Photography is an art that requires the artist to master it with adequate precision, technique, and equipment. Your wedding photographer has the power to make or break your big day. Your photographer can capture unforgettable moments like the first time you and your future spouse lock eyes down the aisle, your first dance, and the grand departure to your honeymoon destination.
To achieve breathtaking wedding photos, your photographer should avoid a few mistakes to ensure they deliver a quality service to their client. If you’re a photographer, you’ll need to dedicate the necessary time and resources to producing eye-catching content that can market your services to other soon-to-be brides/grooms. As a photographer, your final product should be a representation of your talent. Otherwise, you risk losing potential clients.
Here are some quick wedding photography tips for photographers to avoid mistakes.
1. Always Sign a Wedding Photography Contract
The first thing that you need to do is to sign a contract with your client. Not having a contract signed may end up in a mess and create problems for you in the long term.
The time you are giving in meetings, wedding photoshoots, printed photos, and everything should be discussed in the contract.
2. Finalize The Poses
There are no random poses with the bride and groom at the wedding. Not deciding the poses ahead of time can cause conflict and disagreements. You shouldn’t miss out on the wedding photography checklist.
Set a meeting with the bride and groom several times before the shoot. You and your client should be clear about the poses, so you know the poses for the bride and poses for the groom separately. Then you should also finalize the pose ideas for the couple.
3. Request A Wedding Coordinator
Couples may gladly meet you before the wedding, but they won’t be there to help on the final day.
You should ask for a coordinator, often a sibling or a close friend. It is recommended to let this coordinator attend all the meetings, so you all know what to do. The coordinator is helpful in arranging family and friends for the group photos, making the coordination easy between you and the couple on the wedding day, and more.
4. Don’t Go Without An Assistant
Weddings are a lot of work and it’s tough to do it solo. If you go alone, then you’ll face trouble with handling lights and other matters. We recommend exchanging the services of another wedding photographer to cut the cost. You can shoot as an assistant for their wedding client, and then this photographer will return the favor on your shoot day.
5. Extra Memory Cards
You can run out of memory anytime at the wedding. Wedding photos are big in size and you have a lot of random shots. Not having a backup for memory can make you look unprofessional and ruin the day for your clients. You may need to stop the shoot for going out of the memory and it’s a mess.
Always carry extra memory cards, so you can extend your shoot if you need to.
6. Stay Patient
You can run out of memory anytime at the wedding. Wedding photos are big in size and you have a lot of random shots. Not having a backup for memory can make you look unprofessional and ruin the day for your clients. You may need to stop the shoot for going out of the memory and it’s a mess.
Always carry extra memory cards, so you can extend your shoot if you need to.
7. Keep A Check On Modern Trends
Wedding photography trends change over time. Your equipment can be new, but shooting with the same old fashion photography trends can take away your clients.
We recommend you to learn the new techniques and modern trends by reading the professional wedding photographers. Or simply check out the Envira Gallery’s blog for wedding photography tips.
8. Back-up Pictures
Not backing up pictures you take at the wedding could result in disaster and may even tarnish your reputation as a professional photographer. Just imagine how the couple will feel when they hear that their wedding photos were erased during a system failure. Backing up your photos can protect your images in the case of any system errors, sudden computer shutdowns, or unexpected damage to your equipment.
Unfortunately, bad things tend to happen in the most crucial moments. The camera itself may malfunction, or the memory card may fail to save the picture, ruining your client’s big day. You must bring along backup equipment to ensure you can replace any broken camera, lighting equipment, or lenses. It’s also crucial for a photographer to store all your images on an external drive to prevent mishaps, such as unrecoverable content.
9. Stay Connected With The Videographer
At a wedding, the photographer should work hand-in-hand with the videographer. When the photographer and videographer work as a team, they can prevent any form of miscommunication that could result in customer dissatisfaction.
To avoid conflicting situations, which have the potential to ruin your wedding day, set up a meeting so they can discuss contingency plans. When these professionals collaborate, you can rest assured that any technical difficulty will be solved immediately.
10. Build a Rapport With The Clients
Building trust with the clients is highly important for offering a great wedding photography experience to them. Hence, keep sending emails or call them in between to know how the wedding planning is going. In fact, it will help you create a good relationship with the client and it will surely reflect on the photos you click on.
