There are thousands of items available for you to rent but, only some are ideal for weddings. This list will help you in finding the best suitable essentials to fit your shooting style.
Tips for a Better Wedding Day Photography Workflow
With so many items for renting, oftentimes it can be a bit overwhelming thinking about what to take for the photos. Here are some of the most helpful tips to service your photography needs:
Select lenses and cameras with the widest focal length that cover your wedding action. Wrap a softbox on your lens or attach the softbox to the back of your camera to eliminate the possibility of motion blur and lens flare.
Opt for high dynamic range cameras; they can produce colorful, natural images.
Use the widest aperture lenses you can purchase to give you maximum depth of field when necessary.
Screen your subject to your text using a softbox.
Most wedding photographers use a broad umbrella for background support. (It saves space and can be adjusted to fit a 3:2 aspect ratio.) Try to shoot the bouquets and main event photo below from the same location. This way, your subject will have a balanced background to highlight the text from the umbrella.
Print your wedding photos on a high-resolution printer, using the highest quality photo paper you can afford.
Capture as many elements of your wedding day as you can. Using a posed landscape is a great way to place flowers, props, and water. This helps promote spread across your photo.
Above: A couple enjoying a romantic outdoor dinner under the stars with their wedding photographer friends on a bright sunny spring day.
Baby Steps During Your First Photography Shoot
These pointers will help you in crafting amazing photos. Now that you’ve gathered equipment and you’re ready to take your first wedding day photos, remember these essential tips to service your day:
1. Read the directions. Read them twice. Do you remember turning off the flash? Did you know to take a white sheet and a green sweater with you into the room? Work together until you get the hang of it!
2. Leave a glass of water or tea-soaked cloth in the bathroom. Use this as a table cup for your camera.
3. Keep the flash on silent. Use the flash when internal flash lighting is not needed.
4. Select uncluttered backgrounds. You want the people, not the flowers! Layout people, not flowers.
5. Use paper for most of your backgrounds. Never use a sheet or a table. Nothing is better than a fresh and clean white print of your photo.
Weddings may involve lots of decorations like garlands and flower arrangements, but it’s easy to forget about the simple items. Many times, couples are photographed on their phone cameras. Using a higher quality camera (e.g., the Nikon D200) can make a big difference when capturing key moments. For example, if you want to enhance the uniqueness of a particular photo, you may want to opt for a photo with a low angle which captures the photos of the bride and groom in profile with the little details underneath.
If your “wedding day” photos require you to turn on the flash, you can turn it on automatically before your first photo. For many audiences, photography is an intimate experience and flash photo can make it feel more like staged. Therefore, opt for full body shots as soon as possible. A full body image captures many emotions such as awe and emotion.
Do avoid extreme closeups as it can make people take longer to process what you are capturing. When shooting at high-resolution, we are reducing limits on both the quality of the photo and the number of pixels. For example, you can bring intense details to photos of the bride and groom with a much greater number of details without the presence of their heads actually making them have smaller screens.
If you’ve ever dreamed of living in the perfect wedding photographer studio, then you’re about to. This guide will give you the full scoop on what you can expect to encounter at your photography shoot.
It all starts with planning your shoot. Take all of your images, get them ready, and schedule your shoot. Your shoot will last for around 2 to 3 days depending on the complexity of it. While it’s not always required to consider coverage ahead of time, you may want to do so for your best shots. It allows you to avoid photographing a tight space or an awkward part of the couple’s attire.
I always schedule holidays and special occasions before my wedding shoots. I like to think I’m more prepared for the latter days before a big event as I’ve worked on 2 or 3 shoots prior. Every photographer has their favorite favorite gear. Just because a photographer uses a specific camera doesn’t mean you need it. It’s your job to research or figure out what you’d like to use.
A lightweight camera that can be used indoors or outdoors is a sweet spot for me. I prefer medium format cameras with a hot shoe. There are a few good options out there like the Elinchrom JJ16, Panasonic LX100, Fujifilm GFX100, and Leica Q2. Whatever your camera choice, make sure it fits your budget and can handle challenging lighting.
