I went to my first wedding last week and I really enjoyed it, not least to see a good friend getting married on such a wonderfully warm and sunny day on south Dartmoor but also because I had never taken portrait shots, at least formal ones, with much regularity before so I took to the challenge happily. It was as I pulled my camera out just as we left the church following the service that I caught the professional photographer and her assistant eyeing me with a bit more than a little suspicion…its not often a wedding guest appears with a professional camera and the gear to match I suspect. After a brief chat to them they realised I wasn’t there to get in their way, far from it in fact, I watched intently at how they worked and was quite fascinated. It struck me that wedding photography is 10% photography, 90% cat herding…or at least similar in a fashion. Its a big occasion for two families as they all come together and celebrate the wedding, it’s an exciting time but a wedding photographer is there to do a job so must make clear, polite and concise directions for everyone to follow – and pretty much all the time…hard work! I admired the slick operation as it unfolded in its pre-planned sequence; couple in door way of church (several shots and poses), best man and groom, ‘best men and groom’ group shot, bride and maids groups shots, couple and parents from each side (in turn and together), everyone else i.e. friends etc and finally confetti shots before getting into the car and heading off. I think everyone got in the frame a few times and all in about 30-40mins, certainly well executed!

With my strong interests in landscape photography I have learnt to observe my surroundings calmly before firing the shutter off when I’m looking for that something else…so I wandered about looking for alternative angles and views perhaps missed or overlooked by the pros. Where the reception was (on Dartmoor) there was a stream with a high hump-back bridge, this overlooked a large lawn in front of the hotel on which the couple were having their pictures taken. Not wanting to duplicate the pros too much I wandered up onto the bridge to get some unusual angles…within minutes I was joined by one of them. So, did I spot something they didn’t? Dunno but now they’ve got duplicates of my shots…erm. Oh well. I stayed back and let them work on…by the end of it the couple were virtually all photo’ed out and happy to get to lunch. The pro’s left before the food which left me unofficially ‘in charge’ of pictures; cake cutting, dance and so on…which I think I managed without too much problems

Towards the end of the day as evening light bathed the grounds in a warm glow I suggested a few photos outside again, it was just a small group of us who went out to get away so the mood was light and we had a laugh…I think this gave them a perfect opportunity to get away from the crowds relax a little now all eyes were not on them!

As it got dark I got out the new flash I bought recently…more on that later, suffice to say I sussed it out in the car on the way down – fill flash, ETTL and more! – and got some pretty good shots in the low-light! Once again it was a fantastic day I was very grateful to be part of and if they’re reading this I wish them all the best in their new life together!

Ever thought about being a wedding photographer? I’ve been asked this a number of times, I generally say ‘yes but no thanks’. In the increasingly accessible world of digital photography it must be a thought that runs through every aspiring and established wedding photographer that people come to weddings with their cameras (pocket, mobile phone, digitial SLR etc…) shoot a load off and expect them to be better. Well, you might get lucky but there’s a reason pros are in business.
Bit of advice: Being a wedding photographer is a serious undertaking that shouldn’t be ventured into lightly, its not just taking pictures of people and making them look nice, its having the forethought to cover every eventuality from sunshine through rain to snow(!) and still come away with the shots that are expected of you…that are demanded, no less. You don’t just take photos of the day, you cause the events to capture them, and you only have one shot at it – no second chances, no “I’ll come back tomorrow”‘s. Thats it, one chance and you’re judged on that, so getting it right isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Photographs are going to be the longest lasting memory of the day and its a huge responsibility to ensure they come out right and as intended, this means back ups of equipment, insurance against anything going wrong – either damage to equipment or images you thought you’d saved not coming out (either dodgy film or corrupt memory) – and communicating with the couple before, during and after the day’s event is over to meet their expectations and satisfy their requirements. If its a job worth doing, its worth doing properly.
Thats just for starters, next there’s the actual shooting to be done – as I mentioned above it can be like herding cats; everyone milling about excited, the last thing they want to do is stand still so it requires a stern professional attitude to corral people and work fast to let them get on and enjoy the day. If you’ve got a problem asserting yourself then either hire an assistant or forget weddings…its a PR and photography job rolled into one.
Wedding photographers charge a fair bit, all well and good since the amount of work they do does mount up – remember its not just the taking but also the processing and editing they do afterwards too – it is usually the case that the more expensive ones are the better ones…I guess it comes down to how you value your own work, some tippity-top photographers may charge in excess of £2500-£3000 (yes really) but then you know the [outstanding] results are going to reflect that and feel the price tag is justified, so think for a second what you might get for £250…so if you’re not up to the job don’t even get it started otherwise it’ll be a huge embarrassment for you and an even bigger upset for the couple!
Now, I don’t claim to be a professional wedding photographer but I do always aim for professional results. I haven’t the experience to accept the responsibilities of being the photographer at a wedding, yet, and as such decline when asked. Though I am having my arm twisted to be ‘there to take photos’ later on this year. I’m happy to do what ever but without the pressure of ‘what if I cock it up’…I want to enjoy my photography so I think I’ll leave weddings to the pros…’until I is one’!

Just a thought, who takes the pictures at a photographer’s wedding, and who calls the shots?!