I was wondering that 10 years ago there are some friends that could telling me about how to shoot wedding party properly, in fact I just learn by doing more practice on every session that I had and try to be better on the next session. By the way my name is Bima and thank you for visiting my photography blog.
I could say that entering the ball room or any kind of wedding venue at the first time of being photographer is quite challenging, I don’t really know where to stand, where to wait for the moment or even guessing where my couple will come., are you feel the same thing? I know what’s in your mind and how confuse you are during having your first wedding job so today let me share in more further about how to shoot wedding party just like other senior photographer did.
4 Things to Consider on Shooting Wedding Party
Before you know about how to shoot wedding party than there are few things that you must consider all about, this gonna be very simple things but it really essentials to know for any professional who working on this industry especially you who belong to be the moment hunter, so let’s dig in!
1 – Couple’s Preparation Room
If you shoot wedding than you might know where you couple room is, it is really important because you can capture their preparation such us having a make up, wearing a long veil and gown till having a good time with their family member and close friend. Once you know where your couple room than you can guessing the way where your couple will walking towards into the venue.
Those photo above is taken with my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM on f13 and 1/1250 exposure time during, it was really hot day in Bali Indonesia where I shoot for Italian – Indonesian wedding around Uluwatu highland. We were in a nice cliff-front villa so there are few bungalows where my couple is getting ready together with all family member. I’m so grateful because when I walk out from the building than I could see the giant white tent which belong to be the wedding part venue.
So no matter you shoot for beach wedding or wedding in a luxury hotel than make sure to know where the preparation room, it helps you to figure out where your couple is getting ready and thinking about the way that they choose to walk into the venue.
2 – Meet the Wedding Planner
If you shoot for wedding than there use to be a wedding planner who take care all of the event so find them, make a short introduction about your self, and give a big thanks that you are so happy and honour to work with them. By meet the wedding planner than you can figure out about location, get the fixed schedule, and make a good connection with anyone who working on that party.
3 – Take a Short Tour Before the Party
When you shoot wedding than I highly suggest you to wear your men’s watch and arrive at least an hour before because it will give you more time to mingle with your couple, shoot the preparation and get a short tour about the location.
If you shoot for an outdoor wedding than there is some distance between the preparation room and the venue, like what you see above there is a bridge where my groom said to me that following the ceremony he gonna light up his Cuba classic cigar and walk together with his wife to go to the white giant tent where the party will be held. I’m pretty sure that by having a short venue tour like this than it helps you to know more further about how to shoot wedding party properly and in the same time you have a good knowledge about locations.
Another advantages that you also could get by having a short walking tour around the venue is you also can take a landscape and location detail that also mean something for making a great layout on your final album. Look at this beautiful landscape view that I capture before the wedding, I just make a different perspective from my couple’s terrace than I could get this fresh green view of the villa where the wedding is located and yes I still using my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens which belong to my favourite wedding lens.
4 – Check the Wedding Party Venue
Once you are done with the landscape shooting and don’t forget to check in real time where the wedding party will be located. Simply walk to the venue and walk around those area and determine the location about where the group photo will be located, where the cake cutting, till where the first dance will be held.
Once you get everything inside your mind than you also can find another part of the venue that will give you more advantages during capturing the moment, it could be the pool just like what I had on the photo above, fire works, band or musician stage and others. Those photo above is taken on the night during the part and I already that there are few Donner Spotlight Stage around the tents that will belong to my advantage during shooting in the night, I already thinking about having a nice water reflection combining with the spot light to make more attractive photos during the wedding party.
How to Shoot Wedding Party Like a Pro Photographer
It’s time for you to learn more about how to shoot wedding party like how the professional did, but before you read all my guidance below than make sure to keep your eyes and ears open. As same as the shooting on blessing ceremony than here in the party you also will see super fast moment that can not be repeated so put your self in a high concern about everything is really matter.
Let me share some good things that you can follow,
Preparing Your Right Wardrobe
Choosing the right clothes for wedding party seems to be interesting, you might be get used to come as a guest but if this gonna be your first time for being a photographer than you might a little bit confuse. Please remind that people will see you with the first impression so wearing a nice fine long sleeve shirt for your own is not only making you have more confidence but it also to give you a personal branding that related to your business.
