Wow, a world of changes!

Well it has been some time since I last posted, April 17 in fact! So much has happened since that time that it is hard to believe. First of all, I left Australia in early May to go to the USA for my wedding to my beautiful bride, Mary Ann Palmer. We got married on May 27 in Birmingham Alabama in a beautiful ceremony presided over by one of my photography friends, Jeff Matsler. Jeff is a minister from Panhandle Texas, and he flew down to join the celebrations. Thanks again Jeff!

The wedding party was like nothing you get over here in Australia - 8 bridesmaids, 7 groomsmen, flower girl and page boy. With Bride and Groom that makes 19 people in the bridal party! I have been shooting weddings over here for years now and the largest I have ever had to shoot was 5 a side. Here's a shot of the whole crew:

It was quite a crowd and I am very happy weddings are smaller affairs over here! We had the usual dramas that you get when you combine alcohol with highly charged emotions and nerves but we all made it through and Mary Ann and I are now married! Woo Hoo!

Thinking back to all of this stuff I realise that I really need to devote a few posts to telling the story of the past few months so I will provide the next update soon. I do however have a quick announcement that I would like to cover here. I am proud to say that I have just opened a new wedding photography business in Coffs Harbour, and have completed the first-cut of the website. Have a look here for the details:

http://www.northcoastphotography.com.au/index.html

I would appreciate any feedback you might like to give.

Back soon with more on the wedding saga!

Building an inexpensive portable studio

Well it's been several days since I last posted, so I decided to go to a bit of effort to reward regular visitors. Today I will show you a relatively inexpensive way to build a portable and professional studio that you can use for on-site portraiture, or even in the studio if you have limited funds to invest in a full light kit and softboxes etc. This set-up has been demonstrated using my Canon gear, but will work equally well with any other remote flash system.

The use of softboxes is commonplace in studios, and are used regularly to create a soft even light for portraiture. For those unfamiliar with them, a softbox looks like this:

They are designed to mount onto professional strobe systems, which while great for permanent studios can be difficult to transport off-site, and are generally impractical for a portable studio operation. This is particularly the case if the photographer does not have an assistant to help carry equipment.

When I first looked at the problem of portable lighting I was impressed by an article written by a photographer named Neil Turner about the Lastolite "Umbrellabox". It looked like a great alternative for a photographer looking to get professional results using lightweight, inexpensive equipment.

The Lastolite Umbrellabox is similar to a standard photographic umbrella, but with a diffusing white cover. The entire system is much less expensive than a traditional lightbox and enables you to use shoe-mounted flash units, while still giving virtually identical lighting to a traditional softbox.

The Lastolite Umbrellabox on a lightweight and compact Manfrotto light stand. This stand enables the umbrellabox to be raised or lowered to meet your desired positioning. On the top of the lightstand is an inexpensive umbrella bracket, to which attaches the stand that comes with my 580EX flash units. If you have a flash unit without a stand you simply need to buy the appropriate bracket. The whole package packs down into a very small space, as shown below (camera for scale).

It is very easy to carry a full two light system in a tripod case over your shoulder, and means that you can take the units anywhere you might need extra lighting. Best of all, the entire set-up will only set you back $145 per light (plus the cost of your shoe-mounted flash). A close-up of the mounted flash is shown below:

You can see the way that the softbox zips up around the flash, protecting against light spill. Setting up the flash to shoot backwards leaves the infra-red detector exposed, ready to receive the signal from the transmitter.

As I said previously the results achieveable with the lastolite softbox are comparable to a full sized studio system. Here is one of my very first shots with the system, doing a basic corporate headshot. That's me by-the-way

This shot was taken with two stands, one set back slightly further to create some shadow. You can see that very professional results can be achieved with the system, at a relatively low cost. The background is a simple white wall that has been lit with a third flash unit, which had a coloured gel over it.

The system I use to achieve the background is the Lumiquest FX - for US$29 it is one of the most lightweight, portable and cost effective backgrounds that you will ever buy. After all, nearly every house or office has a white wall somewhere. The system is shown below mounted on a 580EX.

As you can see it comes with five colored gels, which simply slip into a pocket behind the diffusing front panel. The whole thing folds down and fits into a supplied wallet that can easily be slotted into a spare pocket in your camera bag.

Here's another shot that I shot down my hallway to display how it can be used for dramatic colored lighting - not the most inspired shot for sure, but you get the picture. If you like messing around with flash, and are looking for a portable backdrop for emergencies then it could be $29 well spent.

While we are talking about portable studios, here's another handy gadget. It's called the Lumiquest Promax Snoot, and it is cheap at about $23. A snoot is designed to focus the light from a flash unit into a small cone of light, and this unit is quite effective at that task. Like the FX, it folds down flat to fit easily into your bag.

