Takeaway from my first wedding shoot
A few weeks back, I worked as an assistant to a photographer doing a wedding shoot. Let me say that shooting aa wedding is HARD WORK! Needless to say, though, I learn a great deal of the process of shooting a wedding which I hope will be reinforced in the future by assisting other photographers in their wedding shoots.
Some of the takeaways from the todays shoot:
- Having a fast lens of f2.4 or better in your kit is a must. Given the low light situation of most interior spaces, you will be using a flash in most every instance but that means the photos have that flash look of them. A fast lens means a more natural photo; just avoid opening the aperture all of the way out
- if you use flash, the light stick is a great tool. The speedlight on a softbox on a monopod will give better area lighting than any speedlight on the camera for many situations
- You can shoot a wedding solo but having an assistant will make the whole job go much smoother. From holding the light stick, fetching lenses, clearing obstacles, the assistant will allow the photographer to focus on the shoot and not on the other details. Just remember to buy your assistant lunch in appreciation
- Never become the focus of the shoot; people are there to see the wedding ceremony and the bride & groom not the photographer shouting out orders moving people around and then getting in peoples view
- Wear comfortable shoes…you will be standing alot…for hours in duration at times
- Another tip is bring two different cameras if you can. If one misses a shot, the other one may have captured it. A back up is essential. (h/t Lisa)
Hopefully, my working this wedding will provide benefits for not just wedding shoots but any event that is on a schedule and a bit complex in handling the diversity of subjects and lighting conditions.