My suggestion is,
Wear a clothes that make you able to mingle with guest!
Shooting for an Outdoor Wedding Party
If you shoot for an outdoor wedding party like on beach wedding than the weather will seems to be hot and windy so my suggestion is wearing a nice clothes that made from cotton fabric and it will feels so comfort on your skin and the whole body. Let me give with some suggestion below,
Shooting for an Indoor Wedding Party
When your wedding party located at indoor area like ball room or any kind of room with air conditioning system than it will be better if you consider to wear a clothes that looks for formal. You don’t need to wear a tie if it’s gonna disturbing your movement but taking your self into more glams will be fine, let me give you with some suggestions,
Preparing Your Gears
Preparing your wedding photography equipment will seems to be challenging because we also worry about what gears that should be fine for shooting a wedding party. During past 10 years I have a very good experience with two kind of cameras, the Nikon and Canon so if you also using those systems than I hope I can share a nice guidance about choosing your photography gears. There are some links that you might be consider to read all about it such as:
- 7 Best Canon Telephoto Lens for Wedding Photographer
- Cheap Wedding Photography Equipment for Canon User That Less Than $2500
- How to Choose Your Right Gears Without Burning Your Bank Account
- 7 Nikon Wedding Photography Gear On a Budget Less Than $2500
My best suggestion is always bring 2 cameras on the wedding party
Yep that’s right, 2 cameras!
No matter what kind of system that you personally use than having 2 bodies on your own is really helpful. FIRST, you can shoot with various angle without changing your lens than SECOND, it will reduce a probability of losing moment by changing lens so often. Again and over again moment is really important because this is gonna be the most important part from the whole wedding procession.
Gears Suggestion for Canon User
If you gonna shoot by using Canon than there are few cameras and lenses that I personally you to have,
Gears Suggestion for Nikon User
After get a fun experience by using Canon than now I use Nikon system so there are few gears that I could suggest you to have that will rely for your working photography industry.
Shoot for a Moment Before the Party
Most couple are used to have a simple touch up or get some snacks and drinks just before the party begin, it helps them to stay strong during the party because sometimes they can’t enjoying the full procession due to their dream to mingle with friends and family member.
1 – Shoot for Parents on Preparation
I love to make a candid journalism photos before the party starting, it gives me more sense to feels enjoy and relax during the main event. So go find where your couple and all family member are located and stay close to them if you shoot alone. Just in case you have a partner of second shooter than you can ask him to shoot for details and decoration on the wedding venue. Let me give you with some example of parents candid photos before the party,
I’m enjoying so much for shooting parents, I saw a humble face and loving person who feels so happy on their kid’s wedding. Shooting on parents inside the preparation room is interesting and if you using Nikon camera than you can consider to have a Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED or Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED to keep an enough distance between you and the parents.
Please remind that making a good distance during shooting wedding will give a freedom both for you as a photographer and the person, especially for the parents or all guest who attending the wedding, distance will take them into a freedom situation where they could get some fun and mingle with somebody else.
2 – Shoot the Venues
This is moment where you can ask your second shooter before the ceremony begin or you personally shoot during the wedding if you shoot alone. If you want to shoot for the venues than I suggest you to take a long shoot with wide angle lens like Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED or Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens.
As long as you use a full frame camera censor than having 14mm or 16mm wide lens is quite enough to give a better impression about the venue it self. Try to shoot for the ambiance which give a nice story to your couple about how their wedding looks like, let me show you with the sample picture. I shoot this beach wedding with a nice lantern hanging on the trees in Bali and what I concern is about the ambiance like lantern and the night sky, if you want to get a photo like this than you can forget about the face and details. This photo below is taken with Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens with f4.5 and 1/40 exposure time, so please be aware with low speed like mine and make sure you got a steady hand.
Now look at for the other venue photo below,
I shoot this beautiful landscape view where the wedding located with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens and set it at f13 and 1/80 exposure time, through this setting I could get super sharp photo that will look nice for all part and I think it’s gonna be good tips to shoot landscape too.