When it is set up and mounted on the flash unit you can use it to direct the light much more carefully than you can achieve without a snoot. It also helps avoid light flare hitting your lens when you are lighting something from behind. If you have the FX as well you can even use one of the gels insite the snoot to colour the light. I use this primarily for a hairlight, as the tight control of the light helps me avoid spill onto the face and flare in my lens from a light mounted to the rear of the subject.

Here's an example I took on the weekend (one of the reasons I was too busy to update my blog). This is my friend Scott who is getting married next weekend (congratulations Scott!) for whom I was shooting some pre-wedding portraiture to save time on the day. While most of the shots were to be outdoors, while we waited for the rest of the party I set-up this shot with a single Umbrellabox, and a snooted 580EX as a hairlight (with yellow gel).

Sure it's not perfect, but I think it's OK for a fully portable studio. There is a shot below of the snoot mounted on the flash. Hopefully you can start to see just how convenient these lightweight stands and shoe-mounted strobes can be.  

Well there you have it - my portable lighting system. I run it with three strobes and a Canon ST-E2 infra-red transmitter, and I find it works really well. I can use it for a portrait shoot just about anywhere. My Umbrellaboxes are 40 inch models, which are fine for head and shoulders and waist up shots, and cost $63 of that total of $145 per stand I quoted earlier. For full length shots you will need a bigger model, and if so the 60 inch version costs about $175 and appears to be readily portable. These also come in larger sizes, but at those sizes they are more suited to studio strobes than shoe mounted strobes given the amount of light required.

Now you may say that the above is true as far as it goes, but that you need expensive modern flash units to use it. Well, sure, that's how I do it for convenience, but you don't need to have multiple 580EXs to set up a similar system. If you wanted to you could buy older flash units (as long as they have manual power controls), a couple of slave triggers, and do it on the cheap. Heck, with the instant feedback of the DSLR you don't even need a flashmeter to set it all up, just use trial and error until you have it right. Soon enough you will get to know what power you need to achieve the desired results. Use an on camera flash set to minimum power to trigger the slaves and you are all set.

Anyway, I hope that has given you all some food for thought. Playing with lights can be a lot of fun, and it doesn't need to cost the earth.

How to shoot a wedding - Lesson 6

Lesson 6 - Processing, presentation and post-wedding review

So the day is over! You have photographed the wedding and now you are left with all of the RAW files to process and review, before delivering the final product to the bride and groom. I bet you thought most of the work was over! Well, perhaps it would have been in the days of film, but nowadays that is not the case.

After shooting a wedding I normally have between 500 and 600 frames to review, process and cull. The procedure I use is as follows.

Step 1 - Backup RAW files

Immediately after getting home from the wedding I will download all of the images taken to my hard drive. Due to the slow transfer speed of most cameras I use a card reader to perform this task. These can normally download images much faster than directly from the camera, and are quite inexpensive. If you don’t have one I highly recommend investing in one.

Once the images are downloaded to the computer I immediately burn DVDs of the images. This normally will require two DVDs. These images are stored in a filing system for access at a later time if ever required. The important thing to ensure is that you have the key data stored in two places.

I recently acquired an Epson P-5000 to enhance my capacity to manage this process, as it enables me to back-up during the day, for additional protection. The Epson P-5000 is a portable storage system with a 4 inch screen and an 80GB hard drive that downloads and displays both RAW files and JPEGs. While I don’t feel that this is absolutely necessary on the day, if you have a similar device consider taking it along to provide additional protection.

Step 2 - Process the images

Shooting in RAW provides great benefits to the inexperienced photographer, and in fact to any wedding photographer. Firstly, it means that you don’t need to worry about white balance during the day. When you are rushing around trying to shoot a wedding you really don’t want to be worrying about white balance as well. Shooting RAW means you can adjust this later, and will help you get a consistent white balance from shot to shot. Secondly, and importantly, you can adjust brightness and contrast in a much more effective manner than doing it later with JPEGs. It is VERY easy to underexpose shots when you are rushing around on the day, and as a first timer you are likely to forget to use exposure compensation (‘EC’) to adjust for some situations where your camera won’t meter well. By shooting RAW I can often pull up a shot that is underexposed by up to 1.5 stops without any noticeable impact in terms of noise etc. (particularly at lower ISOs). This is not an excuse not to use EC in the first place, it is just a way to save a shot that otherwise is too dark or too light.

Shooting in RAW does, however, mean that you have a task ahead of you after finishing the day. The process of optimising the images takes me approximately 2 - 3 hours after the wedding, depending on the number of shots taken. I use a professional program called “Capture One” to process my images, but every camera manufacturer provides a program with their digital SLRs that will enable you to process the images satisfactorily. The professional programs are designed for optimising workflow processes, and as a result can often be faster than the programs provided by the camera manufacturers, but don’t worry, you will get there in the end. Additionally, there are image processing forums on virtually every photography related forum site which can provide advice and point you in the right direction.

