Here I bring you a new installment of the Guide for a wedding photographer, through which I want to show you the most fundamental concepts of this type of photographic reportage.
If you have not read the previous articles, I recommend that you do it, in them, we try:
An exceptional wedding report, where we covered general topics that any wedding photographer should master.
The groom’s preparations.
The bride’s preparations.
This time we are going to focus on photography during the wedding ceremony.
The meeting of the bride and groom
In recent years, the way the bride and groom saw each other for the first time on their wedding day has changed a lot, many customs have been giving way to more innovative skills. This is undoubtedly a great advantage for the photographer since it provides him with more opportunities to take different photos.
Keep in mind that the first look of the couple will be one of the most emotional images of the day. I’m going to try to offer some advice for this first look.
Be careful with the light
One of the situations that usually occurs in outdoor ceremonies, and in some hours of the day when the sun offers us its hardest light. Look for even lighting and clean backgrounds. Trying that the bride and groom are not facing the sun, since the shadows that can be produced are not very flattering.
Choose a longer focal length to limit the amount of light the environment offers, and try to capture as much detail as possible despite the bright light and shadows it produces.
Communication with your team
If a second photographer is with us, we must be clear about the situation that each one will occupy. But you both have to have a good view of the two boyfriends, to capture any detail that happens. Even sometimes everything happens so fast that it is important that one focuses on the couple and the other on the family or that each photographer focuses on each of the couples.
All the photographers must share the settings on their cameras (white balance, shutter speed, etc.) beforehand to ensure consistent reporting (this will also make editing easier) and above all, it is important that both shoots at RAW format to have a better latitude and possibility of a correction in those adjustments that we will make later in post-production.
If you also work with a videographer, you should avoid crossing at your angles and not getting into the shots of others. Although sometimes it is almost impossible, one of the best options is to work side by side.
Go unnoticed
If we want a documentary style of wedding reporting, we have to get the bride and groom to ignore our presence. In this way, this first look and everything that will happen next will be reflected insincere and very emotional images.
Stay tuned
After the first reaction upon seeing each other, the emotions will not stop, they will talk, they will hug, they will smile and they may even kiss. Be aware of any reaction and do not interrupt the moment, let the situation flow.
The wedding ceremony
One of the most important moments of the day arrives. Although, a wedding ceremony has an average duration of between 20 and 40 minutes, which for us is a problem since in this space of time we have to photograph all the important moments (in a creative way) and the reactions of many people close to the couple.
Talk to the officiant
Today each wedding is a world (and even more so if they are civil) couples seek originality through different and original ceremonies, and this can make us miss very important moments.
Talk to the officiant beforehand, who is the person who knows the times of the ceremony and the order in which they will take place.
A “typical” ceremony comes to be:
Bride and groom entrance
Blessing of the father, also known as “Giving of the bride”.
Prayer or reading
Votes
Ring exchange
First kiss
Firms
Bride and groom departure
Beware of inexperienced officiants, they usually spoil an important photo for not knowing how to getaway.
Wedding rites
The importance of the first moments
From the entrance of the couple and their groomsmen until the ceremony starts, hundreds of emotions happen, you can not miss any. The problem is that the situation can appear at any person and moment.
Try to give it your all right now, truly, the couple, when they see the report, will appreciate these photos of their loved ones with such sincere emotions.
Important situations in the ceremony
In order not to miss anything, keep in mind the important moments and people that you must photograph during the ceremony:
Exchange of votes
Ring exchange
That first kiss
Parents and godparents
Guests (attention to children)
The venue as part of the scene
Cultural traditions
Apart from these essential points, you have to know the important moments that each culture, each religion and each ritual has.
If the bride and groom are to be married through a ceremony you do not know, it is important that before the wedding, you have consulted them about the most important rituals and their meaning.
Know when the ceremony is going to happen and be more or less clear how you intend to capture them with your camera. Some ceremonies contain a multitude of traditions and really, they end as quickly as they begin.
The departure of the bride and groom
This moment is undoubtedly one of the most creative, and in the final report, this image will be one of the most appreciated. A wedding report, her joy, her emotion, the love of the couple, can be summed up in a photo. The departure of the bride and groom.
At this moment all the guests are prepared to honor them and show them happiness for their wedding. Take advantage of this emotion. The rice, the confetti, the bubbles, the smoke, the butterflies, or whatever they throw at them will do the rest.
I don’t want this article on wedding ceremony photography to get any longer. I just want to give you one very basic concept. This moment is exceptional for a photographer since the emotions are on the surface. But you have to keep in mind that here you have to do the magic with your camera. Find the difference and start creating your style, do not take the same photos that any photographer would do, without losing sight of documenting one of the most important moments in the life of that couple.
