Three Wedding Photography Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner

I’ve invested years selecting up odd recommendations, completing on-line programs, exploring techniques, and now, I am self-confident in sharing some of that information with the globe. Of class, I am nevertheless mastering and will proceed to decide on up suggestions for the rest of my occupation. For now, nevertheless, I’ll share some I would like I had regarded faster. 

These strategies are more particular than technological. Other articles or blog posts out there will give you advice about off-camera flash publicity or some promoting hints. But, my three are matters that I’ve realized on my private journey in wedding day images, which could have saved me revenue or time above my career. 

1. Never Get Bogged Down With Equipment

I’m heading straight into this with the gear false impression. A widespread imagined amongst folks new to weddings is that professionals carry lots of equipment.

I regularly have emails or messages from new or aspiring wedding day photographers asking if they can come alongside to a marriage ceremony and gain some practical experience. They nearly often say: “I can aid you have your bags.” It is beautiful to be available anything in return for understanding or knowledge, but the truth is this: I have no luggage to carry on a wedding day working day.

I’ve undoubtedly been the person with the gear. I’ve owned and bought more lenses and lighting paraphernalia than I bear in mind. But these days, I’m a whole minimalist. Two Fujifilm X-T5 bodies, a Fujifilm 18mm f/1.8 and a Fujifilm 33mm f/1.8. With these, I can shoot the total working day. I usually just take them within the location, leaving my bag in the car or truck. 

The photo underneath exhibits a uncommon image of me, photographing a marriage ceremony, taken by my next photographer Max Sarasini. No luggage, no outrageous pouches or cables. Two cameras, two primes, and search at how satisfied I am!

I keep two a lot more lenses and some online video lights in the car. It all packs neatly into one particular bag, a Billingham Hadley One. I will obtain this bag during the meal, where it will sit in the corner of the room. 

My point is that I steer clear of receiving bogged down with major or challenging gear. I wish, when I was beginning, I understood that I could shoot weddings with much less equipment than I dragged all-around in a roller bag at the time. 

You may find out that you have to have more equipment than me for your type of wedding images. I am a candid, documentary-design photographer, so the story I’m shooting is much far more significant than contemplating about gear or switching lenses. But prospects are, you will inevitably study to endure with considerably significantly less than you assume. 

2. Present What You Want to Shoot

When I begun on my journey into marriage images, I knew I cherished storytelling images. I beloved documentary operate even absent from weddings, that of road photographers and people documenting actual daily life. I discovered, on the other hand, that I took a couple decades to start out booking customers who appreciated this side of my get the job done. 

They would say how considerably they would really like to shoot a very long record of group pictures in a unique place or would devise a Pinterest board of wacky portrait thoughts. All I required to do was candid perform. I knew the shoppers ended up out there who would appreciate this since the photographers I appeared up to labored purely in this way. 

A single of these photographers pointed out my issues, which should have been obvious. My portfolio confirmed these pictures, the teams and the occasional Pinterest pose. My web page was full of photos that I failed to take pleasure in making. So, why did I have staged shots on my residence website page if I desired to shoot purely unstaged shots? It was due to the fact I imagined this was what folks desired to see, and of system, some individuals do. These persons, having said that, are not the clientele I want to draw in. 

Additional hard than I imagined it would be, I established about only demonstrating photographs that I liked generating. On the other hand, it can bring us out of our comfort zone to clear away a technically superb image or a person which has obtained optimistic criticism. For you, that could be a combination of superior-stop portraits, documentary work, or what ever you want. 

I now only demonstrate candid function on my web site, and I shout from the rooftops that this is what my couples are scheduling me to produce. It’s turn into a specialized niche, so my consumers now respect me for my design, and I bring in the people who want these photos. 

3. It can be Difficult Get the job done

Alright, I know you do not all assume that our occupation is straightforward. But quite a few, many aspiring photographers see weddings as straightforward revenue. They imagine a planet wherever they do the job their day work throughout the week and earn hundreds of lbs . (or bucks) at the weekend capturing the odd marriage. They see people today performing effectively, earning heaps and feel that just came to them conveniently. 

If you want to excel in marriage ceremony images, you actually need to have to perform difficult and put in the hrs and hard work. Capturing less expensive weddings as a section-time career will have some perks, but at some point, most photographers will want to choose it additional and may well be apprehensive about building the soar to comprehensive-time. If weddings are exactly where you make a decision to shell out your time, this career has some great gains, just you should not be entitled. You require to work for them.