It's Photography Friday again here at the Sarah Linnea Photography blog. Today we will be talking about weddings. To you, well informed photographer, you can dismiss the following as surely you are keenly aware of these situations:
So you are considering becoming a wedding photographer? The idea of capturing that special day for someone in a wonderfully artistic fashion makes you practically giddy, and the thought of a shallow depth of field shot of the wedding rings makes the right side of your brain quiver with anticipation.
originality!!!
Although it is true most people will earn more monetary income from a wedding than a single portrait session, reading this article will explain how little money there is in wedding photography. But that is not the subject of this blog.
Before you make that WeDJ account and post your services on Craigslist you should consider some challenges you face when taking on this blending of portrait and event photography.
doing anything to get the shot
Here is a short list of things to consider:
Did you know that many churches do not allow photographers to use flash photography and sometimes do not even allow the photographer to move from the back of the sanctuary? No?
consider a zoom lens....
You just ruined their Wedding. Congratulations.Did you know that most brides prefer a darker often candle lit atmosphere to create a more intimate ceremony making it incredibly difficult to capture action without a Very high ISO which many lower end camera bodies cannot handle without a tremendous amount of grain? No?
the blur is an artistic choice
Did you know that most wedding ceremony's take place in mixed lighting conditions making it difficult for the in camera white balance to properly adjust? Are you staring at the previous sentence in confusion?
it's uh......a warming filter?
You just ruined their wedding. Congratulations?
Did you know that the Bride's parents are divorced and this will be the first time they have seen each other in 10 years and have no desire whatsoever to be in photograph together? No?
family love...
You just ruined their wedding. Congratulations.
Did you know that cameras break, or stop working randomly? Do you have a back-up incase that happens? No?
...stupid destination weddings!
You just ruined their wedding. Congratulations.
Did you know that the Bride told everyone to arrive at the church 30 minutes prior to ceremony and the reception immediately followed? No? You now have no time to take any photos and the bride is irate.
get what you can...
You just ruined their wedding. Congratulations.
Did you know that the Bride spent countless hours individually sorting through a bag of m&ms to find the colors to fill her gift boxes she left at each table-inside of which was a special handwritten note with their wedding date explaining the importance of m&ms to their relationship and the over arching metaphor of the melty chocolate-y goodness to their wedding night…..No? You didn't get a picture of the m&ms?
please join us in eating our face...
You just ruined their wedding. Congratulations.
Did you know you could be sued for not delivering photos of key moments throughout the day? No? You just ruined your business. Congratulations.
There is nothing stopping the well informed photographer from doing a bang up job. These warnings are not for you, well informed photographer. These warnings are for those eager to dive into the pool because it "looks like it could be fun" and "I've been to a lot of weddings".
How confident are you in shooting events? Do you know how to quickly adjust your camera for varying lighting conditions and different focus needs? During the ceremony, if you miss the exchanging of the rings, or the kiss, you cannot request a do over and posing the shot after the ceremony will not be the same. Everytime the bride looks at that photo she will remember how annoyed she was at you for missing the real thing.
happy shooting
Are you "well informed photographer?" feel free to leave more advice in the comments below and help the less fortunate who have not seen what you have seen.
Hey Sarah. The funny thing: I just had a future bride to ask me about low/dim lighting inside of the church. Of course you want to capture the dream of that special day as they see it. So have you been in this position? How did you over come this romantic low light dream? Thanks alot, CJ
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, and for your comment!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I appreciate the "it's the photographer not the camera" mentality, this is one of those cases where equipment is paramount. One of the biggest differences in lower end and higher end SLRs is their low light capability. Higher end cameras can handle higher ISO (film speed equivalent) without succumbing to copious amounts of noise. This allows you to shoot in lower light conditions and get a good exposure without sacrificing shutter speed-which is, of course, necessary to capture action. Before I owned a camera of sufficient quality I rented for weddings because lighting is everything in photography, and if the light is not there, you have to compensated and that comes at a cost.
It is also important to set your white balance properly. I like to use a grey card, or even jus a white piece of paper to set my white balance ahead of time. Sometimes I will add some warmth in post process to still achieve that warm glow without ruining skin tones or general atmosphere.
I hope that answers your question. Thanks again for reading!
Thank you for posting this! Not only was it funny but I have now decided to wait till I get better at portraits and save up for better equipment and 2nd camera. Sincerely thank you! Lol
ReplyDelete