One hint I have with respect to processing images is to err on the side of warmer images. When I started and moved to a color-calibrated monitor I was able for the first time to get white balance exactly correct on my prints and screen. What I found is that even though I might have had the colour temperature technically correct, couples often felt that the images were cold. I now prepare all of my shots with a touch more warmth, not enough so they look wrong, but just enough to give them an inviting feel. Naturally if I later decide I want to go back to the original it is as easy as pulling up my RAW and starting again.

Speaking of colour calibration, the monitor you are using right now, if not specifically color calibrated, can often be quite off, resulting in electronic images that look different when viewed on a different computer, and prints that look different to the way the images appear on your screen. The process of color calibration can be expensive and certainly deserves another article, rather than being covered here. That said, if you are going to be presenting prints to the bride and groom it is worthwhile taking say 10 images to the lab and checking how they come out before processing the whole lot! If your screen is significantly off you will need to try to correct it before providing the finished products to the bride and groom.

That reminds me. If you are providing prints to the bride and groom I strongly recommend having them prepared by a professional rather than printing them at home. This way you will ensure that the prints have a longer life. Additionally, it is cheaper in the long run given the number of images you will be providing.

Step 3 - Cull the images

I know how hard it can be to cull images before presenting them to the bride and groom. After all we are all proud of our work, and can find it hard to criticise it impartially. On the other hand, giving a couple 600 pictures including obvious errors and duplicate shots etc. is expensive, and won’t help you look like a good photographer.

Here is what I do. First of all, I run through the images taken and I delete any where the focus is off or I have made an obvious error, except where that image is a particularly important one. After all a slightly blurry picture of the first kiss is better than no picture at all. Next, I review pictures that are very similar. I often will take two or three shots of the one pose that are virtually identical to ensure I have focus spot on etc. If so, I will pick the best of the shots and delete the others. The only time I do not consider deleting shots is for the group formal pictures. These I always provide all of to the couple. I then consider photographs where for whatever reason the bride or groom look bad. This may be due to an unflattering pose, or a strange expression on the face. In these circumstances I consider if there are sufficient photos that are relatively similar to enable me to delete the shots. After all, no-one wants to look at shots of themselves where, for example, by the fault of the photographer they have been made to look fat. Finally, I review the candids taken on the day and pull out shots with no merit (ie. backs of peoples’ heads etc.).

What I am left with is shots that are of a good quality, show the couple off to their best, and provide a full and complete coverage of the day. These are the shots I will give to the bride and groom.

If you are concerned about not giving them everything, don’t be. You are the photographer, these are your photos, they reflect upon your competence and ability. As long as you provide a full and complete coverage the bride and groom don’t need to see the stuff-ups.

Step 4 - Presentation

Normally when I do a complimentary wedding shoot for good friends I give my services, proofs and a digital copy of the processed JPEGs to the couple as my wedding gift. I do not normally prepare an album, as this can be quite expensive, however I do offer a discounted album service through my studio if they wish. For the presentation however I do the following.

I provide 6x4s of the images taken to the couple, professionally printed and on good quality paper. I use my pro lab for this, which costs much more than a similar consumer lab, but at least for me it is tax-deductible.   The cost of getting 400 or so images printed is not to be taken for granted, so bear this in mind if you are proposing to do this for the couple. You do not want to cull images just to save a few bucks.

I place my images in a presentation box, together with a DVD that contains full sized images, plus folders with image versions resized for 6x4s and email sized images. No-one wants to get an email containing four or five 12MP JPEGs, so make it easy on the couple by providing email sized images for them to send around. This can be done easily by setting up an action in Photoshop, and then using the “Automate” function to process the whole lot quickly and easily.

In the box I also include a handwritten card thanking them for the opportunity to be a part of their day, and recommending that they back-up the DVD to their hard drive, and make an extra copy and put it in a safe place.

Step 5 - Post wedding review

It is important that after the wedding you take the time to reflect on what went well, or poorly on the big day. Have a think about what you could have done better, and what you need to practice better for next time. Critically review your coverage and determine if there were any areas which were underdone, and deserved more shots. Review the poses you set-up for the couple and assess if they could have been improved. Importantly, look at every shot you took that was poor, either through focus, camera settings, camera shake etc and determine what was the cause. Check the metadata on the files to help get to the bottom of why the shots went wrong. These are the shots you need extra practice on before you shoot your next wedding.

Thanks for reading my series on “How to shoot a wedding”. I hope you got a bit out of it, and if you are ever called upon to perform the service for a friend or family member that it will help you perform well and capture all of their precious moments.

http://www.northcoastphotography.com.au/index.html

How to shoot a wedding - Lesson 5

Lesson 5 - Wedding Poses 101

The title for this lesson is a little deceptive, because while I will be going through some tips for poses, and some dos and don'ts for the big day, I won't be giving you a guidebook of different poses to do. Wedding photography can be broken into two parts - the "record of the day" photos, and the "creative" photos. If I tell you exactly what poses to do, where is your creativity getting a chance to develop? Additionally, I'm not the best wedding photographer in the world, or even in my studio. You can learn more from other talented photographers, you just need to make the effort to do it.

