First Wedding- what I learned...

Just finished my first wedding (well, first big wedding) and I've been making a list for myself of what I learned. Most of this is very obvious but I thought I'd share for other newbies like me. I know this has been done many times but feel free to add more.

1. Get the detailed ceremony schedule. I missed the shot walking up the aisle because I was at the front of the church all giddy that I had such a good location for shots. The ceremony was so odd that I had no idea when they were done.

2. Follow the B&G out of church and back around to altar. Mine disappeared into a hidden room and I had a hard time finding them!

3. An assistant is essential to set up lighting for after ceremony altar shots, especially if timing is tight. Luckily I had an assistant to set up umbrella- we had only 15 minutes after ceremony to get formal shots.

4. Find out what is happening between ceremony and reception. I almost missed getting into Limo.

5. Get a PocketWizard or other reliable remote flash transmitter. I had practiced with my Canon 580EX master and a 420EX slave with no problem (no PocketWizard) but when we were taking the shots, it was hit and miss on the communication.

6. Re: photos of B&G on hills (or anywhere with different levels), make sure Groom is always at higher level.

7. Re: photos of Groom and his attendants, don't have him sit and all the others stand- it makes him look very small.

8. It's easy to get bride/bride's family shots. Make sure you get the groom/groom's family also.

9. Quick posing: for ease in a hurry, I told men to face me head-on a then make a slight step back with outside leg. For women, I told them to face exactly sideways to me then take slight step back with front leg. Then all should put weight on back leg. This really seemed to work making men look bigger and women skinnier.

10. Other posing quick tips- watch spacing, all hands should be the same, shoulders back, relax neck, watch for items in photo esp. objects behind heads. Watch framing cut-offs.

11. It's all about the dress. Make the dress look good. Watch flower placement- keep it low- usually front hip is good.

12. For informal shots, they all love to put hands on each other's shoulders. Tell them to put their hands around each other's waists- it looks so much better to have no floating hands.

13. Practice/plan for bouquet and garter throw. This is often done later and inside when there is no natural light. The different levels of exposure and distance between thrower and receiver is difficult to light and focus. Extra lighting (without being obtrusive!) is essential to get a good shot.

14. At reception, get table/group shots right away before meal. It is very difficult to catch the whole table sitting later and the table quickly gets messy.

15. Take shots of the food before it is touched- buffet/or served plates.

16. When taking up-close moving shots like cake-feeding, use manual focus.

17. Bounce, bounce, bounce- NO HEAD-ON FLASH. I love my BetterBounceCard.

18. Shoot RAW. I REALLY hesitated to do this but it was a life-saver. I saved and/or corrected so many shots with Lightroom and Photoshop that could not have been done with JPG.

Good luck to all other first-timers!

Cool thanks man.

Yeah, thanks, great story! Sounds like a nightmare to me, I've been thinking of doing weddings just for the money, but I think I'll put it off a little longer
I don't want to ruin someone's wedding.

Oh btw got tips for which equipment to use? Or would you go with whatever you got?

Good job - you learned a lot on your first. As a wedding photog myself I would suggest that you always expect the unexpected - always try to get to know as many details ahead of time - offer suggestions when appropriate on where they should stand/sit etc --
I have in my contract that the couple has to provide someone that will be in charge during the "formal" family photos -- that person is responsible for rounding up the people that the couple has on their list - it is not my responsibility to decide who is in their formal photos -- I can't be responsible to find Uncle Timmy when I have no clue what he/she looks like -- and with all of the blended families etc there are no rules on who should be with the bride/groom/couple - that is their decision. This typically makes my formal photo time quicker and takes the responsibility from me and puts it on their assigned person.

I should have said- I LOVED it. Between assistant and me, took about 2000 shots, edited about 200 "good ones" but there were a couple hundred more fun ones.

I used a Canon 5D (this camera makes life wonderful), mostly with 24-70 f/2.8L. Ceremony shots 70-200/2.8 L; some 17-35/2.8L. Always had 580EX with betterbouncecard. The only additional lighting was umbrella for formal altar shots after ceremony. Used tripod only for formal altar shots. Wish I had planned better system for cards since I'm a girl, I didn't have good pockets and it was too hot for jacket (but luckily didn't lose any!) Brought, but didn't use (probably will with more experience): 85 f/1.8 and light meter. I used a gray card (carried around my neck) for first shot whenever I remembered. I brought tupperware but didn't use it.

