isnt always possible.
As a bare minimum, you need to provide your couples with a questionnaire that asks things that reveal a bit about their personality.
Ask them about their favourite foods, movies, date ideas anything that you can use to connect with them on their big day, to make them feel more at ease.
You could also ask the bride and groom separate questions, like how they felt when they first saw each other revealing this during the bridal portrait session can lead to some candid and emotional moments.
Moments Are What Matter Most
A photo can fail technically, but still delight your clients.
Despite all those epic destination wedding shots you see on Instagram of the bride and groom in front of a waterfall in Iceland, or the bride posed dramatically on a cliff edge somewhere exotic, these are not always the clients favourite photos.
Remember to concentrate on getting as many candid images of people at the wedding as possible.
Focus on the couple and their close family learn to anticipate moments before they occur, and capture something truly unrepeatable.
While its great to throw a few epic shots into your portfolio, its the photo of the brides mother crying as the bride and groom walk down the aisle that your clients will treasure forever.
Magical, emotionally charged moments trump everything else. Dont be afraid to include photos that arent technically great as long as theres a special moment, your clients wont care.
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