The best way to do this is to spend some time browsing other photographers work to get some ideas of poses and photographs that you really like.  Years ago this was so much harder than it is today, now with the internet we can view photographs from some of the best photographers in the world from the comfort of our homes. Some photographers might feel that this is inappropriate, and impinges on their intellectual property. Personally, I think it is perfectly acceptable, as long as you are learning from their work, and not slavishly copying it. After all, artists have been creating in the style of previous artists for lifetimes, or have been influenced by other artists. In fact, every professional photographer who learns under a pro will adopt some of the style of their teacher into their wedding photography. This is one of the reasons why studios develop a distinctive style, even when they have multiple photographers working for them.

When you find images that you really like, make notes about them, and gradually build up a list of images that appeal to you. Then before you shoot your first wedding find a couple, preferably the bride and groom, and shoot a practice session with them. Take the opportunity to practice all of the poses that you have seen and liked, and try other things as well. On this day you are not pressed for time so really look at the poses you set up. Look at the little details, the way the light falls, the positioning of hands, the naturalness of the pose. Make sure you set up some photos where they are interacting with each other, rather than the camera. Get the groom to whisper something cheeky in the bride’s ear while they are embracing and capture her reaction.

When shooting these shots, remember to make sure you do the moving, rather than the couple. What I mean is to walk around the couple, shooting them from a variety of different angles. This helps create a range of different shots without causing too much work for the couple, and without wasting time. One of the things most beginners do is to set up a pose and then shoot ten shots of it, with only very minor differences. This is a waste of time. Once you have a couple of shots move around the couple looking for different aspects of the same pose.

The practice session is very valuable for an inexperienced photographer, as it helps improve your chances of success on the big day in several ways:

• Practicing with any couple will improve your portraiture. Naturally you can’t expect to improve without actually taking photos, and weddings are not a place to learn on the job. Practicing beforehand will enable you to try all of the poses that you want to use, and learn new ones.
• If you actually shoot with the bride and groom it gives you a chance to improve your communication with the couple before the day. By having photographed them beforehand they are more likely to know what to do when you describe a pose for them, and you will be able to use time more efficiently on the wedding day.
• Most people will be photographed more on their wedding day than on any other day. This can be quite intimidating, particularly if people are self-conscious. By photographing them beforehand they will get a little more comfortable with the process, and are more likely to be able to relax on the wedding day, which will help you capture better, more natural shots.
• By reviewing all of the shots afterwards you will be able to get a better understanding of what looks good and what doesn’t, what works and what just looks forced. Additionally, you can seek feedback from other photographers on websites that host wedding photography forums. Critically look at each shot, and determine what you might have done that could improve it. This review should be taken from both an aesthetic perspective (ie. the attractiveness of the pose) and from a technical perspective (ie. was the aperture sufficient to ensure key elements are in focus, was the fill flash level enough but not overdone etc.).
• You will see what issues you may have on the day with respect to the appearance of the couple. For example you may get a bride or groom who is much taller than their partner. By shooting beforehand you get an opportunity to look at ways to make them appear more even. On reviewing the shots you may determine that the groom’s eye sockets are quite deep. If this is the case you know you will need a fraction more fill than normally would be the case, or alternatively (and preferably) you will need a reflector.
• Finally, the bride and groom will get a chance to review your work and show you what shots they like, and what they don’t. It also gives them an understanding of the quality of your work, enabling them to make an informed decision about getting you to shoot their big day.

So as you can see, having a practice shoot is very beneficial and really should be done if at all possible. Once done, print off a page of thumbnails of poses you and the couple really liked to prompt you on the wedding day.

Key photo list and hints for the day

I have listed below a range of photos to act as a guide for the inexperienced photographer on the wedding day. This is one area where everyone will have a difference of opinion, and there will also be likely to be many shots which are not done here in Australia, but are important in other cultures. Accordingly, please consider this as just a suggestion, and add or subtract items as you feel appropriate, or based upon the specifics of your wedding day. For US based pros, please feel free to make suggestions of photos particular to the USA in the comments area and I will incorporate them through updates.

In Australia the bride will normally get prepared at her house or her parents house before being driven to the wedding. Generally I like to arrive when the bride is finalising her make-up, but before the dress has been put on. By having the bridesmaids made up first and dressed it means that photos can be taken of the bride getting ready with all the bridesmaids present. Shots I take at the bride's house before she is fully dressed include:

• Close-ups of flowers
• Perfume bottle
• Jewellery
• Garter and veil
• Hanging dress
• Shoes
• Bride having makeup applied
• Bride relaxing, reading a bridal  magazine, etc. in a gown.

After the bride gets into her dress the following shots normally get taken.