Assistant had 20D with 24-70 f/2.8L. He took groom photos, opposite walking down aisle photos, side view and candids. His was unfortunately on manual focus which he didn't notice for a while. He also forgot to watch for shutter speed and had quite a few too slow (those darn assistants but it was my DH so I can't get too mad!)

Good idea, stathunter- about a person in charge. We couldn't find flower girl, grandma, and some others.

great tips. Let's see some pics

Few comments, after a hundred weddings or so

1. You should work through a schedule of the whole day with the B&G. I help plan the wedding days as the B&G usually have no idea how long things take. This is a free service I offer.

2. See #1.

4. See #1. I know where we're going, and I lead or follow in my own car. I wouldn't ride with a B&G without a good reason, like the time my car was towed when it was legally parked.

8. Make sure you have a list of group shots for each side of the family, and someone from each side of the family to help organise them.

13. Radio slaved flashes are great.

14. Of the hundred or so albums i've made i've never had a table shot in the album. I take shots of couples at tables when I can.

15. Maybe nice, not a high priority.

16. I never, ever use manual focus when shooting people, only at macro distances.

17. I use direct flash outside often.

See also the wedding faq.

Thanks tim- I actually got a LOT of good advice from your posts before my shoot- thank you for being so actively involved and helpful here.

1. YES- I completely understand this one now.

14. and 15. The bride asked about these after the fact and I didn't have them. Oh well, but you are right- not high priority.

16. Manual focus would have been better for me as the couple was moving trying to put cake in each other's mouths. Because I was on autofocus and moving quickly, I got some great shots- but with the focus on the background between the two of them. A pro would probably have been able to do it better but I wish I had manually focused at the start of that.

OK- here are a few but I KNOW I have a LOT to learn. (disclaimer: I tried to refuse the job based on all the advice here and I only did this wedding because the bride told me that Uncle Joe with his point & shoot was going to do it if I didn't!) I was very lucky to have such a beautiful bride- they were so cute and so in love.

This was the weekend of the California fires so the orange sky was a hindrance but also an added bonus.
1. 24-70, ISO 1600, 1/30, f/10

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That golfers pic is pretty cool The jumping one you'd have needed lots of flash.

That church shot at "24-70, ISO 1600, 1/30, f/10", that's a weird exposure setting. I'd probably have let the stained glass blow out, shot at F5.6 and ISO400/800.

With the cake shots and AF just use single center point, it's fast and accurate, i'm really slow with MF. It helps a little that I strobe the room and shoot at F5.6.

6. depends on the grooms height. but in your case, yip

you take shots of cake feeding? cool!

nice job, they'll be stoked I'm sure!

Yes, photo #2 was a problem because he should be uphill but I wanted her dress to show closer to camera.

whoa, my computer's posting on it's own!! ^^

MJadse,
After my first wedding years (and years) ago I was not straight headed enough to even sit and write a list like you put together. It looks like you did a great job based on what you posted and on the list itself. I myself like to meet with the couple on Thursday before the wedding. Close enough that what I have to say to them is in their head the day of the rehearsal and far in enough that they are not so distracted. In that meeting I have already had them fill out my questionnaire for me in which I compile vital info and we go over everything from A-Z.

I have spent months with them telling me what they want, now it is time for me to tell them what I need from them in order to make that happen. It is not enough to say for example that they want a shot of all of the people in the procession, they have to know that at the rehearsal they have to plan on giving the time to get in and out of the way. I also take the time to go over all the specifics they they have previously made known to me. For example an MOB said that she wanted a sunset shot just like one I did for a friend of hers. However, their scheduling severely conflicted with that. Most vital at this meeting is that anyone who has any directional input needs to be there or make their wishes known by this date. In other words if it is not covered at the meeting, it will not happen. I will not take direction from everyone and their sister at the wedding. I have my instructions, the couple have given me all of my guidelines and that is my mission.

On the sunset shot I mentioned earlier, I met with the couple and mom, and we cleared the schedule just so we could get the shot. Of course the couple got run over with the crazy flow at the actual wedding and when the sun was setting it did not seem so important to them after all because they were brushing me off. I grabbed mom brought them to the couple and told them we need to get this shot now, it it on my schedule,it is now or never.... They said no... Mom said no.... Okay. As it happened, the maid of honor called me after the wedding and told me she knew the couple had loved the photos and that she had found out how much of a pest I made of myself about the sunset shot. She was impressed because she knew I did everything I could, and if it was that important to me to see the brides wishes were followed then she also wanted me to cover her wedding the following year.

It appears to this old Veteran that you are on the right track, keep it going.

David