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Yesterday evening I had a fun shoot with Kobe, who is very anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new baby brother or sister. Kobe turned out to be a very spiffy toddler, not always willing to be photographed but very photogenic and bold enough to show some tush.
I had a sore neck yesterday, I knew shooting would be tough, this morning getting out of bed was tougher. I think this is where he heard my neck snap…
As soon as I’m able to sit-up straight I’ll post some more.
This post has been in the back of my head ever since my best friend asked me if I could be the wedding photographer for his sister-in-law. Now that I’ve completed my first wedding I can share my experiences from the preparation stage to the point where I can proudly hand over the finished wedding book.
This post is starting to have the proportions of a book so I’ve split chapter II as well, nobody likes to “read” a photo blog.
I. The decision to be a (wedding) photographer
II. Preparations, building up to one perfect day: schedule, shot list & gear.
III. The wedding day
IV. Post processing & the wedding album
II. Preparations, building up to D-Day
A.Schedule
Let me tell you, I got really nervous after that call from Roosje & Jelle. Sleepless nights kind of nervous. I had 3 days to finish my training, and yoda wasn’t around.
For me a good preparation is being (over)prepared. Know the couple’s schedule, I have to be able to mentally step trough the day.
In normal situations I’d plan a meeting with the couple, preferably at the couple’s house, it helps you build up a more personal relationship with the couple. I will be part of their day but I want them to consider me as the friendly crazy guy with a camera … not Mr.Photographer. Because that is who I am, I’m Tom. Meeting at the couples house lets you scout the location as well as chances are this will be the home where the groom picks up the bride. For Roosje & Jelle the rundown was done over the phone.
Morning Schedule
– What is the schedule of the bride (hair stylist, make up artist). Who will be with her ?
– Where is the groom preparing?
– Where will the rings be? Once the couple says “I do” I don’t want to ask the couple to take them off for a while because I didn’t take the shots yet. The best time for rings & other details is when the bride is preparing and you got those shots done. There is no need in spending a full hour with her during make-up.
– Will there be a “classic” pickup?
– Is there time for some more-official family shots. Personally, I know this is not one of my strengths, I need ways to make them different and give them a personal touch.
City Hall and/or Church
– Schedule, Addresses
– Bridal suite?
– What kind of transport is arranged: A horse-carriage will give me more time leaving behind and arriving before the couple at city hall than a Ferrari Enzo. With a limo you have room to take some extra pictures from the inside, with a BMW Isetta , well … not so much…
Some extra guidelines can be given here, if the transport has windows I’ll ask to have them rolled down before they arrive or leave at the venue. This way I can exclude myself from the reflections in the window and I can capture the real emotions, I don’t have to interfere. Practical: Are you driving yourself? Can you hitch a ride with one of the family members or with your second shooter for the day?
The advantage is you can have your camera at the ready and hop out ‘anywhere’ before they arrive.
Or you can shoot from the back of the trunk.
Official wedding shoot on location
– How much time is there and do they have a location in mind? Personally I love an out-of-the-ordinary location but also feel there should be a connection to the couple or the wedding day. There is no point in doing the official shoot on a boat in full sea if they don’t have any affinity with water and their wedding venue is located in the forests of the Ardennes. However it would make perfect sense if the couple loves sailing.
– Give the couple some homework, let them work on some ideas for the location. Is there a backup location in case of rain ?
– Maybe they like some extra pictures with close friends or kids. When the bridal suite boys & girls are coming along for the shoot make sure they have an adult joining them. I love working with children but you don’t want the bride & groom to be distracted.
– Can the special transport be used for the official shoot (how long is it available)
Reception & dinner.
– Schedule, Addresses
– Most venues have a website with pictures, and if they suck, you can try and sell them better ones 😉
It also helps to google and see if there are any potential locations for shoots in the vicinity.
– How long do they want you as a photographer to stay (reception vs opening dance) or make clear how long you are willing to stay.
Family situation & friends
– Divorces or deaths? I don’t want to remind the couple of any bad memories. The bride should only cry of happiness. (give me lots of tears please)
– Some families have issues, I don’t want to be the one having verbally started the fight by asking two uncles to hug each other for a picture.
– Write down the names, a small family tree. Friends that deserve special attention ?
Expectations
Be sure to talk over what the couple expects of you as a photographer, make clear what you can & will deliver. If I’m being me, I have a style, I can’t go super traditional. Let them understand how you work: Posing is bad, directing is good (more about that later). To make the pictures they expect, sometimes you need some extra cooperation.
So know I know the “one perfect day” routine, I planned my routes to & from the venues and I had the time schedule (this can & will change).