• Buttoning up the rear of the dress
• Putting on jewellery (mother or bridesmaid to put on bracelet/necklace etc.)
• Applying perfume
• Putting in earrings
• Brides portraits - with/without flowers, veil up/down etc.
• Photos with parents individually, adjusting Dad's tie, pinning on flowers etc.
• Photos with both parents
• Popping champagne bottle with parents and bridesmaids
• Formal portrait of bride with all bridesmaids and bride with each bridesmaid individually (if time permits, particularly if you are going to be pressed for time later in the day)

After this I normally head for the ceremony venue. In Australia shots of the groom and family are normally done at the ceremony location).

• Groom portraiture
• Gazing at boxed rings
• Details of attire, close ups of cufflinks perhaps.
• Interacting with groomsmen
• Portrait of groom with groomsmen in the background
• Formal portrait of groom with each groomsman
• Groom pinning flowers on groomsmen
• Mother of groom pinning flower on, brushing lint off groom’s shoulders etc.
• Groom with mother
• Groom with father
• Groom with both parents

This is all done normally in the 20-30 minutes before the arrival of the bride. When the time of the Bride’s arrival is near, leave the groom and head to the front of the venue to capture the bride arriving. I prefer to get one of the bridesmaids to call me when the bride is about 5 minutes away to make sure I get out in front without wasting time standing around doing nothing. This is also a good time to have your assistant (if you have one) positioning themselves in the church to capture the groom’s face as the bride walks down the aisle.

• Cars arriving
• Bride and father of bride (assuming they traveled together) in the car from front seat
• Bride portrait through open car window
• Bride exiting car assisted by bridesmaids
• Bridesmaids fussing over bride, getting her ready
• Photos of each bridesmaid and bride walking down the aisle (don’t hesitate to use flash, this is a moving target in a low light environment and you will need a fast shutter speed and a small aperture to ensure focus. Experienced photographers can often do this with wider apertures giving more ambient light, but for a beginner it is probably better to shoot these shots as described above. If you have two cameras, have one set up with your fast prime for ambient light in the church, and the other set up for the shots where the couple is moving where you will use predominantly flash).
• Photo after bride passes you of her and father with train down the aisle.
• Bride being presented to the groom

It is at this point that you will often get a few minutes to check everything. The next key shots you need will be of any people giving readings, or of the exchange of rings and the kiss. Make sure your cameras are set up correctly. You have practiced this before so you probably are on top of it, but just make sure you are set up for the key shots. Check ISO, settings for flash, camera settings etc.

The photos during the ceremony are pretty obvious, with differences based upon the nature of the wedding. Make sure you know what the key parts of the ceremony are if it is an unfamiliar wedding where there may be cultural differences from those you have attended before. The bride and groom can tell you what is important to them if this is the case. In most cases in Australia the key shots are of the ring exchanges and the kiss. If I have an assistant shooting I will normally ask him or her to use a telephoto to try to capture close-ups of the ring exchange. IMPORTANT POINT: Make sure you check your card has room for several photos before these key moments – you don’t want to miss the kiss due to a full CF Card!

There are some important rules when shooting in a ceremony. First of all, you should have spoken to the celebrant/father/pastor before the ceremony to know if there are any specific rules to follow re. where you can stand etc. or the use of flash. Normally this is not the case and you have free reign (within reason). Try to never move in front of the parents of the bride and groom, and move slowly and quietly if you do need to move.

In Australia immediately after the service the bride and groom and witnesses will sign a marriage certificate. It is normal practice to pose for photos of this before leaving the church. If so, try to incorporate plenty of ambient light. If you can set up your tripod quickly and the light is low enough to require it, then use it opposed to just blasting away with flash (normally I leave it set up and ready to go near to the altar in these circumstances).

After these photos the bride and groom will normally greet the parents – this happens quickly and requires similar settings for when the bride is walking down the aisle – a smaller aperture, faster shutter speed (say 1/60 minimum) and more reliance on flash. Capture the bride and groom leaving the church, normally I pose them for a shot immediately outside the door. NOTE: YOU HAVE MOVED OUTSIDE, TURN YOUR ISO DOWN, AND CHECK YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS.

When moving outside, make sure your flash is set to high speed sync, otherwise you will start getting overexposed photos as your flash tries to restrict your camera to your maximum sync speed. The first time this happens to you it can be frustrating as you try to work out why the camera is overexposing. Also ensure you turn down your Flash Exposure Compensation as described in previous lessons.

After the bride and groom leave and are being greeted and congratulated by friends take a breath and gather your equipment together for the next location. I like to shoot some candid shots of the couple being congratulated, and if you have an assistant this is a good time for them to shoot these shots while you prepare for the next stage.

After a few minutes, as previously agreed by you with the bride and groom, remind them of the time and move them to the area where the family formals will take place. You should already know what shots are required due to your preparation, make sure the delegated family members are rounding up those required for the shots. Some tips for the formals are as follows:

• Always take at least two shots of each group. Someone will always be blinking.
• Remember to leave room at the sides of the shot for cropping to 8x10 size.
• Ask people with spectacles to remove them if possible.
• I personally get men to put their forward hand in their trouser pocket – hands just don’t look good in group photos.
• Ladies should be asked to put their bags down. If anyone is carrying a camera or anything else like an order of service get them to put it down.
• Shoot at at least f/5.6 for more depth of field.