3 – Shoot for the Couple Walking into the Venue
If you want to know the next tips about how to shoot wedding party than you might be concern to shoot on a moment where your couple is walking into the venue. Please be concern than you will have a partner called a wedding planner so once the party is ready than the planner will call one by one of the couple, bridesmaid, and groomsmen’s name to walk into the venue. It could be passing some guest or walking on the special way like a bridge or pond.
The moment above is taken when the bride is coming into the ballroom where the groom is waiting for her and giving the flower bouquet, this moment is held just within 10 seconds and I shoot it as fast as I can by using Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 which is seriously ultra wide lens with cheap price that you can consider no matter you use Nikon or Canon because Tokina made some lenses for those two systems.
4 – Shoot for Group Photo Session
There always be a group photo session during the wedding, it could be after the blessing ceremony or in the same time when the party event is held. If you want to shoot group photo session with proper lens than I highly suggest you to own a medium range zoom lens like Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.
Let me show you with some photos of group session,
Medium range lens like Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM is really great, it’s sharp and clean but the most important thing, this kind of lens range will give you a great angle to shoot for group session. You don’t have to do any other movement because this range will provide everything that you need.
Some people expecting to get group photo session with more attractive but some other don’t so if you read my 12 wedding photographer tips than I also suggest to my readers to have a client meeting. In fact you can get several poses that could deliver formal and attractive pose for your couple and surely your own portfolio.
5 – Shoot for Kids
Kids is always amazing and they surely show their cute and adorable face no matter where they are. If I shoot wedding party and already get the most important moment like wedding kiss or cake cutting than I will ask my second shooter to cover all the formal moment than I will walk around the venue to make a unique shots that will means something.
When I want to shoot for unique moment like on the above photo than I will put Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L on my camera, it give me more chance to get closer into the moment and the good thing is, kids will don’t care on me because once they want to fight than they will keep fighting, LOL.
Now look at for the other kid’s moment below,
I capture a fats moment with this beautiful girl, first she just waiting for her mom because too bored on the wedding party and second one is she is dancing with her mom. It was so honour to shoot a moment like this and I know exactly how is the feeling for being a lonely kid like her and suddenly become happy when my mom is having me together.
6 – Shoot for the Attraction
When some friend asking about how to shoot wedding party in a fun way than my first suggestion will always get some attraction shooting, it could be anything that your couple provide to entertain all the guest. I was in Bali few years ago and there are amazing fire Balinese dancer who perform their attraction among us and I was surprise for seeing this show at the first time.
Shooting in a dark venue like here is quite challenging and there is no other option except using great fixed lens of Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and set it on f1.4 and 1/200 exposure time. Surely I try to shoot lower than this exposure setting but remember it’s a dancing so they move so fast and really need higher exposure time to let them freeze in a great moment.
When the musician start to play the Balinese gamelan music than the dancer are coming with a torch stick on their hand, you must see this show one day, look at these pictures below!
7 – Shoot for the Bride and Dad Dance
If you know The Essential Luther Vandross music than you might heard the song called “Dance with My Father”, surprisingly this moment will really happen on the wedding and there would be a special time where you gonna see the bride will dance with her dad for the last time. It was romantic and emotional but this gonna be your perfect time to shoot more and more for this prestigious documentary.
It was in Bali when I shoot for Germany – Philippine’s couple wedding in Conrad Nusadua, that night was really emotional so I take so many photos by using Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM for the whole night
8 – Shoot for the First Dance
There will be another emotional moment when you ask me about how to shoot wedding party properly and now it’s all about your couple’s first dance. The band will start to play the most romantic wedding song for your couple and they gonna start to dance.
Go pick up your both cameras and start shooting!
This moment will so romantic and this gonna be the most awesome time for any photographer, so just look at for this beautiful moment below. I was shooting really close to my couple by using Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, I surely know it’s a little bit shaking but I know the moment is way better for not being captured, it’s a romantic hand kiss from the husband to his wife and I surely believe that my couple want to see it over and over again for the next decades.
I know there are still few questions that you have on your mind about how to shoot wedding party at the first time but please drop me a comment below if you want to discuss more about it. Do more practice and shoot more wedding and you seriously learn better by doing for what you love in this industry, God bless you my friend!