Back in 2008 when I put my self in wedding industry the first guide that I learn so much is about tips for capturing wedding moments. Moments is the only thing that you need to be concerned when you gonna get involve in wedding photography industry, wedding is all about moment and it always be!
I’m Bima and thank you for visiting my blog, it was so happy for having you here cause it means you are a person who falling in love in wedding photography just like me. If yesterday I talk about the benefit of using wide angle lens for wedding journalism shooting than today I’m gonna share about 5 tips for capturing wedding moments.
When I help Joe Buissink during wedding photo shoot in Bali Indonesia I accompany him for about 10 hours wedding in Alila Uluwatu it is such beautiful 5 start hotel that you could stay someday. I was impressed and freezing cause on that day I saw my favorite photographer mentor right in front of me, shooting so fast like a ninja and bring two camera body of EOS 5D Mark III plus 70-200 mm f2.8 and 24-70 mm f.28 L series lens.
He know that I’m a wedding photographer so what he told me for these amazing 10 hours is this command…
Bima….you must hold your camera on your hand and don’t ever lose the moment
5 Tips for Capturing Wedding Moments
I know that I got a rare chance of meet one of amazing photographer named Joe, he was inspire me so great for the next decades that I have for being a better wedding photographer, so let me share some of great ideas that you can do for capturing beautiful wedding moment that will blown your couple mind.
#1 – Just Be You
You don’t need to be somebody else if you want to shoot wedding, surely you can have some references or guidance by your mentor but just be you and be proud of your own skill.
Now I want you to print 5 to 10 photos that you ever took and lock yourself on your room. Turn a little bit fine music and see those photos carefully and find your self inside it. Don’t be so rush cause here I want you to be concern about how you love your photos, if you don’t like it than your couple don’t!
#2 – Shoot Fast, Focus Later
If I could say that I’m a person who will sacrifice focus rather than the moment, so what I think is about how can I catch all the prestigious moments that my couple had and show to them in an album.
Now take a look for what I’ve got below…
I shoot this Germany – Philippines couple wedding in Bali few years ago, their celebration was so fantastic and I saw people laugh and cry while enjoying the party. What you see above is while I’m shooting in a dark room when the music is run and all people are enjoying their after party dance.
It’s blur! and I can doubt more for it…but it’s a dance and that’s why is blur or shaking!
But what you see above is the real moment that I capture through my lens, it’s absolutely perfect and if I become of that couple than this kind of pictures is the one that I want to see in the next decades.
Fast lens that I recommend for wedding
#3 – Stay Close to Your Bride
When you become a wedding photographer than you just belong to your bride’s bodyguard, make sure you got her no matter where she goes. She is the princes on that day and all eyes are goes to her!
When I shoot the real wedding than I am the one who gonna stay close with my bride so I ask my other shooter to stay with the groom, capturing the formal pose, details venue, etc. All I want is capturing all the memories as natural as I can so by always standing by next to the bride than I will got everything that I already put on my brain.
What you see above is a bride portrait that I took while having an engagement shooting in Maldives for such stunning Hong Kong couple. Her name is Dickie Ma and we walk down to the beach under the freakin’ hot sun and when I saw that wooden table under the cabana I just ask her to sit on it and let her enjoying the beautiful scenery of Maldives.
It was fantastic and you will get tons of amazing moments when you make your self so close with your bride.
#4 – Don’t Look the LCD so Often
Majority of photographer always consider about nice or great pictures and they too afraid to make a mistake, than what they did is looking at their LCD many times while they not consider if they just miss the moment.
I always said that I can’t negotiate with losing moment because it is the only reason why I hold my camera on the hands so lets dance with your camera and let your couple enjoying the moment.
No matter what camera you use they built with high quality system so it is modern, every camera has they automated focus even when I tried the brand new Sony a9 full-frame camera and hell yeah…they fast!
I want you to see my picture above, I shoot Marcia’s wedding in Grand Hyatt few weeks ago and she look so beautiful wearing her elegant bridal. The gear that I use during this photo shoot is Nikon D7100 so you know as well that there is no flip LCD to shoot in a low position like that.
What I did is asking my assistant to hold the gown and move it like a wave than I get low and shoot many times, I just remember that I got over than 10 to 15 images during this session and only get 1 that can deliver to my couple…..it was amazing moment that I had and my bride loves this shots so bad!
#5 – Shoot Non-Formal Scene a Lot
When I had small wedding sometimes I shoot alone even I just accompany by my wife who become my assistant but when I had bigger wedding than mostly I have my other shooter but what I said to him that he must provide me with formal shoot.
What he did is posing the couple and family, friends, or even ceremonial shooting in the chapel. Since my shooter did it great for me than I can move in free to everywhere, generally I shoot in journalism style so I try to not seen but honestly I stand close to my couple.
Look at the picture below,
I shoot this beautiful wedding in Bali Indonesia few months ago and it located in cliff-front villa called the Sanctus, when you saw it than you will know that it’s a non-formal scene but this is what I want my couple see on their album. By the way I have another file that look formal, people are standing by face to the camera, hands in front of the body than with 1, 2, and 3….that boom, yeah it’s a formal shoot.
I put the formal file on the USB drive just in case they need it for some reason but I put this image on the album, this is what I want them to see for the next decades, it’s a picture of happiness!
My Shooting Conclusion
So I will make a lists of my best 5 tips for capturing wedding moments that will blown your couple mind. It gonna be so fun and can be done by any of you love wedding photography so much, now take a look for what I have for you:
- Don’t be somebody else and JUST BE YOU!
- SHOOT FAST, FOCUS LATER…this is what you must do
- The most important one is STAY CLOSE TO YOUR BRIDE, she is the princess of the day
- DON’T LOOK THE LCD SO OFTEN, trust your own skill and know your camera before shooting
- SHOOT NON-FORMAL SCENE A LOT, candid moment will be better than formal one so shoot as many as you can
I hope you got an inspiration and tips for capturing wedding moments through my story here, if you want to ask something more about it than simply leave a comment below and I will try to reply it ASAP. Stay close to me cause I will regularly updating my blog so new article will always launched every week.
See you soon fellas!