Upon completion of your formals, it is time to shoot your wedding portraiture. Get the bridal party away from the guests so they aren’t distracted and take the shots you need to take, including the formal bridal party portrait. Try to ensure that everyone enjoys themselves, and have a bit of fun. When shooting portraits of the bride and groom it is often nice to have the bridal party mingling in the background, out of focus.

Finally, the reception. Normally in Australia the wedding coverage ends at the start of the reception. We do a mock cake cutting, take photos of the room and the little details on the tables, the bride and groom’s place cards etc. I also like to take some dance shots. These can often be done nicely before the actual reception starts by simply shooting with a moderate telephoto at a wide aperture from waist up. Get the bride and groom to be still, enabling you to shoot with only a small amount of bounce flash, if any. The results look surprisingly good, and mean that you can leave and let the bride and groom relax and enjoy their night.

An amateur shooting their first will normally be shooting as a guest, and so you can wait for the actual dance and shoot that then. In this circumstance, remember that they will be moving so if you can’t freeze action due to low light make sure you use flash, preferably bounced off the roof.

As discussed, this portion of the guide is somewhat “Aussie-focused” as the types of shots I take are based upon the nature of most weddings over here, and the cultural settings. In the USA for example, I know the photos at the reception are a vital part of the wedding coverage, including the cake feeding shots etc. As long as you make sure that you are ready for all of these key events you should be fine.

Summary

The main things to take away from the above are the importance of preparation and practice. Shooting the couple before the day can make a real difference and will help you perform better on the day. Doing a list of all of the formal photos needed and getting the bride and groom to organize a family member to round up all of the people in the shots will make the formal shots run smoother and be a lot faster. Having a reminder page of the poses the couple liked or you preferred to refer back to when you need inspiration makes a big difference. Preparation by looking at the photos of photographers you admire and incorporating lessons learned from these into your poses will help you get better results.

http://www.northcoastphotography.com.au/index.html

How to shoot a wedding - Lesson 4

Lesson 4 - Planning the day and dealing with change

Shooting a wedding can be a very challenging experience for an inexperienced photographer, or even for an experienced photographer if he or she has never done a wedding before. Heck, even a professional wedding photographer with hundreds of weddings under his or her belt will make errors at the start of the wedding season, because it will be some time since they shot a full day, and they will be out of practice. If a professional wedding photographer needs to plan to make sure everything is done properly, you can see how this is even more important for an amateur who is doing this for the first time.

In terms of this lesson, it will be broken up into four sections:

1. Preparation to conduct in conjunction with the bride and groom.
2. Your preparation for the day.
3. Gear preparation.
4. Dealing with change on the day.

Some of you might think that this is overkill, but let me assure you it is not. I know I have harped on this in every lesson so far, but you need to understand that a wedding is not like any other type of shoot, it is a once in a lifetime (hopefully) event that can't be repeated. It's not like an advertising or modelling shoot where just money and time is at stake, it's a couple's memories of their most important day. It is not something that one walks into without serious preparation. 

1. Preparation to conduct in conjunction with the bride and groom.

So your cousin or friend has asked you to photograph their wedding, and you have done the whole "Lesson 1" thing with them and they still want you to shoot it. The first step is to sit down with them and get a sound understanding of the type of coverage that they want.

Wedding coverage generally falls into two types, photojournalistic or traditional, or commonly a combination between the two. Photojournalistic coverage has grown in popularity in recent years because it emulates the style of photography used in some of the larger wedding magazines. It is a more candid approach, with less posed photographs and more focus (pardon the pun) on capturing the story of the day. Traditional coverage is just that, a more traditional approach that involves posed photographs that are designed to capture the feelings between the bride and groom.

As the photographer you need to determine what your couple is looking for. In my experience the vast majority of couples will say that they want a less formal, more candid approach to the day. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ACTUALLY WANT A CANDID WEDDING!  If you ask more questions they will normally say that "Oh, yes we do want some posed photographs, they just want them to be natural looking. Oh, and we want the formal family shots, because Mom and Dad will want those", etc.

What most couples want is a degree of traditional coverage, but with shots that don't look posed. Sure they want some candids, but it is a very rare couple that wants a true photojournalistic wedding without some traditional coverage. If they actually do want this, I would very seriously consider not agreeing to shoot the wedding. Why? After all, you are probably thinking that it is easier to successfully shoot a candid, photojournalistic style wedding than a traditional one right? Well if you are thinking this, sorry, but you are quite wrong.

