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How to Photograph a Wedding Five articles by Bobby Jonnes
For the other articles click here:
During The Service and Signing Register
Always be discreet and non disruptive in the church. If you have been given permission try to capture the exchange of rings but be very discreet. Any shots you miss at this point can be posed after the service. . In the majority of cases the Minster will wish to allow a proper signing and then allow you to pose a shot. Congratulate the couple using their new name, this will raise a smile.
You should now leave quickly and go to the bottom of the aisle.
There are two ways of capturing the aisle shot, either pre-focus on a chosen spot and take the shot as the couple reach it or, ask the couple to stop. If you get them to stop, focus quickly then ask them to start walking again, at this point take the shot.
Outside the Church
You should now (weather permitting) go outside, check exposure and stop the Bride and Groom in the doorway, take a minimum two shots, one full length and one three-quarter length.
Posing the Bride and Groom
Turn their bodies inward toward each other and ask them to lean their heads toward each other too. As mentioned in the portraiture session, this is about illustrating and capturing the intimacy of the day; to do this effectively you need to exaggerate some of the poses.
The groom should stand on the right of the bride. Ask them to hold each other’s right hands. This technique will pull their bodies naturally closer. The bride should then hold the bouquet in her left hand using it to cover the clasped right hands. The groom should have his left hand gently on the brides back, ensuring the fingers are not protruding from her side.
Start with the Biggest Groups and Work Downward
You should start with the biggest group and reduce it for subsequent shots, this way people do not have the chance to wander off. This approach also allows the Bride and Groom to relax during a few group shots in preparation for their own photo session nearer the end of the day.
The Bridal Party With all the large group shots taken you should now concentrate on the Bridal party, anyone who has been missed can be taken later at the reception.
Taking the Bridal party somewhere away from the other guests is advantageous. It allows you to work undisturbed by large numbers of guests all wanting to congratulate and photograph the Bride and Groom. It will also allow the Bridal party to relax into the photo shoot.
At the New Location
On arrival at your chosen location your first sequence of shots should be those, which include the parents of the Bride and Groom. Next you should shoot the Bride and Groom with both sets of parents and then with each of their parents in turn.
If you did not visit the Bride’s house earlier then you should take a shot of both sets of parents on their own. It is probably a long time since the parents had a photograph of themselves together and looking so smart, this shot is usually a good seller.
Regards Bobby
Wedding Photography resource to help you pursue a photography career or hobby. Bobby Jonnes has been a photographer for over 25 years. He has an in depth knowledge of the subject, specialising in wedding photography. You can access his site for more information to help improve your photography at http://www.photobiz4u.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobby_Jonnes Posing and Photographing the Bride By Bobby Jonnes
Photographing The Bride
Your wedding photography technique will improve dramatically if you pay particular attention throughout the day to the Brides appearance. She is the most important person in your photographs. Before firing the shutter always check that she is looking her best. Pay specific attention to the stance of the Bride. She should be posed by asking her to stand at a slight angle to the camera. The foot nearest to the camera should be extended forward three or four inches towards the camera with the knee slightly bent. Now ask her to transfer her weight to the foot farthest away from the camera.
Her head should be turned towards the camera and tilted slightly. Avoid straight limbs, for example arms and wrists should always suggest a gentle curving, almost flowing movement.
Flowing Lines
When you are composing a full-length portrait of the bride, make sure that you position the bouquet where you would a fig leaf! When you place the bouquet in this position the arms will look more graceful. Ensure a gentle curvature of the elbows. If you allow the bride to hold the bouquet higher than this, you cover the detail in the waistline and body of the dress, and you put harsh angles into the arms. Not graceful or pleasing to the eye. The most important single thing to remember when photographing women at any event is that they must look graceful. Also remember to keep the bride at a slight angle to the camera, never directly face on. Approximately 30 degrees is flattering. You can get away with less of an angle with thinner brides. Elevate her index finger slightly above the others for a graceful hand and be sure to show the side or edge of the hand and not the palm or back of the hand. When photographing the bride and groom together, or the bride with any male, angle the shoulders so that the male is wider to the camera than the bride. The last thing you want to do is make the bride look bigger than the groom.
Tilting the Head
Head tilts are another important subject when photographing the bride. Your goal is always flatter the subject to the best of your ability. There are two basic head tilts, masculine and feminine. Masculine head tilts place the head leaning down toward the front of the body while feminine head tilts have the head tilting down over the shoulder toward the back of the person. Feminine head tilts look best on thinner brides.
