An extensive shot list for starting wedding photographers
A wedding is a chaotic, intense, beautiful, emotional thing, and as a photographer, you’ve got to take on multiple other roles during the day. In the end though, no matter what happens, you’ve got to deliver a story about the real moments that happened or that you helped happen. There’s quite a long series of moments that you attend during the wedding day, sometimes at alarming speed and in no pre-written order. There are certainly differences between cultures and often each couple chooses to organize their wedding differently.
As photographers, we have to be ready for everything and adapt on the spot. Beyond everything though, there are certain types of photographs you should get at each event. This little guide is more of a shot list for beginner wedding photographers who could get lost easily in the whirlwind of a wedding. I’m not an expert and there might be a lot more moments that I’ve missed, but I’ve been doing this for almost 15 years and these are the most important I’ve always come to experience.
1. Detail Shots
As in rings, dresses, shoes, flowers and such… often forgotten or overlooked by many photographers, these details are usually very important, for the bride especially. Although I am not very good at these types of photographs and would prefer to shoot them with a human element attached, I always make time to try and take a few creative shots of the details. It usually takes at least half an hour to come up with something mildly interesting, but I like to have all my angles covered and not come up with excuses after the wedding day.
Depending on the location (bride or groom house, hotel room), there are more or less ideas you could work with, but even if it’s a straight simple shot of the rings on a shelf, always do it! There are times when due to lack of time or inspiration before getting ready, I try to snap a photo of the rings before the party or a detail of the dress during the day…
2. Getting Ready
This moment is almost always a bit chaotic and however much I’d wish to just shoot candid and unstaged photos, I always have to direct or offer advice. There are of course photographers who don’t get involved and let the moment happen however it does, but when the subjects act like puppets in a string, I feel that we must set the mood and at least give some pointers as to what would look best. My advice would be to use different focal lengths, different lenses and different angles to catch as many moments as possible.
Don’t overlook the emotional side of things, look for hidden reactions of the bride/groom, parents, friends… I usually try to assess the space before the moment and choose a place where I can shoot with natural light, with as few distractions as possible. When you’re in a small apartment with the entire family and hundreds of small knick-knacks everywhere, it’s almost impossible, but at least make the absolute most of what you have!
3. Bride & Groom Portraits
Right after they get ready, I always try to have at least 5–10 minutes with both the bride and the groom. You never know how the day might turn up and these could be the only portraits they will get all nice and dressed up. Most of the time, I just put them next to a window or in a chair and snap a few closeup portraits, maybe some more details if there is time.
Never let something you can and have time to do it now for a later time. It might rain during the photoshoot or they might not be in the same mood later in the day. Here, I try to use my longer portrait lens and a combination of natural and artificial light, depending on the space. As I’m pretty slow with flashes, I use a small dimmable video light to create something different and more dramatic, if I can!
4. The First Look
There are several ways you could do this and it all depends on the personality of the couple and the less important technical details you have to deal with. Sometimes, it’s a very emotional moment for all that are present, not only the couple, while other times, it might just be a quick kiss and a few words. This might not be the best moment to intervene, except for a few minor pointers on where it might be best to do it. Just choose an appropriate angle and lens, depending on the space and try to shoot as much as possible.
From my experience, it’s usually pretty hard to get both the expressions of the groom and the bride perfectly, except if you have a second shooter. If you’re alone and you are not influencing the moment, you can also move around to get different angles. If you have the choice, stay in front of the bride and have the groom coming from behind her, first focusing on his emotions. If you time the moment perfectly, it will happen exactly when the bride turns around. If there is space and time, take a few steps to catch her emotions also.
5. Family Formals
The most dreaded moment of any wedding day, at least in my opinion. I’m not particularly keen on family portraits, but I always take them. I sometimes even propose it and try to make time for this family shoot. It does not matter when you take them, after the first look, before or after the ceremony, before or during the party…just take them! You might make the most creative, astonishing and unique photographs at a wedding, but if you miss a shot with the family, in the eyes of many couples it is like you were never there.
No matter how many albums I make, there is always one photo that is always chosen by the couple…that photo with the entire gathering in from]nt of the church. If that is not possible, take a photo of the couple with both families present!. The downside is that if you take a photo with the family, you will usually have to take a hundred more photos with other guests also, but it’s a small price to pay!
6. Ceremony Moments
These are harder to explain as each region, country, culture or religion has completely different ceremonies for a wedding. As of now, I’ve only shot Christian orthodox and catholic ceremonies, so I can’t really speak about all of them. Nonetheless, most have a few features in common, being organized events with specific rules and timelines. My advice would be to learn all the moments that should happen and always be prepared for certain differences. Even in the same town, I’ve had different priests do different things at different times, so never expect the same scenario each time.
As I’m usually shooting in dark churches, I share video lights with my colleague videographer, as I find flashes quite disturbing and unpredictable in such spaces. This is only my situation but there are cases, and I’ve encountered these also, when you have to shoot in available light and with little space to move around, so be prepared for such situations also. There are always key moments you should not miss, like the exchange of rings and more in my case. Between these moments, try to look for different emotions, both at the couple and the other attendees!
