INTRODUCTION DO IT YOURSELF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY In November of 2003, I attended the wedding of my wife's oldest nephew. He and his fiancé both work full time and go to school, so they don't have a lot of money, and neither do their parents. Regardless, they managed to have a very nice wedding with the money they did have available. Fortunately for Mike and Wendi, a family friend and semi-professional photographer (not yours truly) agreed to do their wedding. On the way home from the reception it occurred to me that a lot of couples are in the same position of not having a lot of money for their wedding. Mike and Wendi were lucky to have a photographer to call on, but not everyone will have this asset. A wedding is one of the biggest expenses a couple will generate, and parents can't always be counted on to help defray the cost. Many times, expenses will need to be cut and some aspects of a wedding lend themselves to budget cuts more than others. For the budget-conscious wedding, the photography is frequently one of the things to suffer. As there is no shortage of people taking pictures at a wedding, often the couple will just figure on using the pictures taken by their guests. One practice I’ve seen is to place disposable cameras on each table at the reception. Virtually everyone knows somebody that has a camera and these people are often called upon to fill the role of the wedding photographer when the budget is tight. In all likelihood, these friends or family members really have no idea how to go about shooting a wedding. Does this mean the couple should have to settle for amateur photographs of the beginning of their life together? No, it doesn't. Just because a couple doesn't have a lot of money to spend on their wedding doesn't mean they shouldn't still have quality, professional-looking photos. On reflection, I realized that shooting a wedding isn't that difficult, per se. It's basically just a series of staged shots that anyone can do with a bit of guidance. It’s the seriousness of the occasion that is the most intimidating factor. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 2 - I’ve been in, or involved with, a lot of weddings and seen a lot of wedding photography. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and thought I would share that knowledge with those friends and family members that have agreed to take on the responsibility of photographing a wedding. That's how the idea of my amateur guide for wedding photography was born. I was very fortunate to be able to work with Gary Maiers of Robin Gary Photography. Gary is a seasoned wedding photographer with a solid reputation in my area. He was very kind to supply all of the photos that I used. Thank you, Gary. James Booth May 2004 James Booth is the News Editor for the ZATZ publications and Contributing Editor for Connected Photographer and Computing Unplugged Magazines. James is a Jack-Of- Many-Trades and Master of absolutely nothing. All of his computer and handheld experience is self-taught through trial-and-error. He is a stay-at-home Mr. Mom that enjoys reading, Asian culture and martial arts, exotic foods, golf and his saltwater fish tank as a surrogate for scuba diving. James also dabbles in digital graphics and is an intermediate-level photographer. By far, the light of his life is his daughter Elizabeth. Computing Unplugged Magazine is James' first foray into writing for publication. He can be reached at [email protected]. All photos in this guide are courtesy of Gary Maiers of Robin Gary Photography in Moline, IL. After twenty years in marketing, Gary opened his own studio, and with his wife JoAnn, has specialized in wedding photography for the last twelve years. Gary left film behind three years ago and has been strictly digital since. His work can be seen at http://www.robingary.net. Special thanks go to Gary and JoAnn for their help with this guide. Production note: Due to production requirements on our server, all the images provided have been converted to .GIF format, and therefore are not at their optimal viewing quality. Gary's pictures are, in reality, of much higher quality. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 3 - CHAPTER 1 PREPARING YOUR EQUIPMENT Not everyone has the budget to hire a professional photographer and must rely on a friend or family member that owns a good camera to document their wedding. Just because someone can't afford a professional photographer doesn't mean they shouldn't have nice wedding pictures. These are the photographers this guide is aimed at. With the exception of the day their children are born, there is likely no other day in a couple's life that is more important than their wedding day. And invariably something will go wrong, it always does. Is this really something you want to be a part of? I certainly don't, I know better. Don't get me wrong; I'm not against marriage. I like it so well I've done it twice myself. Neither am I against the wedding photographer. As a matter of fact, there is no photographer I respect more than the wedding photographer, with the possible exception of the child photographer. There is no way on Earth I would want to take on that kind of responsibility. I myself have been approached on several occasions to photograph weddings, but have always been smart enough to decline no matter how much compensation was involved. I'm just not confident enough in my own skill to take on that momentous task. The way my luck goes, I would be the one thing at the wedding that got screwed up. It would be my fault that the day was ruined and there were no memories of this most important of days. Even though I've never actually played the role of the wedding photographer, I have personally been in quite a few weddings and been involved with many more. I am more than familiar with the role of the wedding photographer and with what works and what doesn't. With that in mind, I may have a few nuggets that will help you out. If you're already a professional wedding photographer then I'm sure there is very little, if anything, you could learn from me. I'll defer to your proven expertise, and if I don't know what I'm talking about, then send me an email and let me know. PREPARATION 101 Whether you're using actual film or digital "film," you'll want to make sure you have enough. However much you think you'll need, double it. Then triple it again. It's much better to have too much and not need it than to run short. You'll be going for quantity in order to achieve quality. