bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

For those with positive suggestions, I'd like to ask you to join in the wedding forum as well.

Always room for people who like to give helpful advice to the next generation of wedding photographers. I enjoy mentoring, because I started out with a great mentor. He never looked at me as "training his competition." I often will have people I've trained work as a second shooter when needed, and I've shot second for them as well. I also refer people to them when I'm booked, or not a good fit, and they return the favor.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

If you are working with a pro just do what the pro asks yo to do. If You are working for yourself tell the bride and groom you are not ready for a wedding as you have no experience except for the answers you find here. Go enjoy the event and watch how it is all put together rather than mess up some things you may not have the right gear to do the job with. Like a second D7500 for back up. I am a pro and if you are really used to the D7500 and hope to use a lesser camera for back up you might find that in the excitement the d7500 quit and you forgot the settings and controls on the back up you brought due to your own panic and speed of the event.
Like I said leave such an important event to the pro's. I have photographed over 1500 weddings in film days and not only have I faced the bridezillas I also faced equipment failures and even one time the studio I shot for lost a roll of film on me though it may have been the lab. All I now is the owner of the studio was a bit absent minded and would set things down that could roll off the back of a counter top while filling out the lab order.
The bride deserves the best on and exceptional day. I have also been hired by studios to reshoot a wedding. I was under the most pressure that day because I was fixing a problem the studio had. I was hired by that studio only by reputation and because of my reputation the bride and groom were more than happy to do what ever I needed done. Remember the BRIDE gets only one shot at the photographer getting it right. Remember the bride can and will sue you if it come out wrong. Studios carry insurance for this reason you may not.
Go enjoy it and tell the bride you are not qualified due to no experience. Maybe a studio near you needs an assistant and then you might learn from them. I went out with each new studio one Saturday on me when they accepted me as one of their freelance staff. I did this at no charge to the studio because I wanted to know how they handled their weddings and their customers during the wedding. As my experience grew I made more money from each studio and received more jobs from each studio. It took me the first 50 to 100 to feel comfortable with any bride. The same could be said of any of the studio owners. Please leave important thing unless you have a degree and experience in the field to the pro's. They do know what they are doing.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Hi Kelly!

I (we) would love to help you but I am at a loss in that I have no idea of your level of photographic skill and knowledge and most importantly your experience. There is a wealth of well-meaning advice already posted- some optimistic and some rather discouraging but the operative words here are "well-meaning". Nobody here wants see you fail or get into any kind of trouble!

It's certainly true that everyone has to start any kind of career or avocation somewhere at some time, however, it can be ill advised to undertake certain kinds of photographic assignments, representing yourself as a professional, if you're not fully equipped or prepared. There could be significant legal ramifications it you fail to satisfy the client- sadly enough, that has happened to many well-intentioned but under-prepared photographers.

You have not mentioned your photographic experiences. Even if you have never covered a wedding, you may have some experience in photojournalistic kinda work or perhaps portraiture or people photography. Have you ever covered any othere kind of social event, party or celebrations?- everything counts!

I would like to know about the wedding your are going to cover in August- some of the basics such as the schedule plan for the day. Is it a rather modest or small wedding, a fairly large or well-attended affair or a large very lavish event in an opulent venue. Are you going to cover the bride and/or groom preparing for the day? Is the ceremony going to be held in a church, a civil venue or at an out-of doors location? Are formal and group portraits planned. What and where is the reception going to be held? This information would give me/us some idea of the scope of the assignment.

You did specify your camera but there is no mention of lenses, lighting equipment and other essentials. The issue of spare equipment is extremely important- a second camera body and appropriate lenses, an additional flash unit, spare batteries and lots of extra memory cards are all must-haves! Even a wealth of gear may be insufficient of you are not totally in command of its operation.

Do you have a method of backing up your files during the shooting day? It's best to upload your cards to a laptop before leaving the venue and NOT dumping the cards until the images are delivered to the client.

I would like to know WHAT the clients expect and what you have promised to deliver. Frankly, do they fully realize and understand that this is your first wedding. Do your have a contract with wavers to protect yourself and limit your liability?If everyone concerned is "on the same page" and they sign off on this, you will have some indemnification. If you intend to take on further wedding assignments, you should consider obtaining comprehensive insurance coverage for public liability, indemnity, as well as loss or damage to your equipment.

