Whether you’re starting out as a wedding photographer working for an agency, or starting your own business, every start is a bit difficult. So here are some valuable tips that can help you throughout your journey of becoming a successful wedding photographer.
-
Choose the right gear for the job
Despite what you may think, you don’t need a lot of gear to get you started. A descent DSLR/Mirrorless camera and a lens, a flashgun and a reflector, can be just enough for you to start. Let’s divide the gear in these two categories:
Essential:
- DSLR/Mirrorless camera, a descent zoom lens with fixed aperture (if it suits your budget), or variable aperture (if you’re low on budget at the start). Zooms like 24-105mm or 24-120mm with f/4.0 are logical choice. Be sure to invest in several backup battery packs for your camera and flash and decent chargers so you never run out of juice while you're working in the field.
- Dedicated or third-party flashgun is a must have! Dedicated flashguns are quite more expensive, but third-party flashes work as good as dedicated ones in most of the situations. My advice would be the excellent Godox flashgun, by your choice, that’s made for your camera brand.
- Fold-up reflector to bounce back the fill light when you’re working with natural light, and a stand to hold it if you don’t have an assistant to help you out.
Additional:
- Additional, fixed and zoom lenses with larger apertures for working more creatively and in low light, like 85mm f/1.8 (1.4), 105mm, 70-200mm f/2.8, 35mm, etc. But hold your horses! And invest only in what you really need, because it’s way too easy to get gear-addicted!
- Flash strobes, continuous lights, stands, backgrounds, remote triggers, soft boxes, umbrellas, gel filters for your flashes, and the list can go on and on, when you get better at what you do.
-
Get inspired
Don’t be ashamed to look at the work of some famous and experienced wedding photographers around your neighbourhood and all around the world. You can learn a lot and get some of your own ideas that will develop very nice.
Always think about your clients and consider their needs and wishes and remember - that day is one the most important in their lives, and it’s up to you to make it even more unforgettable for them! But don’t let the pressure wear you down! Get inspired and do your job the best you can! It’s well worth the effort!
-
Scouting for location
We all know that the wedding ceremony is very important part. But they are pretty much similar to one another, right? What separates your photos from the rest of the gang is the ones you make with the couple and their closest family and friends at some nice locations. These are the ones they’ll be looking at over and over again for the years to come! So, it’s worth the effort scouting for nice locations beforehand.
Check out some public parks, with lots of greenery, old ruins and castles, city landmarks, bridges and walkways, picturesque bridges, arches and similar things to make the most of your wedding photography at location. I can’t stress enough how big of a difference this makes compared to all of the other tasks that you’ll cover without blinking. So find these memorable locations and make the most of your creative eye to shoot some one-in-a-lifetime photos for the couple!
-
Communicational skills
There will always be some people that will drag you down and avoid being in pictures. They are just like that, and that shouldn’t bother you at all! Bring up the most charming smile on your face, even if you don’t feel like smiling at all, look confident, charming and pleasant to their eyes. Dress accordingly for the occasion and learn to communicate with people as they are the best of the best! This applies even more to your communication with the couple that’s about to be wed. Listen carefully to what they want, what they need when it comes to their photographs, what are the scenarios and ideas they would like you to implement in your photos.
Listen and give them your honest opinions, work on expanding their ideas with your creativity, never dismiss their opinions and ideas, but lead them to the mutual creative concept. They have to feel comfortable, relaxed and happy in your presence, since these feelings will surely show on their faces and emotions in your photos.
-
The after-math
So, you probably followed my tips and made it through your first wedding as a photographer. Or you just did it the way you thought you should and it went well, or not as you exactly expected. Well, that’s the name of the game! Sometimes you get lucky and win the first time, but most of the times, you have to learn from your little “defeats” and become better with time. It’s the same thing for everything in life! Don’t get discouraged! Ever! It’s just the start of the road you just taken, and there are a lot more to come in your way and make it more enjoyable and successful.
Analyse what you could have done better, were there some technical mistakes that you made, how you can avoid them in the future. But what is even more important, try expanding your creative views with each wedding you cover as a photographer.
You’ll get more relaxed with time, your creativity will reach some levels you could barely think of at the moment you started, your clients will be more and more satisfied with your photographs and your service in general. The more you invest in your self-development, the more confident and relaxed you’ll become.
And it will be engraved in your work too. Also, don’t forget to have fun along your road, too! If the work you do brings no fun in your life, then it’s not the work you should be doing.
Be persistent, consistent, believe in yourself, enjoy what you do and the rest will just fit in place with time.