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 4 - Besides, it's not like you can't use the extra film later. If you're fortunate enough to be using a medium-format camera and have more than one film carrier, enlist an assistant to load the spare film carriers while you shoot. It will save time when you've finished a roll and need to reload. If you're using a digital camera, make sure to have extra media of whatever kind the camera takes, (i.e., SD card, Memory Stick, CDR, whatever). Again, it's better to have too much than not enough. You never know when one of those cards or CDs is going to be corrupt. You don't want to be stuck without extras. Gary tells me he goes through six CompactFlash cards per wedding. Connected Photographer recommends you have at least 2GB of on-hand media before you even consider wedding coverage. The same goes for batteries. Make sure you put fresh batteries in your camera before you leave and have at least one set of brand new extras. Your camera's flash is something else that will need batteries. Flash equipment can eat up batteries pretty quick, so make sure you have plenty on hand. Connected Photographer recommends you bring at least four sets of fully charged batteries to the event. PREPARATION 202 Preparation is one thing that can't be stressed enough. Check your equipment before you leave the house. Test it and check it again. This includes cleaning the lenses, mirrors, focusing screens, and penta-prisms if appropriate. Make sure all your contacts are clean, that your flashes fire and cycle appropriately, and that any slave flashes are working. If you use any type of remote shutter release, such as a bulb activator or an IR remote, make sure they're functioning properly (and also have spare batteries, if necessary). Take everything you think you might possibly need. None of us like to lug around unnecessary equipment, but when you're in the trenches you don't want to realize you need something you don't have. After you've shot a few weddings, if you choose to continue doing them, you'll know what you need and what you don't. Believe it or not, an inexpensive tripod will go a long way to improving the shots that don't have to be hand held. I know I can't hold a camera steady even if my life depended on it. I rely on my tripod as a necessary extension of the camera. Gary suggests investing in a good external flash. He says an on-camera flash is only good for about 15 ft., whereas an external one will extend that range to 30 to 40 feet. "It's all in the lighting," he says. When you get to the wedding site, check your equipment again. So far, all of these tips would apply to basically any shoot that you would be doing and are not wedding specific. I think they're a good refresher because sometimes we can overlook the simplest things in trying to prepare for every eventuality. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 5 - CHAPTER 2 SCOUTING THE LOCATION When you get to the wedding site, be it church, park, someone's house or back yard, thoroughly check out the entire location for possibilities. There are the standard shots that will be taken at the altar, but not everything has to be done there. Each location is different and some may offer unique opportunities, like the location shown in Figure A. FIGURE A The smokestack on this riverboat provides an interesting setting. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 6 - When you've staked out your primary shooting location, gather your equipment nearby, and make sure your assistant if you have one, is also close at hand, so that anything you might want will be easily available. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 7 - CHAPTER 3 DEVELOPING YOUR BEFORE-THE-CEREMONY BATTLE PLAN We all like to make things easier for ourselves and there was never more of an occasion to make things as easy as possible than when photographing a wedding. Of all the weddings I have been involved with, there was one very simple thing I've seen that makes the photographer's job much simpler, and that is to take the photos before the ceremony. Some brides, or grooms for that matter, can be rather old fashioned when it comes to seeing the bride before the wedding. If their mind is set on not seeing one another before the ceremony, don't fret. You can still take nearly half the photos before. You'll just have to work out a system whereby you get all the men together and get their pictures done, and then do the same with the women. The combined photos can then be done afterwards. Here's the logic in doing as many of the photos as possible ahead of time. If you get to the location early enough, you can scout it out and take your time setting up while everyone is getting ready, rather than rush after the ceremony. After the ceremony, everyone is itching to get moving and go to the reception. People become impatient and sometimes downright rude, which is not going to improve your performance any, especially if you have an equipment problem. Speaking of equipment problems, it's much better to have these before the wedding, when there is still time to come up with a solution, than when everyone is standing around after the ceremony and waiting for you to finish so they can get to the reception. Also, if at all possible, you only want to set your equipment up one time. You can even stipulate as part of your agreement to do the photos that they must be done before the wedding, or at least a portion of them. You would not believe how much of a relief it is to you and the bridal party to have the photos done before the ceremony. That's just one less thing everyone has to worry about. KNOW YOUR SHOT PLAN We've now reached the point where you're actually going to be taking photos. First though, as part of your preparation, you should make a list, an outline, or timeline of the photos you want to take. In the same way a movie director builds a storyboard to help her plan the flow of the movie, your rough outline will help you as you're doing your day's shoot. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 8 - The shoot will flow much more smoothly if you already know what your next shot will be. This outline should be laid out in groups, such as what poses to use with just the girls and which ones with just the men. It makes it so much easier to transition from one shot to the next and there will be less work on your part in posing the subjects. There are the "old standards" of wedding photography and I will cover a good bit of them here, but don't be afraid to research other possibilities by looking in wedding and photo magazines. Don't be afraid to use your own inspiration either. In Figure A, Gary used the bride's train as a backdrop. FIGURE A The train of the bride's dress provides a ready backdrop. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 9 - GET CREATIVE If you're any kind of photographer at all then you have some element of creativity. You never know, you may see a setting that gives you an idea, as in Figure B, which takes the bride and groom outdoors. FIGURE B Don't limit yourself to indoor settings. Copyright © 2003-2004, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. Connected Photographer is a trademark of ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide. - 10 -