If you just receiving your first deal and want to know how to shoot wedding for the first time in a good way than today I wanna share few awesome tips that could help you for shooting timeless wedding just like a pro.
I know that you are very excited about your first wedding so congratulation for that because you finally reach your dream for getting your first couple. I know exactly how is the feeling when capturing my first wedding, sometimes I feel confuse but in the same time there is a hope that I could deliver great moment to my couple.
Back in the past few days you might browse various of blogs or watch a tutorial about shooting wedding so today I wanna share to you about how to shoot wedding for the first time. Surely I will telling you step by steps from choosing the right photography gears till how to shoot a moment that mean so much for your couple’s heart.
Hi fellas, my name is Bima and I run destination wedding photogtaphy business since 2009 together with my wife, I hope you are ready to follow my simple ideas about creating priceless wedding moment.
Steps to Create Stunning Wedding Moments on Your First Wedding
Your present now is getting easier because if I could know how to shoot wedding for the first time back in 2009 than I will be so happy. First of all I want to telling you that there is no short cut to be like a pro or master photographer so what I’m going to share here is a step by step that will guide you to shoot like a professional photographer but always remind that you must keep learning, keep practice, and read various references from various photographer.
1 – Let’s Make a Trial “Moment” Shoot
If this gonna be your first wedding session because you never shoot a wedding before than I suggest you making a trial shoot just to give you an impression about how to shoot wedding for the first time.
Always remind that you don’t need to shoot wedding on this trial day but try as many as you can for capturing beautiful moment surrounding your self. Just pick your camera and try to shoot your girl friend, wife, parents, or simply visiting some public space that will full of people’s expression. By shooting a human interest like people crying, smiling and laughing than you will warming up your hunter’s feeling, here you will learn to stay alert when seeing various moment that passing right in front of your eyes.
In a simple words, by doing this method than you are practicing your sense about moment awareness. Be aware that wedding moment will just pass once and you can not asking for repeatition, it will embarrasing the wedding it self.
Just take a look for this emotional pictures that I took in Chun Yeung St. wet market around North Point Hong Kong, it was beautiful day when I exploring local people life during the morning. I saw hundred of Cantonese passing by this old school location that become one of most favourite traditional market in Hong Kong. One of the most exciting moment in this area is we can still able to see the old Hong Kong tram passing by this street.
2 – Review Your Photos on a Computer, Don’t Retouch It
Once you get some pictures that you already get from step number one than your next step is reviewing your artworks on a computer. Why I suggest you to not retouch or edit it and just let you see the original files? this method will help you to understand how the moment will works originally to your heart. You can drag out some pictures that you don’t like or in out of focus and let the good one to be in a specific folder.
Now open those good photos on your computer and try to understand why you shoot like that and ask your self about are you happy with this photos? or is there any other photos that you love for the most?
3 – Print 10 of Your Favourite Photos for Final Check
So many photographers and friends of mine who asking about how to shoot wedding for the first time will concern only about what gears that they should bring on but they never realize that those two things are just tools.
Wedding photography is another world in photography niche, this is a challenge for you when photography gears will not works properly if you don’t know how to feel the moment ot self. Through this third step I will guide you to print 10 of your favourite photographs on a fine photo paper that you can touch the texture and even mell the brand new paper taste. Once you are done with printing your photos than bring it back to your room and sit down. Go make some fresh coffee or your favourite drinks than bring it to your room, turn on your favourite music and sit in relax.
Now pick up those 10 photographs and enjoying it, touch the paper and try to feels how the texture starting scrubbing your fingers and when you flip the first paper into the next one than you even can smell the paper for sure. Watch your photographs at least 10 seconds and try to understand once again about how those moment passing right in front of your eyes, how you able to shoot it just within 3 seconds window, and how those photo affected to your heart.
Please remember how you finally able to capturing those all moment properly and,
“Do the same thing on the day you shoot wedding, because this is the moment that your couple want from you!”
Things That You Must Know Before Shooting at Your First Wedding
Up above I already share how to create stunning moment just like professional photographer on your first wedding than here on the next part I’m gonna give you hands on guidance that you must know before the wedding session.
