4 Tips for Shooting Your First Wedding So That Its Not Your Last
If you’re reading this article, you might be interested in testing out wedding photography or you might be trying to figure out how to build a sustainable career. When people find out we photograph weddings there are a wide variety of responses but one of them is, “I tried that once and I’ll never do it again.”
In this article, I hope to give you tips for shooting your first wedding so that it’s not your last.
With a little forethought going into it, you can set yourself up for success. But I’ll warn you that you might need to set realistic expectations, take baby steps, and invest some preparation time upfront. Weddings can be intense which can either be stressful or endless fuel for your creativity.
Note: This article is not about photographic skill, as that should be a given. You should make sure you are experienced enough as a photographer before taking on a challenge like wedding photography. You do NOT want the responsibility of capturing memories on one of the biggest days of a couple’s life if you are not extremely comfortable behind a camera.
Tip #1. Take the Pressure Off
Let’s talk about expectations first. I’m talking about both your own expectations and the clients’ expectations. Lower them.
Sure, that sounds bad but until you’ve shot a wedding, you don’t know how complex they actually are. The more pressure you put on yourself the more you’ll set yourself up to hate it. That might mean that your first client needs to be someone who is generally a positive and grateful person.
You may not shoot award-winning photos of your first wedding but you’re going to work hard to capture beautiful and important moments. One of the best feelings is when you work really hard to create something you’re proud of and the couple really values it too. So pick that first couple wisely. Read More...
