5 Tips from a San Diego Wedding Photographer

Being asked to take photos for a wedding is a huge responsibility.  If you’ve been asked to do it as a favor, or have been asked to do it professionally, here are 5 tips to do to get the job done right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.You could be a seasoned pro, or you could be an amateur, but by following these tips, you will do the job smoothly without second guessing yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.

Our first tip is pretty simple and that is to have the couple and their families make a list for you of shots they want to take.When you know the day will be hectic and chaotic, doing this will help you get the family and group shots later on in the day more smoothly.Imagine how wonderful it will be to just go down your list and know that you aren’t leaving anything out.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.  Great as they are, they also are tempting to delete a shot since it is so easy to do.  Don’t even look at the previews.What you think may be a great photo, can differ widely in what the couple considers a great photo.  And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.

For the the third tip, make sure you get candid shots during and after the wedding.  A good wedding photographer will not just try and get the typical shots, like family group shots, wedding party shots, or your standard bride and groom.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It may include the things that go wrong also, like a flower girl making a wrong turn or the ring bearer not wanting to walk down the aisle.Every picture counts.

The fourth one to consider, and something that can easily be overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras with several lenses as backup.Do you even want to think of the horror of not being able to take any more shots of the wedding because of a broken camera.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.By being prepared for the worst and bringing extra cameras and equipment you will avoid the horrible moment fo not having any working cameras to capture the rest of the wedding. day.

Finally, you have to be prepared for the lighting and you do that by practicing. The difference between the lighting in the church and the outside reception can throw you a curve ball, so just practice for all different lighting situations. Go see the locations and scout it out for the big day, by finding the best places to shoot as well as studying the lighting needs.

Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.