Here, you’ll find wedding photography tips for the photographer, as well as for the bride and groom. Explore everything from the most basic question of whether to accept the job, to checklists to guide both photographer and couple through the Big Day.
© Peter Ainley
My friend has asked me to shoot her wedding. Should I accept?
Tip
If you are a professional wedding photographer, you can skip this question. You have the skills to do the job, and you will make a decision about whether to take the job based on other factors.
Okay! Before we get into a lot of wedding photography tips and checklists, it’s worth asking whether or not you should even shoot the wedding in the first place.
To a non-photographer, photography is photography is photography. If you love to shoot nature and the outdoors, your friends will assume you can shoot their wedding too. It ain’t necessarily so!
Before accepting the huge responsibility of shooting a wedding, ask yourself whether you honestly feel you have the necessary skills. If you “mess up,” you can literally ruin someone’s wedding day, nevermind spoiling a perfectly lovely friendship in the process. Also keep in mind that if you are shooting the wedding, you are there in an official capacity, and no longer free to enjoy yourself as a guest.
Wedding photography takes a great deal of technical skill, decent equipment (including backup gear), and stellar interpersonal skills. If you have second thoughts, or doubts about your skills, it’s truly best to politely decline.
Wedding Photography Checklist
For the Photographer
Assuming you’ve decided to proceed with the job, this wedding photography checklist contains a number of useful tips to help the day run smoothly. I talk about everything from communication to contracts.
For the Bride and Groom
Are you planning your wedding? Will you be hiring a photographer? Here is a wedding photography checklist written just for you. It gives you a few things to think about when choosing a photographer, as well as some questions you should be asking during the selection process.
Wedding Photography Shot List
In addition to a set of tips, it can be helpful to have a wedding photography shot list. This list of poses will be useful for both the photographer and the bridal couple. It can be a tool for communication between both of these parties.