All this information already gave me some inspiration (house, transport, location) but I had to create some more routine, I didn’t want to risk forgetting any important (expected) shots.
to be continued ….
If I forgot important things when you go over the schedule or if you have thoughts and/or suggestions, please hit the comments.
This post has been in the back of my head ever since my best friend asked me if I could be the wedding photographer for his sister-in-law. Now that I’ve completed my first wedding I can share my experiences from the preparation stage to the point where I can proudly hand over the finished wedding book.
Because this article is rather lengthy I’ll be dividing this post over a couple of weeks.
I. The decision to be a (wedding) photographer
II. Preparations, building up to one perfect day: schedule, shot list & gear.
III. The wedding day
IV. Post processing & the wedding album
I. The decision to be a (wedding) photographer
It’s no secret that I’m a relative newbie when it comes to photography, I purchased my first dSLR in the summer of 2007. When Tinne & Jan asked me for their wedding in 2008 I’d only been taking pictures for as little as a year, I hesitated. The toughest decision was whether to accept or decline the invitation. I asked myself lots of questions and set myself a couple of goals.
Responsibility
There is only one chance of getting it all right. There is no room for screw ups on the couples most important day of their life. The advice I heard: stay away from it, especially for friends. (This could have been a shorter blog post if I declined)
Direction & Passion
Back then I was still undecided over what direction to take with my photography. I have a big admiration for wedding photography, but can I master it and will I like doing it? The best and safest test probably would have been going along on some weddings as a second shooter or assistant *waving to Pieter*.
Will this new direction mean I’m going to try and make my hobby a semi-professional thing?
Personal Goals
I didn’t want to be another “uncle bob” taking pictures at the wedding.
I set myself a couple of goals, I aimed high. If I was to accept this, I was gonna do it properly, I expected my pictures to be of a certain quality, not just snapshots. For me, I set my goals higher, maybe just out of reach, I notice I try harder and I’m less fast content with myself. I’m my worst critic, even if other people love every picture but my gut feeling tells me I could have done better, I’m not a happy camper!
Doing it right meant I wanted to do the Full Monty: from the bride & groom preparing, the pickup, city hall, the official shoot, reception, dinner and the opening dance.
Oh yes, I was gonna do it all with style. (f*ck uncle bob)
Gear
This was an important (financial) factor in the decision, I don’t downtalk any camera or lens. The photographer makes the picture, not the gear. I still believe this even after upgrading my lenses and body (twice). With responsibility came reliability, on a day like that I needed to be able to handle all situations, I needed reliable gear. Having a backup camera is a must, a 2nd body equipped with a different lens is handy so I don’t have to swap lenses and risk missing a magical moment. But most important, and heaven forbid, a camera can break down. If I wanted to deliver on my own expectations I was going to need faster lenses to be able to handle low light situations, lenses that help me focus faster.(I’ll be covering my eventual gear in a later chapter) Lime episode 3 covers a chapter about sharing gear or renting gear, you don’t necessarily have to buy everything (but I guess I wanted to give our economy a boost). Yes I’ve always wanted the ‘better’ gear if I’m honest, but I would never have purchased it if I was only going to use for it nothing more creative. By the time you start investing make sure you have the ‘Direction & Passion’ part figured out properly…
Self-study
Theory means shit in the field but do read some books about the subject. Since I’ve only attended a handful of weddings as a guest myself, these books helped me visualize what “one perfect day” really means.
Two of my recommended books.
– The Complete Guide to Professional Wedding photography
– Contemporary Wedding Photography
Perhaps, my biggest source of inspiration was the internet, thanks to guys like Pieter (damn this is starting to look like a shrine) you can learn a lot from watching and analyzing some of the most amazing wedding pictures.
Another very helpful item was watching ‘Masters of wedding photography‘, it helped me get insight into the minds of some of the greatest wedding photographers (although I didn’t like all their work and I certainly didn’t agree with them all). It also made me feel all tingly inside, I knew I wanted to be a part of this.
Time
I had enough time to prepare myself, maybe do some 2nd shooter jobs, get some experience in. The wedding I’m preparing for is coming May 2009. Funny enough, a couple of weeks later this was my first encounter with a newly wed couple.
In September 2008, 4 days before their wedding day. I got a call from 2 other friends, Roosje & Jelle …. they needed a photographer. I think they WERE expecting an uncle-Tom to bail them out.
By then, it was too late to get religious
I’ve written this article as a sequence of events of my own experiences, feelings & thoughts.
Therefore there is a lot of ‘I this’ and ‘I that’. I don’t want to sound cocky, it can’t be a definitive guide to help you in your decision but maybe it can be helpful to some.