5. lesson number five
I really need a camera with a silent shutter.
Before I started shooting weddings I had no idea how loud my shutter really is. I shot my first wedding with a D800 and my world- it was loud! and putting it into a silent mode didn't help at all- it just made te camera slower and completely unusable when I really needed it to focus and shoot fast. I decided (for that particular reason) I could no longer shoot weddings with my D800. It had to go.
My D610 had a somewhat more silent shutter however still not quiet enough for me to shoot unobtrusively. I hated the fact that the noise my camera made was so distracting. The answer was going mirrorless. Those do not make a sound if you do not want them to.
6. Lesson number six.
People do not appreciate free stuff.
Well- this one I actually learnt when I shot my second wedding. I made it clear I would not charge them for the photos but I would really appreciate if they could pay some symbolic amount towards my travel expenses.
I did not receive any money at all. But not only that- I send them their pictures but didn't even get a thank you back.
I learnt the hard way people need to pay money to appreciate what they receive.
After that I started charging. Very little at first, but I knew I needed to say the price.
If you are the only shooter at the wedding and your clients were able to view some of the work you had done before, charge them. Full stop.
7. Lesson number seven
Posing people is not easy at all. Be prepared.
This one was a big one. I really wish I had been more professional when I was photographing 'my first couple'. I mean I really believed I was prepared. I even printed out a collection of sample photos and made it into a little booklet.
In reality the bride found it really hard not walk because she had already grown massive blisters on her feet and the groom... only kept talking about how many pints he would have that night.
I planned a lovely, romantic, intimate photoshoot with my couple. In reality they were tired and not really feeling that romantic at all.
I thought I really needed it done-and quickly. I forgot all about the booklet. I just said loud and clear 'stand over there'. My mind went blank. They expected directions from me and I really did not know what instructions to give them. I just managed to tell them not to stand too far apart (gaps do not look good in photos), look at the camera and smile. And kiss.
And that was it.
After the photoshoot I really wished I had a more clear plan in my head.
Now I know to pay close attention to the grooms hands. I usually tell the groom to put his hands in his pockets and stand straight with hos weight on his back leg. Hands are awkward and the best thing you can do is to either tell your couple to hold hands, touch each other or tuck their hands out of sight.
I really like this picture. The groom is holding on to the bench with one hand and the other hand is tucked out of sight. T
he bright dress looks lovely against the dark background.
Again- hands are tucked away.
I love this pose but I only caught this one image. I wish I had told them to look at each other and smile. Or look away into the distance. I should have done a close-up here. and an extreme close up with their faces together. It was perfectly doable as I was shooting with a 105mm f2.8 prime lens. Close-ups would not feel like I am being too invasive.
8. Lesson number eight
Be a boss.
Yes- you are a boss. You must tell people what to do. Don't be scared to say:
'Come on boys- squeeze up a bit!' 'form a straight line!' Everyone smile and absolutely no blinking allowed! 'can I ask John to shuffle forward a bit'
You are in charge of the photos. You must be confident enough to make people follow your directions. And they will. Just observe. And (politely) shout out orders if things do not look quite right.
Comments