Newbie looking for some advice....

Hi Guys,

While I'm sortta new to the whole wedding photograpy things, I'm not really.... I've probably photgraphed 5 or more relative's weddings as the 'aspiring' photographer (I generally give the couple a DVD with all the photos from the house, church service and reception synchronised to music and arranged into chapters with menus as a gift) - I really enjoy doing it...

I like taking the candid shots, not the posed ones taken by the pro attending. I try and capture the moment such as the page boy yawning, groom nervously playing with the bride's bangle as well as the odd geniune laugh or smile as things go pear shaped.

I've attached a sample of one of those moments for comment (the bride - my cousin - is one of those people that is forever smiling and laughing, it was a real pleasure taking the photos).

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Have you considered buying this Bryan Peterson book?

http://www.amazon.com …7-2939968?ie=UTF8&s=book​s

It's highly recommended and he is very good at explaining what he means. If you just go to the Amazon.com site and search wedding photography, there are many books out there that are very good. I'd start with trying different angles and get closer to the subjects.

Good luck. That picture is very nice. Your cousin looked beautiful.

SuzyView wrote in post #2454026
Have you considered buying this Bryan Peterson book?

http://www.amazon.com …7-2939968?ie=UTF8&s=book​s

It's highly recommended and he is very good at explaining what he means. If you just go to the Amazon.com site and search wedding photography, there are many books out there that are very good. I'd start with trying different angles and get closer to the subjects.

Hi Suzie,

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have a read and start my journey

Focus on capturing emotion in your shots, and let them tell a story.

As I see it, the 3 important factors are;
timing -capturing a moment
composition
light
however this is no use whatsoever without basic camera skills regarding exposure and composition.

In your shot above, you have captured the emotion on the brides face, however as you can see, this isn't a picture of a bride, it's a picture of a group of people.
The Priests robe makes up 20% of the area, the grooms face is covered by an arm, the background generally is busy, all this detracts from the beautiful brides smile that you saw when you looked through the viewfinder.

To improve this image, a longer focal length is required to crop down to just the bride. A wide aperture will push the background out of focus, and would also mean that you'd probably have been able to use the available light. Which would be more atmospheric than the harsh flash used here.
You need to learn to really LOOK through the viewfinder, not at what you want to see , but at ALL the camera is seeing. You might need to invest in a long fast lens, and learn how to use natural light and subtle flash techniques.
Here are a couple of recent ceremony shots that might help .

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Phil V wrote in post #2458588
As I see it, the 3 important factors are;
timing -capturing a moment
composition
light
however this is no use whatsoever without basic camera skills regarding exposure and composition.

...

To improve this image, a longer focal length is required to crop down to just the bride. A wide aperture will push the background out of focus, and would also mean that you'd probably have been able to use the available light. Which would be more atmospheric than the harsh flash used here.
You need to learn to really LOOK through the viewfinder, not at what you want to see , but at ALL the camera is seeing. You might need to invest in a long fast lens, and learn how to use natural light and subtle flash techniques.

Thanks for the advise....

Are you able to point me in the direction of some websites that can shed light on some of these techniques??

Firstly there's the usual newbie thread links on this site, Tim's first draft of his FAQ, then there's a thread here where you'll find lots of inspiring photographers.
But generally you need to shoot lot's, like I said before - Really LOOK into the viewfinder at what you're shooting. Get a fast prime lens and don't use your flash for 6 months. Then you'll learn about light and shadows. Once you've done that you'll be safe to switch the flash back on.

Pick up some magazines and look at the photographs in them, if you study them you'll be able to work out how they're lit, you can do the same for other photographers websites. It's not recognised by the newcomer but light really is the key to photography. When we're learning about exposure we get tied up in the quantity of light. So few people move onto the next stage, studying the quality of light. That's the part that lifts an ordinary picture into a stunning one.

If you live in the Tropics you have massive problems with harsh shadows, but the payoff is dramatic sunsets. In the UK we rarely have great dramatic skies for wedding portraits. But we don't have to deal with harsh shadows much, for most of the year our sky works like a great big softbox, perfect for outdoor photography of people.

If there's a website out there that'll allow you to download all the required knowledge instead of practicing, I'm afraid I don't know where it is. Unfortunately I've had to rely on a (very) little natural talent and a lot of practice. There are many on-line sites where you can learn about lighting and composition. You already have an eye for the 'moment', study lighting and composition and practice, then repeat as necessary.