How to Prepare to Photograph Your First Wedding

Are you freaking out about shooting your first wedding!? This article will give you a few steps to take as a professional, or keen amateur wedding photographer before your first job. This is the holy grail, beginner's guide to getting ready for your first wedding shoot. Part 1 Know your Equipment Understand the full potential of all your photography equipment.. Pick up your camera and make sure you know all the settings, understand the modes, get to know the settings that are available on your lenses (image stabiliser for example), work out all the options available on your speedlite, etc. Practice quick and effective shooting.. Once you think you know your stuff, grab a friend or partner and practice getting perfectly exposed images, quickly and in a lot of different locations. Go into a room, position your subject where you would position your bridal party (ideally photographer back to a window) and take a photo of him/her as quickly as possible with perfect exposure. Then walk outside to the backyard and do the same, find the best spot, either in the shade or with the sun behind the subject and shoot. Then head to the front yard, then the kitchen, study, whatever! Use your flash, practice in a darker room with little window light as this would be similar to the conditions you will be up against in the reception. Bounce the flash off the roof, or the wall, or turn it off and crank your ISO to see what happens. Practice all these options and see what works best, so that on the day, you'll be prepared. Part 2 Scout the Locations Scout locations.. This is another must-do before the wedding so you can be prepared. You most likely won't get a chance to see the groom's house or bride's house before the day but you can assume it would be like any average home. As long as there is light in the lounge room and master bedroom, you will be okay. Apart from the groom and bride coverage you should definitely scope out the scenes at the church / ceremony location, as well as the locations you intend to go to and even pop into the reception venue and see what you're up against. Google the locations before you go on your recce and see what other photographers have done there in the past.. Then head over, use their shots as inspiration and work out your own ideas. Walk around everywhere, find the best spots and use your camera! Take photos pretending the couple is standing there so you can work out your compositions. Part 3 Create and Memorize a Shot List Write a shot list of exactly what you're going to do at every location.. Feel free to be as specific as possible and then try to memorize it. Many people feel that writing it with pen and paper actually helps you to remember everything a lot more than just typing it out. Write the following info down the day before every wedding. Groom Coverage Shot List: Details, Flower, Tie, Cufflinks, Rings, Cologne, Watch, Ask the groom if there is anything else he wants? Boys Getting Ready: Boys helping groom with cufflinks, Boys helping groom with tie, All boys putting vests on, All boys helping adjust the back of each others vests, Slap each other in the *** shot! All boys grab jackets and do the Roger David shot, All boys put on jackets, Hero shot of all the boys fully dressed looking awesome, Serious and gangster! Big smiles, Hugging and ruffing up the groom! etc, etc. This may seem overly detailed, and all weddings are different, and things happen and you can't always do all these shots, but at least you have all your shots memorised so whatever happens, you'll be prepared and always have ideas up your sleeve! Do this for the bride coverage and definitely the locations too. Bring a pen and paper with you when you're doing your recce.. As you're finding spots, write stuff down. Part 4 Assist Other Wedding Photographers Start trying to find someone to assist as soon as you book your first wedding or even before that.. The sooner you start assisting the more prepared you will be. This will give you first hand experience from a pro (hopefully) of exactly what goes on behind the scenes of a wedding. try to put yourself in their shoes and guess what shots they are going to do next.. Imagine what settings you would use on your camera as you go from location to location. Ask questions.. Best of all, you get a decent amount of one on one time with the photographer while driving around so you can ask plenty of questions (without being annoying!!). Pick their brains, most of the time they should be more than happy to help you and divulge their knowledge as they know that once upon a time they started out just like you. Part 5 Shoot a Fake Wedding Get some friends together or a couple that you know to act as your guinea pigs.. try to mimic some of the shots that you are actually going to do on the wedding day. Shoot the groom coverage in a lounge room, try to memories the shots you need and practice getting the images perfect in camera. Same as the bride coverage, don't worry about the dress, just try to get the shots. Go on location to the actual spots you are going to use for your first wedding.. Shoot all the images you would for the real day. Practice getting it right in camera. There is no pressure doing it this way, so take your time and get it right, until it becomes almost second nature! Thank you for watching!