The Heavier Bride
If you are photographing a heavier bride try to avoid any shots in sitting positions, they always look better standing.
If you are photographing a group, including a heavy bride, keep her standing, turned at an angle to reduce her width, bouquet lowered and if possible, place her slightly behind another person so that one arm and one leg are hidden. This is the only exception to my earlier direction of always having the bride and groom at the front and unobscured!
In conclusion, your wedding photography technique must include a good repertoire of shots and poses for the bride. You must practise and experiment with your posing technique. As with all posing techniques you must practise them before using them on a practical basis.
I hope this brief article gives you the information you need to improve your wedding photography technique.
Regards Bobby
Bobby provides Wedding Photography resources to help you pursue a photography career or hobby. Bobby Jonnes has been a photographer for over 25 years. He has an in depth knowledge of the subject, specialising in wedding photography. You can access his site for more information to help improve your photography at http://www.photobiz4u.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobby_Jonnes Always Keep the Bride and Groom to the Front Remember, the Bride and Groom should be most prominently portrayed in every shot. When posing groups you should try to avoid placing anyone directly in front of or behind the Bride and Groom. The only exception to this is when using steps to compose very large groups. Height Difference Another potential problem with groups is height difference. Use the potential problem of height difference to your advantage. If there are steps available you can use them to elevate the smaller people, if not then you must arrange the group in a composition which pleases the eye. You can however often use height difference to your advantage, use it by carefully positioning subjects so that their faces, when viewed together run in a smooth flowing composition. Do not be afraid to use the ground as a starting point for posing Bridal party group shots. Bridesmaids are often asked to pose on the ground in front of the rest of the group. You can then build up the composition by placing any smaller children next to the Bridesmaids and eventually working upwards using smooth flowing lines toward adults in a standing position. Some photographers will always position taller people near the centre and taper off to smaller people at the ends. I prefer to work on a flexible basis and treat each situation independently sometimes using smaller people near the Bride and Groom and working towards the edges with taller people. This approach can give more emphasis and prominence to the Bride and Groom. Positioning the smaller of the two nearest the camera can compensate for height difference between the Bride and Groom. This technique, in the Brides case, will not be required too often; society readily accepts that on average females are smaller than males. However you may encounter, as I once did, a couple where the Bride was taller and had specifically asked to be made to look smaller, even if it meant posing her husband on a step! The Bride Pay particular attention throughout the day to the Brides appearance. She is the most important person in your photographs. Before firing the shutter always check that she is looking her best. Pay specific attention to the stance of the Bride. She should be posed by asking her to stand at a slight angle to the camera. The foot nearest to the camera should be extended forward three or four inches towards the camera with the knee slightly bent. Now ask her to transfer her weight to the foot farthest away from the camera. Her head should be turned towards the camera and tilted slightly. Avoid straight limbs, for example arms and wrists should always suggest a gentle curving, almost flowing movement. Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have written a comprehensive guide on wedding and group photography. Visit my site for more information Wedding and Group Photography Guide
By Bobby Jonnes
When photographing a wedding one of the most important shots is the cutting of the cake. You must take care with this shot, it will be one of the most popular shots of the day. This should be posed with the groom between and a little to the back of the cake and the bride.
Aim to get the bride on the same plane as the cake and not standing behind as that makes the cake look bigger and you may also have trouble with depth of field. I would normally place the knife on the base tier of the cake, the bride holding the knife with her right hand, resting her left hand on top and the groom placing his right hand gently below the bride's, while his left arm should be placed behind the bride not around her, with fingers sticking out!
If feasible, use available light for this shot, particularly if there is daylight coming into the room. This may mean an exposure in the order of 1/ 15th of a second at f2.8 or f4. This is another reason it is essential that the couple are as near as possible in the same plane as the cake.
If it is not possible to use available light, use bounced flash, provided the walls or ceiling are of a neutral light colour. If they are brightly coloured, bounce the flash off a white reflector. Only as a last resort should direct flash be used as it burns out detail in the cake. Always try to use a slow shutter speed so as to pick up ambient light in the room. One fifteenth of a second at around f4 or comparable will capture the room lighting beyond the couple.
Occasionally the couple may need to lean slightly over the table to cut the cake. In this case you need to work at an angle to the table to get them both at the same distance from the camera.
The cake cutting ceremony is a vital part of every wedding, even the smallest registry office wedding. It will soon be consumed, so a good record is a must and will be a readily sought photograph by all guests and relations. This shot depicts the last paragraph of the first chapter in the story of their marriage.