What worries me is the nervousness your expressed in your original post. I'll let you in on a secret. I have been shooting wedding professionally for over 5 decades. If you woke me up in the middle of the night and brought me to a wedding, placed a camera in my hands- no plan -no list- half asleep, I can still come home with a job under my belt. HOWEVER- I still experience a bit of stress before each assignment because I never want to become cavalier, overly confident or feel invincible! Even the most experienced shooters can make mistakes and the finest brand new gear can unceremoniously fail at the most inopportune times. We all need to be up on our game and be prepared for just about anything. Even the best laid plans can go south and we all need to be able to switch gears and work around any obstacles. We all need to respect and abide by MURPHY'S LAW! There can be no fumbling with equipment! During a wedding you alway need to be at the right place, at the right time and ready to rock 'n' roll with the action. At the same time you must work swifty, efficiently, precisely in an unobtrusive manner. You need the patience of a saint, the people skills of a social worker and a bit of an athlete! It's a skill set in itself to work methodically, professionally, politely and professionally while everyone else is there to be emotional, celebratory and just havin' a good old time!

I don't disagree with most of the advice that has been posted thus far- some of it is debatable but it is all offered in good faith and with concern for your and your client. There are lots of good people here! I can't promise a crash course in sophisticated and complex techniques, however, we may be able to set you up with a practical plan of attack based on what you can tell us.

My advice for the present: take the time to accumulate all of the information I have alluded to. Come to our "WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION" We are a relatively small crew of wedding specialists who are more that willing to assist newcomers, rookies and even old-timers who are interested in updating their technology.

By the way- our section is not restricted to full or part-time wedding pros. Anyone who is interested in the work is welcome and can join the conversations. Some of y'all retired wedding shooters should come in an share your experiences.

Yes! There are some "war" stories and wedding horror stories every now and again but we try to emphasize learning, sharing, exchanging ideas, tips and methodologies as well as a of portion of promotional, management and business stuff. Even among ourselves, we don't always agree exactly on everything but that is good. It's especially helpful for the new folks to hear difference of opinion and hopefully that will stimulate their thinking processes.

Is this LOGICAL of what?

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

This is why I say let the real pro's handle the real pro jobs. I shot over 1500 in film days and retired only due to digital and the very expensive 1mpx cameras that I thought were junk back then. After all I shot film which is still better in some respects. I retired rather than pay the prices for 1 or even 2 mpx. Once the 24 mpx arrived I went digital and all I had to do was call up a studio I shot for to get back to being a pro. I do not shoot weddings at this point but the studio keeps me busy with groups of students as in sometimes 200 students in a group shot as well as sports and activities. The ones who call me for weddings I know personally and they would have no one else. Only way to gain experience is to hire on as an assistant while going to a school for photography.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I agree that the pros should handle the pro jobs.

However, I shot a couple weddings for impecunious friends and although I really didn't know anything about wedding photography at the time and most likely missed a bunch of "essential shots", both couples were happy with the results and stayed married for more than 50 years. My own wedding was shot by someone hired to do the job (I was doing something else that day). The wedding album went into a box and probably got pulled out and perused 6 times in the next 50 years. I made digital copies of a couple of the dull shots of a bunch of people standing in rows and distributed them to family along with a genealogical collection. Probably 10% of those distributed files are still around.

Really, there are people who can't afford a pro. They can't afford a fancy reception. Spending $75K on a wedding is not for everyone. And while it's nice to have a good set of photos to remind you of the wedding (at least for the ones that last) it's not going to make or break the marriage. There is room for amateur wedding photographers as long as the B/G know that the photographer is not an accomplished award winning photographer. It's not like everyone should get their knickers knotted every time somebody without experience does a wedding.

Ron Dial Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador

Take a xanax before the wedding. Remember, people are VERY emotional about their wedding photography. Mothers are a real PITA (pain in the ____). You need to stick to your plan and your list of photographs (there was a good list in one of the other posts). Do not let mothers pull you away to do something else, you will miss an important shot. Do a dry run. Practice taking pics of people outside in unflattering light. Go to the chapel and practice pics in low light. By all means do not attempt this by yourself. You must must must have an assistant that knows what they are doing. It is like a crime scene. If you don't get the shot, you can't go back. There will be a lot of pressure on you. Remember Depth of Field.

When its over, download the pics and make a back-up copy of all images BEFORE you start to edit. If you screw up something, there is no amount of explaining that will help.

repleo Loc: Boston

One of my other interests is Genealogy. Old wedding photos can be a tremendous resource for genealogists because they tend to survive the longest.

If at all possible, try to get a couple of 'posterity' shots with the entire Bride's family and relatives and the entire Groom's family and relatives and a shot of the entire wedding group. In fifty years time these will be the most prized shots as the younger generations try to name and place the faces of long gone great-grandparents, Aunts, Uncles etc. If you are providing finished prints, put your info and the date on the back of the print.

deer2ker Loc: Nashville, TN

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

If you are the B/G or the family, take those shots and write on the back. Identify all the people in the photo. It will help the observer 100 years from now.

