Hi D! Welcome to the wedding section!
If you are beginning to start out in the professional wedding photography business, full or part time, now is a good time to get an overview of you roles as a primary or second shooter, develop some solid technical habits and begin to build your confidence and reduce the sweat and stress of getting the job done.
Nowadays, very little is discussed about the FINAL PRODUCT of the still photography- how are the images going to be viewed, stored and appreciated in years to come. Obviously, IF the client is also having a video produced, they are gonna view it on their TV screen in the form of an edited comprehensive and chronological “movie” of their wedding day. What then, of the still images? If there is no video, can they stand on their own and TELL THE STORY? There will be hundreds or thousands of “shots”. Perhaps the best of the bunch will end up on a CD or maybe in an album.
In my own business, I still encourage the traditionl ALBUM, which can indeed stand on it's own as a permanent keepsake and detailed and elegant record of the wedding. Even if the images are relegated to a DVD, a comprehensive mixture of portraiture and journalism should amount to a smooth , easy to view, interesting sequence of images that can be enjoyed by the couple an there friends and family for years to come. This will require a good number of both planned and impromptu shots and some savvy editing.
As you alluded to in your post, the first shooter has the responsibility of all the “must have” and formal and casual shots of the couple, their family and bridal party members and the ceremony and reception coverage. Of course, he or she can not be in two places at one time so the second shooter is charged with the detail shots, the emotional and candid happenings that are ongoing, not only in the “center of the action” but on the “outskirts of the affair”. As the second shooter, you are not really playing a secondary roles and you need to be “on your game” so you must learn, practice and work at mastering you camera handling, exposure and composition so that you are ready to “rock 'n' roll” as the action occurs. While you are at it- this is great opportunity for experience and practice for becoming a primary wedding photographer. Remember- when all is done at the wedding and editing time comes around, your shots are gonna be VITAL to relating interesting details, show the REAL emotions and putting the nuances and finishing touches on the story!
Get ready for bad places! Some wedding take place in elegant surroundings; majestic churches, well manicured gardens, opulent ballrooms and fancy catering venues. Just as many will find you in cramped quarters, modest churches, aging Legion halls, old barns and “grandma's backyard"! You may be running back and forth between dingy darkness and bright sunlight. You need to familiarize yourself with the exposure settings for all of theses situations, know exactly how to employ FLASH for fill in, augmentation of natural light and as your only main light source. Careful composition, framing, strategic choice of camera angle, and selective focus will help you avoid, eliminate or scramble unsightly or distracting backgrounds and also enable to include interesting surrounding details in your images.
You need to work carefully and deliberately, HOWEVER. you can't fumble with your equipment and there are times when you MUST grab the emotions, gun and run, and “shoot first and ask questions (well...edit) later”! There a re times when I shoot with the camera held high over my head or from the hip with no access to the viewfinder- a bit of cropping and a few PhotoShop shenanigans make the shot after the fact.
I don't know what your level of knowledge and experience is as to many of the required skill sets but here are some of the subjects you should research, learn about and develop as part of your own technique- I'm giving you some “homework”!
Exposure and Lighting- how to use both manual and programmed exposure modes to their best advantage and how to manipulate and understand the automatic functions on your cameras. ISO settings and their relationship to “noise” or grain. Out-of-doors candids and formals, reflector usage and subtractive lighting.
Flash technique- On and off camera flash lighting, multiple flash methods, bounce flash methods, bare bulb, flash-fill and synchronous-sunlight methods, the use of flash brackets, Speedlights, mono-lights, umbrellas and softboxes. Flash exposure- manual, auto, TTL, triggering devices and synchronizations speeds and limitations.
Optics- Lens usage- primes, zooms, focal lengths and perspectives. Depth of field, "bokeh", distortion avoidance, auto-focus modes and soft focus.
Logistics- Basically always being at the right place at the right time and being able to anticipate action, expression and emotional reactions. As you attend more an more weddings, you will learn many of the routines and sequences of events that are common to most weddings but you will also develop a “sixth sense” about off-beat happenings, special ethnic or cultural traditions and unexpected happenings. Get a feel for the “whose who” the VIPs and important guests- stalk the couples and their parents and the close friends in the bridal party and get ready to grab the smiles, laughs, the tears , the hugs and kisses and the joy. You will get the “vibes” of family and other close relationships. Get “reaction shots”- if the main shooter is shooting the cake cutting, the bouquet toss or the first dance- look for the reactions of the crowed and the onlookers- especially the close relatives.
Formals- If you aspire to be a first shooter-, study the basics of portrait lighting and posing. Elegant, romantic, and traditional wedding portraits and groups need no be stiff and boring. Chekk out the bridal magazines and see how the fashion photographers manage the gowns, trains, veils and flowers.
As for your images- Not at all too bad! You have potential! You captured a lovely image of the bride with a nice rim light on her profile. A bit of cropping to knock out some distractions in the background and a little more contrast and density makes for a cool candid portrait- GREAT EXPRESSION!
The bride in the chair captures a cute prop at the reception- I scrambled the tripods in the background, corrected the color a bit and it tells the story of the bride taking a break and watching all the activity kinda whizzing by. Nice shot!
2/3 composition of the sign? Not to worry- I just messed with the perspective. It's a great insert shot- it tells the story of the informality of the seating and the “one family” theme and WOW- there is the ceremony in the background! Good journalism my friend!
Please see my quick i-Phone edits to follow.
Good luck, keep posting here with your progress and I hope all the guys here have been helpful!
Don't forget the homework- there's gonna be a quiz
Ed