Saturday, November 7, 2009

Wedding Digital Photography - Tips for The Amateur Photographer

By Vince Terry

Being asked to be the photographer at a wedding can be a stressful undertaking for the non-professional. But take heart that wedding digital photography is no different to other digital photography you do. The pictures you take will become lasting and precious memories for the bridal couple and their families. Therefore you want to make sure your photos are the best they can be.

A simple start to make the best of the day is to ensure your camera is silent. No electronic beep in the middle of the ceremony will make any picture better. You just need to turn the beeps off on your camera.

Take more photos. A perfect moment will only happen once so don't stint on the number of photos you take, this is one of the occasions where doing less is definitely not wise. And don't automatically discard shots you don't think is good enough. Judicial cropping or editing may capture a moment you didn't expect. The blurred shot of the flower girl may turn out to be an artistic photo. Stand back and objectively (or perhaps subjectively) evaluate each shot for its own merits.

Today is the day that it pays to be prepared. You will not get any second chances. Make sure you fully charged several batteries. Make sure you have multiple storage cards and that they are wiped clean. Check out the venues days beforehand so you know where you will be able to take shots and what the lighting conditions will be. If there is a rehearsal, tag along to it as it can be a rehearsal for you too. Think about backgrounds and suitable spots to take various photos.

Be comfortable with the operation of your camera. A wedding is a busy event and at times a quite stressful one. There will be little opportunity to repose or re-shoot if you hesitate with a shot. One option to reduce stress on you the photographer is to have an assistant. This could be someone nominated from the happy couple or someone you organise yourself. This person can spend time rustling people into groups, setting up shots and generally keeping things moving. This will leave you free to concentrate on the wonderful and flexible shots that come from wedding digital photography.

Think about using the continuous shooting mode if your digital camera has this capability. This will allow you to capture a second shot after the main shot has been taken. Sometimes you can just guarantee everyone will have their eyes open and be smiling one second after the shot is taken - don't miss that opportunity.

So be the non-professional photographer at the wedding doesn't mean it will be an impossible task. Remain calm, be prepared and know your camera. The shots you take will be a treasure for the happy couple.

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