Find Some References
References will means a lot to your knowledge and don’t worry to just copying and paste what you see directly on your wedding session. You may know that all of us are living in a digital era than copy and paste now become a common things to do. Once you got a lot of references on your mind that your brain and passion will automatically push your self to found and create your owm style, all you need is just time.
There are a lot of platforms that you can use for searching some references, you could use Instagram, Pinterest, and also Google so basically there is no limit for your creativity. There are so many wedding photo references that you can have as long as you keep looking for it and once you feel enough than stop it because too many references will make you in a situation called as an overload information.
Suit Up
Don’t ever think that you must wear luxury clothes because all you need to do is just look nice and surely comfort for your self. The challenge is you must wear a clothes that rely with the wedding theme. Let say, if you shoot for a beach wedding than wearing a nice cotton shirt and trousers will be great but if you shoot wedding in such luxury hotels than wearing formal looks shirt and fabric trousers will be better.
Just be good so you can blending with your couple and all the guest who attending the wedding, don’t be over or under dress and just suit up your self with common sense.
I personally have two kind of wardrobe dor my own and mostly black or white, it’s like common uniforms that belong to universal for any situation and just to let you know that I’m wearing blue jeans on a party and just in case I still want to use jeans fabric than I’m looking for any other colour that looks common for formal events.
Capture the Blessing Ceremony as Natural as You Can
Wedding ceremony will be the most challenging part where you can see a lot of timeless moment that belongs to prestigious for your couple, it’s not only for following the wedding but for the next decades when they flipping your wedding album.
Go learning about how to shoot with an available light especially if you shoot for an outdoor ceremony and consider to use premium lens like Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM because it helps you to shooy with sharp and clean result. Keep your eyes and ear open and stay awake just like when you doing practice by shooting human interest in a public area.
There is a wedding announcer that will guide you with a speech for the next moment so when you stay alert than actually there is a sign for you to get ready for your next shots.
Take concern on this topic below
- Top 12 Wedding Photography Tips for Beginners
- 7 Brand New Wedding Photography Equipment Must Haves Less Than $5500
Concern About Moment and Not Just Sharp Image
Moment is the most important thing on wedding photography, I exactly know that you might be thinking about why sharp image is not really important.
Dear my friend, we shoot with high quality camera brand at this time so as long as we know how our camera works and know about basic photography knowledge such as set up your exposure and aperture than I sure that every photos that you’ve made will look sharp and clean. But somehow you see beautiful moment and captured it just within a seconds and get those photo a bit blur than keep those photo!
As long as you sure that those photo will tell a good story than keep it!
Sharp image will just make your couple flipping your album or scrolling up and down all the files on a computer but great moment will let your couple stop for a while and remind them how this photo has been made. Kindly take a look for this outstanding moment below,
It was in Conrad Nusadua Bali while I shoot for Jasmine and Arthur, I was remember that during that time I saw the bride suddenly crying when hearing his husband saying a wedding vow, tears are starting to drop on the cheek and I pick up my camera and shoot it as fast as I can with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM without checking about all the camera setting. So if you could see it in more detail than there is a blur on Jasmine’s face because I don’t really know where I put my focus camera, what I’m concern is I want to let my bride see this moment 30 to 40 years from now while she is getting old and spend a good life with her husband.
Another moment on this scene below,
I was shooting for this lovely Japanese couple back few years ago, bride is standing on the fence that facing into the ocean so actually it was beautiful moment with outstanding view. I ask the groom to walk towards the bride and going to take a post wedding shots following the blessing ceremony. Here I use Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM so even I set the aperture on 1.4 than I still can get sharp image at the end.
So when someone asking me about how to shoot wedding for the first time than I will answering their question to let their ears and eyes open, this is matter for capturing moment.
Now for the last moment that I want to share here in this post,
It was romantic dinner with a beach front view in Bali and I saw how the wedding decorator placing nice hanging lantern since I shoot for sunset post wedding scene. I was hoping that the weather will so nice and those lantern is shine during the night and surely I got this amazing dinner moment and captured it in a good way with my own Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM,
It was fantastic!
I hope this post will help you so much and answering your question about how to shoot wedding for the first time, I know you might be a bit worry but just let it be and enjoy for what you love. Once you able to enjoying your works than your stunning photographs will just come.
Whenever you have a more question about wedding photography tips than drop me a comment below, I will more than happy to reply it for you, cheers!