By James Booth
In part one of this series, I covered preparing your equipment and scouting out the location. In this part of the series I will cover what types of pictures you should take before the ceremony. If you haven't read the previous article, go to http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200402/00001220001.html and give it a read. It'll help you understand how taking pictures before the ceremony can make all the difference.
All photos in this article are courtesy of Gary Maiers of Robin Gary Photography in Moline, IL. After twenty years in marketing, Gary opened his own studio, and with his wife JoAnn, has specialized in wedding photography for the last twelve years. Gary left film behind three years ago and has been strictly digital since. His work can be seen at http://www.robingary.net.
[Due to production requirements on our server, all the images provided have been converted to .GIF format, and therefore are not at their optimal viewing quality. Gary's pictures are, in reality, of much higher quality. -- DG]
Know your shot plan
We've now reached the point where you're actually going to be taking photos. First though, as part of your preparation, you should make a list, an outline, or timeline of the photos you want to take. In the same way a movie director builds a storyboard to help her plan the flow of the movie, your rough outline will help you as you're doing your day's shoot.
The shoot will flow much more smoothly if you already know what your next shot will be. This outline should be laid out in groups, such as what poses to use with just the girls and which ones with just the men. It makes it so much easier to transition from one shot to the next and there will be less work on your part in posing the subjects.
There are the "old standards" of wedding photography and I will cover a good bit of them here, but don't be afraid to research other possibilities by looking in wedding and photo magazines. Don't be afraid to use your own inspiration either. In Figure A, Gary used the bride's train as a backdrop.
FIGURE A
The train of the bride's dress provides a ready backdrop. (click for larger image)
Get creative
If you're any kind of photographer at all then you have some element of creativity. You never know, you may see a setting that gives you an idea, as in Figure B, which takes the bride and groom outdoors.
FIGURE B
Don't limit yourself to indoor settings. (click for larger image)
In one case, there was a wedding near the river, so getting up onto the riverboat itself will make a memorable image, as shown in Figure C.
FIGURE C
The bridge of this riverboat makes an interesting and fun setting. (click for larger image)
The getting ready pictures
One classic early shot you'll take is the bride and her party getting ready, like in Figure D.
FIGURE D
Pictures of the bride getting ready are classics. (click for larger image)
These are kind of a standard in wedding photography. You'll want shots of her getting advice from her mother, grandmother, aunts and girlfriends as well as applying make-up and fixing hair, putting on the dress and garter, etc. What you'll be allowed to shoot greatly depends on the preferences of the bride, herself.
The same approach applies for shots of the groom and his party getting ready, but that isn't always possible. Many times, the men won't all get ready at the same time and in the same place as the bride.
If they do, this makes it so much easier to get preparation shots of both parties. If not then you may have to sacrifice those shots of the men in favor of the bride. As a general rule, when you have to make a choice of shooting the bride or the groom, tradition maintains you should get more shots of the bride.
The men
You can often get shots of the men together just before the ceremony, as in Figure E, if you can't take any of them getting prepared.
FIGURE E
You never know what you'll catch while the men are hanging out before the wedding. (click for larger image)
Another classic shot is of the groom getting advice from Dad. This makes such a good shot that you might even consider staging it. If you're not sure how to pose it, simply ask the dad to straighten the groom's tie. That one is a classic, like the one shown in Figure F.
FIGURE F
The father and groom together are a wedding standard. (click for larger image)
At some point the groom and best man will probably converse alone, off in a corner. This also makes a good shot.
The women
If the bride and her party are getting ready at the site of the wedding, which is common practice, arrival shots of them in their street clothes hauling in their gear is another good shot, like Figure G.
FIGURE G
Catch the bride's arrival, before she's in the gown. (click for larger image)
At this time you can also take the exterior shots of the location and then set up your equipment in your primary location.
Next, I'll cover shots that are all pretty much standards when it comes to wedding photography. Since men get ready much faster than women, because there's less for us to do to get ready, you will be able to knock out the men-only shots while the women are doing their thing.
Group shots
What you'll want are shots of the groom with the best man, with the best man and groomsmen, like Figure H, with his parents, grandparents, and siblings, possibly with the bride's family,
FIGURE H
You can take this shot of the men while the women are getting ready. (click for larger image)
Later, you'll want pictures of the groom with the maid of honor and bridesmaids, but this will have to wait until they're ready. You can throw in a few fun ones too. This is where you can let your (and the wedding party's) imagination flow.
You'll want the same group shots with the bride as in Figure I.
FIGURE I
The pictures of the women are always the highlight of the shoot. (click for larger image)
Shoot the bride with the maid of honor, with the maid of honor and bridesmaids, with the flower girl and ring bearer if any, with her parents, grandparents and siblings, possibly with the groom's family, with any other people that are important to her as there will be, and with the best man and groomsmen who will already be there and ready.
Again, this one can be an opportunity for fun as well, like this picture of this woman being lifted by the guys, as seen in Figure J.
FIGURE J
You can take fun shots too. (click for larger image)
At this point everyone will be ready and hopefully you will still have some time to finish the staged shots before the wedding. Now that everyone is together, you will want to repeat the above standards, only this time with the bride and groom together, combining the shots.
The wedding party
Some classic pictures include the bride and groom flanked by their parents, the grandparents, siblings, entire family, the entire wedding party as in Figure K
FIGURE K
Here are two variations on the standard shot of the wedding party. (click for larger image)
Don't forget the ushers, candle lighters, singers, speakers, etc. Then of course there is the standard shot of the rings, and with the bride and groom's hands together, like Figure L.
FIGURE L
Shots of the rings can be done several ways. (click for larger image)
At this point everyone will retire back to his or her preparation areas. You can get a few shots of the decorations and the empty location if you haven't already. Then it will be time to take your gear down. From this point on, your shots will be handheld, unless there's a convenient, out of the way spot you can set your tripod to get shots of everyone coming down the aisle. You can use your assistant, or someone else nearby, as a target to pre-focus the lens at whatever spot you're going to take the shot.
Tender (or funny) moments
The wedding will be starting soon, so after your gear is stowed, find the bride's father. You're often likely to be able to get pre-ceremony jitters on film, as in Figure M and that's always a good shot.
FIGURE M
The bride's dad is fretting about the time. (click for larger image)
If you see anything at any point that looks like a tender or touching moment, snap it like the great image shown in Figure N.
FIGURE N
Be on the lookout for tender moments, like this toned example. (click for larger image)
Of course, the color adjustments are either done with a filter or in Photoshop at a later time.
In part three of this series, I will cover the ceremony itself, the reception, and your follow-up duties afterwards.
James Booth is a self-taught PC and Palm device user that dabbles in graphics and photography. He can be reached at lizardworks@mchsi.com.