One of my best friends is spending the next month and a half getting ready for his wedding. In a conversation we had this week he told me he knows why people elope. Having been through it myself, I know where he’s coming from. As someone who photographs weddings, I certainly see the tension that builds when getting ready for a couples big day. You can almost see it slide off their shoulders the minute the bride and groom start walking hand in hand down the aisle after the “I do’s”. It’s not hard to imagine the stress falling off in dark, twisted clumps as they are making there way through their guests finally married after months of preparation and in a position to enjoy an evening of fun, family and friends as a newly married couple. There is something amazing about that moment. It’s certainly one of my favorite moments to capture when shooting a wedding.

This last weekend I, along with my wife, packed the camera gear in the car and took off for Evergreen, Colorado; A beautiful little town a bit West of Denver. Our friends Mike and Alyssa had asked us to photograph their long awaited day and we were more than happy to oblige. I’ve shot quite a few weddings at this point and have certainly gotten much better at capturing the day and have upgraded my equipment constantly.

I’ve learned a couple important lessons since my first marginal success for another friend’s wedding. Here are a couple that stick out in my mind:

1. Never let anyone touch your equipment and check it thoroughly in the event that someone does get their paws on it. My first wedding, I shot the entire event in the 1600 iso setting because a curious DJ wanted to check out my camera. Disappointing for sure when all of the images came back very grainy.
2. Be prepared for anything. Weddings are extremely fluid and there are constantly moving elements and innumerable factors that effect the outcome and flow of the day. If you don’t want to be to stressed, go into it with a limited set of expectations and the ability to change those expectations at the drop of a hat.
3. Learn to adapt. This can be an immediate reaction to changing weather or taking a bunch of grainy images (see #1) and editing them in B&W with heavy blacks and vignetting to get a antique look. Take what you’re given and make the best of it.
4. Cater to the bride as much as possible. The groom (most times) could care less about a book of pictures of him getting ready and just gets dragged into pictures because the bride “demands” it. This applies primarily to the prep shots, but listen to the bride as much as possible, because she is your real critic and client. As long as the groom gets a couple of shots with him and his “boys”, he will typically be very happy. The bride will inevitably be a bit more demanding.
5. Get a second shooter. This could be #1 because it makes such a difference in the shots you get. While you’re concentrating on the bride and groom, the second photographer can be focusing on details and dad, grandma and grandpa and the tears rolling down mom’s face in the crowd. That’s tough to handle by yourself if you’re the only one out there. Especially in a fast paced ceremony. If you’re lucky your wife (in my case), a significant other, a good friend or someone else you trust can act as a good complement.
6. If you’re going to do it, spend the money on good equipment. Even if you know what you’re doing, having the right equipment will make a huge difference. Having a couple flashes for the evening shots or fill light, a bag of lenses for some creative work or a second camera body to lessen the time spent switching out lenses makes all the difference and makes your job of capturing those memorable moments that much easier.
7. Have a lot of memory cards and shoot a lot of pictures. It’s better to have too many pics and if you can minimize the times you have to download your images or switch out a memory card, the chances of you making a mistake and missing a shot or accidentally deleting a bunch of images will be far less.
8. Know your equipment. Read the manuals. Know what the different settings mean. Know why you are getting the results your getting with the settings your using. Understand how to adjust your equipment to attain the desired creative results. Do as much testing and shooting in your off time as you can to work on your technique and knowledge.
9. Have Fun! The more fun you have at the event, the better your pics will look. If you have a minute, get some alone time with the bride and groom and take them off to the side and do a private little photo shoot after the ceremony when they are completely relaxed and overjoyed to finally be married. Your enjoyment in what you’re doing certainly comes through in the images you end up with.

So that’s my take on shooting weddings. Every event offers new challenges and even though it’s a ton of work and responsibility, seeing the joy and gratitude for a job well done for work that will be enjoyed for a lifetime by the couple makes it worth it.