7. Staged Photoshoot
This might annoy a few people, but for me you are either a photojournalist or a wedding photographer who tries to do photojournalism. However much I would also like to shoot candid, unstaged images, most of the couples will be ordinary people who often freeze up in front of a camera, incapable of showing their real emotions. It’s part of our job to help them act a little more natural and relax during an already stressful day.
I’m not saying that you have to prepare every photograph you take and become the director of the wedding day, it’s just that you will most likely have to do a combination of staged and unstaged images. Especially during the photoshoot, most people will have no idea what to do and even if you tell them to act natural and do what they feel, usually they will stare blankly at each other. It’s totally ok to pose your subjects when necessary, learning how to use light, environment, posture and so on to create a great story.
8. Unstaged Photoshoot
However good you might be at posing people, do not overlook the power of a true moment showing raw emotions. After you get those safe staged photos of the couple, you might want to give them the opportunity to show their true self. Some are shy, others are cheerful, some are romantic and others are quite wild, so usually you will get something, even if it’s the slightest moment of pure emotions.
Don’t be discouraged if some people are completely frozen in front of a camera, in some rare cases it’s almost impossible to make a couple or one of them relax and act natural. For a more unobtrusive approach, this is where I prefer a telephoto lens and try to get further away from the subject, at least trying to make them feel like they’re alone. It also helps if you are in a more peaceful environment, with as few people around as possible. Only a truly free spirit or professional model can act as natural as possible in the middle of a crowded street.
9. Venue Details
Finally, a few moments to relax and eat something before the madness starts, at least that’s what I think when first entering the wedding venue with some time to spare. Nonetheless, I always end up grabbing a few shots of the unique details of the venue, the flowers, the table settings, the candy bar and so on. While not crucial, these also make nice little reminders of the overall look and feel of the day, so it’s a good idea to have them just in case.
10. First Dance
This might be one of the most intense and nerve-wracking moments of the whole day. Many couples put a lot of effort and time into this little moment and they expect gorgeous memories. You can never compete with the video of the first dance, but with a little imagination and a lot of experience, you can get some beautiful shots. It’s almost always quite challenging, as the light is often horrible, the couple is always moving and turning, people are sometimes in your way and it’s all over in three minutes or so.
How many good pictures could you get in these conditions? I usually consider myself lucky if I get a collection of 5–10 well-exposed, well-focused and well-timed photos of the first dance. If I can squeeze in 2–3 more creative and unique perspectives, that’s all the better. In most situations, I use a few off-camera flashes for the venue, placed on opposite sides of the space. It’s never a good idea to just rely on the available light, as most venues have pretty bad lighting and sometimes even turn off almost all the lights during the dance!
11. Party Moments
For the rest of the night, I guess it all depends on the atmosphere of the party and I’ve seen everything from boring — nothing happens to oh my god — I wish I was a guest! Nevertheless, you have to make it work either way and capture as many moments as you can, without intruding too much. If there is no dancing or action going on, try to focus on the overall atmosphere, the party guests talking or the children playing…
There are two main types of photographers during a party in my opinion, those that like to get right in the heat of the action and those that like to observe everything from a safe distance. Try to be somewhere in the middle, as there are times when you can take inspired and original images in both cases. Each culture has different customs regarding the wedding celebration, but in my case, this is the most tiresome, as it can go on for at least 6 and sometimes even 8 hours. I usually try to stay alert by searching for new ideas and moments to capture, sometimes I even try to create a small unique photoshoot for the couple by using the venue features!
12. The Cake Cutting
Another extremely fast and somewhat unpredictable moment! On top of this it often happens at the end of the party, when everyone is tired and some are tipsy! At least the couple will mostly stand still and you can usually adjust small technical details by communicating with the venue or the wedding planner. I always use a wider lens for this moment to catch as much as possible in a single frame, but if you have the time and space, try to variate the focal lengths and the angles to get different perspectives.
13. Moments In-Between
All these are fairly well-known and documented moments of any wedding, but you don’t have a complete story without something to connect and glue everything together. These moments between moments are usually the thing that make the difference between a good and a great photographer. It all depends on the photographer to see them within the maze of things happening around all at once.
It’s sometimes difficult to figure out what is an important moment that could mean something for the couple. When I doubt, I would say shoot and worry about it later. You can always choose afterwards or leave it to the clients to decide, but it’s better to cover as much as possible than having an incomplete story in the end!
Closing Words
These are only the most common and general moments you might encounter during a wedding, as depending on the location/country/culture/religion, there might be others that you have to cover. Nevertheless, for the most part you will encounter a combination of the previous stages, not always in the same order.
If there is one advice I would give after almost 15 years and over 200 weddings, it’s to never expect everything to go as planned. Also, don’t stick to a single plan and shot list you might have crafted prior to an event. Take risks and adjust to the conditions, the environment and the atmosphere of each event. People are different, their expectations are different and you must try to reinvent yourself each weekend!