You must ensure it is a good one.
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have written a comprehensive guide on wedding and group photography.
Visit my site for more information and a free flash photography guide Wedding and Group Photography Guide
Bobby is a photographer and author. He has been commissioned to shoot thousands of events, including weddings. How to Photograph a Wedding - After the Ceremony By Bobby Jonnes
When photographing a wedding you will cover the arrival, the ceremony and then proceed to capture groups, guests and the bridal party.
After the ceremony in the church is over you should now progress to photograph the groups. Weather permitting you should now leave the church and go outside, test exposure and stop the Bride and Groom in the doorway, take at least two shots, one full length and one three-quarter length. You often find they will choose to buy the three-quarter length.
When posing the Bride and Groom twist their bodies inward toward each other and request them to tilt their heads toward each other too. This is about showing and capturing the closeness and intimacy of the couple; to do this successfully you need to overstress a few of the poses.
With the groom standing on the right of the bride, ask them to hold each other's right hand. This procedure will draw their bodies physically closer. The bride should then hold the posy in her left hand using it to cover up the clasped right hands. The groom should have his left hand lightly on the brides back, ensuring the fingers are not obtruding from her side.
When photographing the groups, work downward from the biggest groups, this way you are more likely to be able to stop the guests wandering away just when you need them. This procedure also allows the Bride and Groom to relax in preparation for their own turn to spend time with you nearer the end of the shoot.
After finishing the group shots group you should now concentrate on the Bridal party, anyone who has been overlooked can be shot later at the reception (if you excuse the expression!).
The Bridal party should now be taken somewhere away from the other guests. This allows you to work without interruption by guests all wanting to congratulate and photograph the Bride and Groom. It will also permit the Bridal party to relax into the photo shoot.
On arrival at your preferred place your initial series of shots should be those, which include the parents of the Bride and Groom. Next you should capture the Bride and Groom together with both sets of parents and then with each of their parents in turn.
If you did not call at the Bride's house in advance then you should take a shot of both sets of parents on their own. It is almost certainly a long time since the parents had a photograph of themselves together and looking so elegant, this shot is generally an excellent seller.
I hope you have learned something about the sequence of photographing a wedding by reading my article.
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have written a comprehensive guide on wedding and group photography.
Visit my site for more information Wedding and Group Photography Guide
Bobby is a photographer and author. He has been commissioned to shoot thousands of events, including weddings.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobby_Jonnes By Bobby Jonnes
When photographing a wedding you will cover the arrival, the ceremony and then proceed to capture groups, guests and the bridal party.
After the ceremony in the church is over you should now progress to photograph the groups. Weather permitting you should now leave the church and go outside, test exposure and stop the Bride and Groom in the doorway, take at least two shots, one full length and one three-quarter length. You often find they will choose to buy the three-quarter length.
When posing the Bride and Groom twist their bodies inward toward each other and request them to tilt their heads toward each other too. This is about showing and capturing the closeness and intimacy of the couple; to do this successfully you need to overstress a few of the poses.
With the groom standing on the right of the bride, ask them to hold each other's right hand. This procedure will draw their bodies physically closer. The bride should then hold the posy in her left hand using it to cover up the clasped right hands. The groom should have his left hand lightly on the brides back, ensuring the fingers are not obtruding from her side.
When photographing the groups, work downward from the biggest groups, this way you are more likely to be able to stop the guests wandering away just when you need them. This procedure also allows the Bride and Groom to relax in preparation for their own turn to spend time with you nearer the end of the shoot.
After finishing the group shots group you should now concentrate on the Bridal party, anyone who has been overlooked can be shot later at the reception (if you excuse the expression!).
The Bridal party should now be taken somewhere away from the other guests. This allows you to work without interruption by guests all wanting to congratulate and photograph the Bride and Groom. It will also permit the Bridal party to relax into the photo shoot.
On arrival at your preferred place your initial series of shots should be those, which include the parents of the Bride and Groom. Next you should capture the Bride and Groom together with both sets of parents and then with each of their parents in turn.
If you did not call at the Bride's house in advance then you should take a shot of both sets of parents on their own. It is almost certainly a long time since the parents had a photograph of themselves together and looking so elegant, this shot is generally an excellent seller.
I hope you have learned something about the sequence of photographing a wedding by reading my article.
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have written a comprehensive guide on wedding and group photography.
Visit my site for more information Wedding and Group Photography Guide
Bobby is a photographer and author. He has been commissioned to shoot thousands of events, including weddings. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobby_Jonnes |
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