I can't tell you how difficult it is to successfully shoot a wedding in this style. I have been shooting weddings for years, and honestly, I would have trepidations in accepting a proposal for a 100% candid wedding. Personally, I think it takes a much more talented photographer to shoot a photojournalistic style wedding and get a good result. This is because it takes a great deal of experience to candidly capture the special moments in a wedding consistently, and still get an even and full coverage of the day. I really do feel sorry for couples that choose this type of wedding photography and do not get a truly talented photographer, because often they will be disappointed with the results. Even very good wedding photographers recognise this, and most of the photographers renowned for their photojounalistic work incorporate some posed photos into their coverage. Have a look at the work of well known photojournalistic wedding photographers like Phil Kramer in Philadelphia ( http://www.pkphoto.com/ ) or Joe Photo from California ( http://www.joephoto.com/ ) and you will see that they both incorporate a degree of posed shots for any wedding.

If a couple requests you to shoot the whole event candidly I would strongly encourage you to get your couple to understand the risk associated with having an entire wedding shot in this style, and get them to agree to some posed, but casual shots if at all possible. Sure if they are dead against it, don't force the issue, but make sure that they know you can't guarantee the results in these circumstances.

Suggestions about the best way to pose people in different circumstances, including trying to make the photos look less posed and more natural, will be covered in Lesson 5, "Wedding poses 101". In the interim, you need to just reassure the couple that you will do your best to capture some truly candid moments, some posed but very natural looking moments, as well as their formal shots. By doing this you can work with them to organise the wedding day best to enable you to do your job, while not getting in the way of them enjoying their day. As well as this, both you and the couple will be "on the same page" regards the way the day will go.

Once this is settled, you need to get an understanding of the time you have to work with. This is something that will vary with every wedding, because people have different timeframes etc. for the big day, as well as different cultures having different traditions. In Australia for example, couples often have some time, up to several hours, between the wedding ceremony and the actual reception enabling plenty of time for photographs. In the USA I understand this is somewhat unusual, with most weddings having the ceremony and then the reception with a short break in between. Whatever the arrangements for the wedding, you need this planned very well beforehand. The best way to do this is to start with a schedule. Draw up a standard document for the bride and groom to fill out with the following details:

• Bride's full name
• Bride's address and telephone numbers
• Bride's parents' names
• Bridesmaids' names
• Bride's email address
• Groom's full name
• Groom's address and telephone numbers
• Groom's parents' names
• Groomsmens' names
• Address where bride will be getting ready
• Address where ceremony will be held
• Celebrant's name and telephone number
• Address where reception will be held

These are all the key items of information that you will need prior to the wedding, excluding the timetable. During the day, you will have a copy of this in your pocket all the time to help you remember everyone's names if needed. At the bottom of the document, draw up a timetable with the following key items and the times they occur, adjusted as required for your specific circumstances. Add whatever extra items in you need to enable the timetable to accurately reflect the day:

• Arrive at the bride's house
• Leave the bride's house
• Arrival at the ceremony - photos of groom and parents
• Ceremony
• Formals
• Portraiture with wedding party
• Reception
• Finish 

In discussion with the couple you need to settle on the times for each section. Don't forget to include travel time, set-up time etc. After the ceremony remember you will generally need to allow the couple to mingle for five to ten minutes or so, and then you will need at least 20 minutes to take the family formals unless they have very small families. If there is limited time between the ceremony and the reception find out if the couple are prepared to see each other beforehand. This would enable you to take some of your portraiture early when you have a little more time and a lot less pressure.

Between your discussion on styles of photography and settling on the timeframe both you and the couple will normally have a good understanding of the way the day will run, and what is expected of everyone.

In addition to all of the above, it is a good idea to ask the couple if there are any key photographs that they must have. Sometimes there will be a special group of friends they want photographed, or a grandmother who needs to leave early because of bad health, or they will want a group shot of all of the guests. At the same time, ask them to have a think about what family formals they will require (ie. who needs to be in the photos) and if possible get them to prepare a list. On the day, get a trusted family member on each side to round up the people who need to be in the shots so when you go to shoot the formals there is as little delay as possible.

2. Your preparation for the day

In previous entries I have talked about how you need to be totally familiar with your equipment, the use of flash, fill flash, moving between different lighting situations etc. This section is simply to reinforce this requirement. You need to be totally comfortable with your equipment so that on the day you spend virtually no time changing settings or fiddling around etc.

To help with this, start experimenting at home. The bride's house is likely to be similar in terms of brightness etc. Shoot a friend at home, experiment with window light etc. Make sure you know what looks good in terms of your settings etc. Find out how slow you can shoot without camera shake becoming an issue. Importantly, get an idea of how your flash behaves indoors, when being bounced. This is also a great time to practice your poses.

Next, go outdoors in full sun and practice using flash to overpower shadows. This should only be needed when the actual ceremony is in full sun, because you will normally be looking to have your portraiture, family formals and in fact any photo where you have control over the location, shot in the shade on a sunny day. Nevertheless you need to be ready to tackle full sun just in case. On an overcast day we simply need to praise the Lord and thank him for the giant softbox that an overcast sky provides. 

