Nash Wedding Photo by Susan Stripling
To the bride and groom (and their friends and family), every moment of a wedding is emotional and special — but as a wedding photographer, you know that some moments are a little more memorable than others. You also know that there are some events, like the exchange of the rings, the toasts, and the first dances, which your clients will be expecting to see gorgeous photos of. Unfortunately, those can also be especially difficult to shoot.
WPPI award-winning photographer Susan Stripling has shot weddings around the world, in all kinds of scenarios, climates, and settings. And regardless of the price-point or the decor, says Susan, it’s important to capture the wedding’s most emotional moments as beautifully as possible.
Here are some of Striplings’s best tips:
Use the flash: Aside from the occasional afternoon, outdoor wedding, it’s a safe assumption that there will be plenty of moments that will occur at night, indoors, and, often, in poor light. And even if the room or space is light enough to take a photo, doesn’t mean it’s light enough to take a good photo.
“If I’m going to shoot with absolutely no flash, I have to have light that I would be happy with.”
Consider bringing multiple light sources with you when you scout the location for the first time, and have an assistant or second-shooter play around with the various light scenarios. Because, while there are some things you can fix in post, an image that’s just too dark or strangely lit isn’t one of them.
Talk to people in the know: For toasts and other special moments that happen during the reception, you need to be in exactly the right place, with all of your camera settings ready to go — which means you need to know exactly when things will be happening. Unfortunately, the breakdown of events usually ends after the ceremony.
“Usually, when the clients give me a timeline, the timeline doesn’t cover the reception…it doesn’t break it down,” Stripling explains. “But the DJ or the bandleader always has the reception timeline.”
So Stripling recommends speaking with the DJ or bandleader ahead of time, to figure out where to be and how to position herself — and possibly even the guests — to ensure a beautiful, well-lit photo.
Look for reactions: It’s easy to see who’s the center of a moment, like a first dance, but knowing who in the room might be having a strong reaction can help ensure that you catch both the action and the emotion. Identify best friends and relatives, and take time to catch the looks on their faces.
Suggest positioning: There’s some controversy about the level of involvement wedding photographers should have in the proceedings, but if the suggestions you make ensure a more beautiful photo and don’t disrupt anything, they’re beneficial for everyone.
For toasts, speeches, and other special moments, Stripling suggests speaking again with the DJ or bandleader about positioning the speaker or center of attention somewhere that would be easy to capture, like the dance floor or in front of the bride and groom’s table.
Shoot a lot: “If you don’t know where to start, start somewhere,” says Stripling, highlighting one of the many great aspects of shooting digitally. If you’re not at the risk of running out of space, get a lot of shots during special moments, and you’re more likely to catch those dramatic gestures, moments, or looks.
Practice: Knowing the ins and outs of your camera, and familiarizing yourself with the location can help ensure that you don’t miss anything.
“You don’t want to experiment on your client’s dime,” Stripling emphasizes.
Hanna Brooks Olsen is a longtime reporter, and currently a writer and editor for CreativeLive.
