Wedding Photography Tips for Beginners

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So, you’ve made the big step! The big step being photographing weddings, of course. We’re here to provide you with some basic wedding photography tips that will help and guide you on your photography journey. Wedding photography is not easy, but it sure is beautiful; you’re helping create a piece of history that a group of people will forever cherish and remember. There are some wedding photography tips and tricks you need to keep in mind before you press the shutter button, so here are our wedding photography tips for beginners!

Before we begin, let’s take a look at the three wedding photography DON’Ts that every beginner should be aware of.

DON’T Use Stupid Props

The bride and groom aren’t the bosses, no matter how much they like to believe that. If they want you to take a photograph of them holding a shotgun, insist on how bad of an idea that is and if you don’t get through to them, simply refuse. We know it’s good money, but do not compromise with certain things, such as stupid props.

DON’T Let Relatives Get in the Way

No matter how unique and special some weddings are, at the end of the day, all weddings are the same and the following thing will happen: some relatives will get drunk and will want you to photograph them extensively or even worse, they’ll ask for your camera. Decline as swiftly as possible and try to avoid letting relatives get in the way.

DON’T Upset the Bride

The entire wedding is all about the bride and groom, or the bride alone. Brides love to be in the center of attention, so they will do pretty much everything to achieve their goal and that includes bugging you, the photographer. Try to be as diplomatic as possible, follow the bride as much as possible and don’t upset her. If she’s asking for something that you, as a photographer, cannot provide, then explain that to her in a calm manner.

With that in mind, here are some quick wedding photography tips for beginners that will guarantee your success.

wedding photogaphy tips

Redirect Your Light When Shooting Indoors

One of the most important indoor wedding photography tips is to redirect your light when you shoot indoors. It needs to bounce off the walls, so use a flash unit, umbrella or at least a Lightscoop. When shooting wedding photographs, everyone needs to come out looking great, so do whatever it takes to make that happen. Lighting is the most important aspect, start there.

Shoot in RAW

One of the best outdoor wedding photography tips you could ever get is to shoot in RAW. Almost everything can be fixed if you shoot in RAW: lighting can be fixed if you shot in RAW, as well as shadows and highlights, but remember that focus is the only thing that cannot be modified. When you shoot in RAW, you save the most information possible of the photograph taken, which makes it easier to fix flaws when editing. RAW photographs are huge in size, so make sure you have enough space on your SD card and one as a backup.

Ask Ahead if There is a Theme

You might not think this is important, but asking ahead if the wedding has a theme is really vital to getting great shots. It gives you the time and information you need to know before assembling your camera, lenses and gear. Shooting at the beach requires different tools from what shooting at the wedding reception at night does. An Indian wedding means lots of bright colors, which you should be able to capture perfectly.

Hope this helped, good luck with your wedding photography!

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About Amanda Jones

Professional photographer and freelance writer, Amanda is specialized in wedding and travel photography. Every day she enjoys taking long walks around the city, from where she takes inspiration for her day-to-day work. She always hunts magical locations to astonish her subjects.