In the shade, take portraits using fill flash at different settings. Later examine the shots and determine what looks best for your system. As I said for my Canon gear I prefer -1 2/3 to -2 FEC, but your gear may be different - you need to test this.

Test your lenses at various apertures for portraits. Know what will and won't be in focus at any given aperture. If you plan to shoot with shallow depth of field practice achieving these results. Review the shots later to make sure they are what you expected.

If at all possible, visit the church and reception venue that will be used on the day. Get an idea of the brightness of the church, and determine what sort of results you will be able to get in terms of ambient light. Plan for where you will stand during the ceremony, and determine if you will need a longer lens to adequately photograph the couple. Will you need a tripod? If so, determine where it will be set up. If using a tripod, make sure you have some form of quick release system, so you can quickly release the camera if required.

Outside the church look for a suitable location close to the entrance where your family formals can be shot. Make sure you determine a nice shaded spot (in case of bright sun), and ensure that the spot you select has a non-distracting background.

At the reception centre scout around for suitable locations for photographs. If you have plenty of time between the ceremony and the reception look for nice locations close to the venues where you may be able to take shots. Ask the venue manager if they have sample albums left by professionals with shots that were taken at the venue - these may give you good ideas.

In summary, do your best to be fully prepared - this way even if things don't go right you can rest comfortably in the knowledge that you were as prepared as you could possibly be. The alternative is to think afterwards "If only I had done that before the day...." etc.

3. Gear preparation

This is pretty straight forward, but you would be amazed at how often little things can catch you out. The day before you need to do the following:

• Charge all of your camera batteries
• Ensure you have new batteries for flash units, and at least one set of replacements
• Format all flash cards. Make sure your spare flash cards are handy, and that you have a way to know what you have already used on the day, and what is still empty.
• Make sure the cameras are set up the same - this is particularly important if you have borrowed or hired a second camera.
• Make sure the date and time on both cameras is correct
• Check that the cameras are set to RAW capture, and auto white balance. You can use other forms of white balance, but if shooting RAW you can adjust later, and trust me - you will have enough to think about on the day without this as well.
• Clean your sensors to remove any dust
• Clean your lenses, and check they are set to AF. Preferably remove protective filters.
• Make sure you have the lens hoods in your bag (this is something I should have covered yesterday - you should never take a photo without a hood, except at night. If your lens didn't come with a hood, buy it. The difference in terms of flare, colour saturation and contrast is astounding).
• Check everything thoroughly, make sure it all works.
• Put a bottle of water and a snack (eg. an energy bar) in your bag - you will be amazed at how draining a full day of shooting can be.

4. Dealing with change on the day

No matter how well you plan, there is going to be change on the day that means things don't run the way you expected. You need to be able to roll with the punches and keep on shooting if you are going to get through the day with coverage to be proud of. Here are some quick issues that you may face:

• You will forget to take some photos you planned to take. For example, perhaps you forgot to get a shot of the wedding dress before the bride put it on. Yes, it's an important shot but don't fret - if it is really important you can take it another day. Only stress about the must have shots - all of the rest just form a part of the overall picture, and the couple probably won't notice that you don't have a shot of this or that, as long as you get the key shots.
• You may arrive to take the photos of the bride, only to find she is late from getting her hair done. All of a sudden your one hour of photos has become 30 minutes, or 15 minutes. If this happens do the shots you can do while you wait. Get the close ups of the flowers, perfume bottle, dress etc. Don't get stressed, it is not your fault that she is late. When she is ready get what you can in the time you have available.
• The couple will spend more time than you would like getting congratulated by guests after the wedding. If you have plenty of time, let them relax and enjoy themselves before the formals. However if you are on a tight timeframe give them the time agreed upon in the schedule,  and then gently and politely suggest that they start to move to where the formals will be taken. The crowd will follow them, and you will be able to stay on-time.
• Don't be a tyrant, if things are going pair-shaped in terms of time explain it to the couple and let them decide what is important. You can normally pinch 15-20 minutes from the start of the reception if absolutely necessary, but let them make the call. Keep an eye on the time, and don't let your photography cut into their reception without their consent.

The important thing is to try not get stressed. I know that this sounds easy to say, and hard to do, but hey - the more practice you do the less stress you will experience. There you go, another incentive to practice! If you are stressed or flustered you will make mistakes, and as well as that the bride and groom will not enjoy themselves. It is very important to ensure that the bride and groom are having fun, because if so that will come through in the shots. Joke with them, provide positive feedback, make them feel good about themselves etc. All of this will contribute to them having a better day.

Summary

You know what I am going to say. Practice practice and practice some more. Know your equipment and your locations. Know what your couple wants from the coverage. Know what is important to them. If you do all of this you will do the best job you are capable of, and nobody can ask for more than that. Most of all, you will know that you gave it your best.

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