If you are shooting the wedding, take the shots. When it comes to making the wedding album, don't paste the photos in. Make sure the family can get the print out and write on the back.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Why so much negativity!

Come on guys! Where's all your PEOPLE SKILLS! I hate the term "BRIDEZILLA"! I have been at this for over 50 years and have lost count of the all weddings I have photographed long ago- probably well into the thousands.

I start off my career in the New York City metropolitan area in the late 1950s early 1960s. The volume of work was incredible. The studio I worked for was the "house photographers" for several busy reception/catering venues (we called them wedding factories) and we also served a number of ethnic communities known for big, boisterous and lavish weddings. At the height of the wedding season I worked at weddings just about every day- weekdays, weekends, Sundays and holidays! New York folks can be rather rambunctious at times. I started off at the age of 14 as an assistant- light man, lugger of heavy gear, second shooter and slave and shot my first solo job at 16- I was big and ugly and passed for 20! One of the main guys fell ill and had to be hospitalized at the last minute and I had to shoot- I never looked back since then!

Point is- in all that time, and to date, most of the brides were/are just lovely ladies. Some very sweet, some gentle, some a bit emotional and even a few "Divisional Sergeant Majors"- well a bit bossy and even a few temperamental actrices! You know what- I just treated them all as I would my own sister or daughter, who I love, and once they knew I was on their side we got along just fine! Nothing like a nice HUG from the bride at the end of the gig! In all these years, I can't remember one really difficult mother of the bride! Even if the bride is 45 years old and on her third hubby, the mom and dad are still "giving away their little girl" and that can be very emotional or even a bit traumatic for the older folks. A little understanding and kindness goes a long way!

I only remember one reception that included a significant fist fight- well they did call in the Nassau County Police Riot Squad- it must be recorded somewhere in the annals of Great Neck, Long Island, New York! Aside from that, wedding photography is not some kind of Hell but it ain't a job for the faint of heart, the impatient or the lazy photographer.

For the past 30 years, the mainstay of my studio business is commercial photography and corporate portraiture, however, I still maintain a "wedding department", which in the next year or so, I am going to turn over completely to my daughter. We still have a full calendar and all that work comes in strictly on referral. My commercial cohorts, friends and friendly competitors make fun of me- "old guy still doing weddings". Not only that, some of them look down on that segment of the profession- they think it's easy- something anyone could do! So, I offer them some monetary incentive to come out with me and my crew and pitch in at a few big weddings. At the end of the evening- usually about 2:00 AM, the usual reaction is "You do this every weekend- how come you ain't dead yet"?! Theses are not lazy guys. Many are talented and creative shooters but the are used to working under controlled conditions and the just don't have the patients. Well- the money's good! So are the HUGS!

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

There are hundreds of "wedding photo" sites on line - try "https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=how+to+photograph+a+wedding&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8...

Worth a look.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Kelly, welcome to the Hog!
This is one of the most amusing wedding post I’ve read here!!
Not much I could add to all of this, especially not knowing ANYTHING about the wedding itself.
You really should have begun with whether it’s the Royal Wedding or a couple of old people getting married in the backyard, and day or night.
Are you an experienced photographer or a GWAC?
Again, welcome and good luck!!!
SS

wetreed

Very good advice

JeffT Loc: Central NY

A couple of wedding preparation thoughts. I only shoot two or three weddings a year, so I don't know all of the local places for receptions and ceremonies. Prior to the reception I like to go the the venue and meet with the event planner. Have them show you the area where the reception will be as well as any unique locations that can be used to show off the couple. Ask about typical lighting during the reception. Ask about where the band or DJ will likely setup. If it's a daylight reception check if the B&G will have their backs to a bright window during the toasts. (If they do, you are likely to need some fill flash to get decent pictures without completely blowing out the window light). I also like to go the the wedding rehearsal if I can. You often get to see what the lighting will be like, as well as get a feel for the flow of the ceremony. You can check about any rules specific to the venue with the officiant. Possibly look for areas where you could do some bridal couple pictures.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

AlohaJim nailed it. Heed his suggestions, research on youtube, compose a shot list and for your first wedding will add, consider an assistant or second shooter and try to hook up with the "go-to" person who can help direct you if you are not familiar with the relatives and other guests. You want to make sure your candid shots cover all of the guests. Table shots are good, individual / couple shots at the table and dance floor are even better. It's good to be stressed but not overwhelmed.