The wedding photography arouses enormous interest in this profession. And it is that, luckily, times have changed, what before was a mere sustenance that some were even ashamed to admit, has become an admired and award-winning discipline.
The creativity and good work of those dedicated to wedding photography have made many amateurs look at this sector to launch themselves professionally, or photographers from other sectors look at them with eyes to expand their line of business.
That is why today I have decided to publish this mega guide dedicated to wedding photography, especially for you…:
- if as a professional you are thinking of expanding business in other areas
- that you want to turn your hobby into a source of income
- that you are getting married and are looking for advice when choosing a photographer
«How can I take my first steps as a professional wedding photographer? What equipment and materials do I need? How do I get hired? what lenses do I have to wear? I get questions like this from time to time from blog readers who dream of becoming wedding photographers and are looking for some guidance. I would like nothing more than to be able to give you the infallible formula to be successful as a wedding photographer, but I do not do wedding photography. I never dedicated myself to this type of photography and I don’t see myself as the best person to advise on this matter.
However, at the insistence of many who have written to me (to whom I may not have been able to respond, I apologize), it has occurred to me to write about the steps I would take if one day I considered working as a wedding photographer and gathering all the information we have on the blog about this discipline, written both by the team and wedding photography professionals who have wanted to participate as guest authors. I know that many other professionals in the sector read us, they are invited to share their ideas too, further down in the comments section.
In summary, in this mega guide I compile all the information that a wedding photographer needs to know, in addition, I explain, in great detail and with concrete examples, the steps that I would recommend to anyone who wants to establish themselves as a professional wedding photographer, including the mistakes most neophytes fall into and what I would do to fix them.
What you are going to read next is the guide that I would follow by heart to start my career as a wedding photographer, and from which you will surely be able to get many ideas. And it is that, a wedding photographer has to be a photographer and entrepreneur.
INSIDE THIS ARTICLE… 📖
Before getting into the matter, a brief paragraph…
What is wedding photography?
The first thing I would say is that it is a huge responsibility. Above all. A wedding is such a special and unique event that failure becomes a catastrophe. For the couple (and the memory they have of one of the most important days of their lives) and for your reputation as a photographer.
It is not a portrait session that you can repeat whenever you want. It is a wedding that (hopefully) happens only once in the lives of the protagonists, so in wedding photography there is no second chance to get it right.
Clarified this point, wedding photography is that photographic discipline that portrays the entire process of a marriage bond. It can be from the pre-wedding session to the post-wedding session if the bride and groom want it that way (you are interested in convincing them, I will tell you why below). What it does include is always the same day of the wedding: the preparations of the groom and the bride at home; the celebration, which can be religious or not; and the banquet, with the reception, lunch or dinner and dancing (the latter can never be missing from a wedding, right?😜 ).
Photograph your best friend’s wedding
Everything we are talking about becoming a wedding photography professional may not go with you. Maybe the brown has fallen on you (yes, it’s a brown no matter where you look at it) from photographing your best friend’s wedding. A really good friend, I wouldn’t ask you. And a good friend, really, would tell you to hire a professional.
Now, if the bride and groom still insist due to the circumstances (it is a very intimate wedding, without much budget, they value memories and trust more than a good report, or whatever the reason…), I recommend that you read this article, but above all, don’t photograph your friends’ wedding without reading this first.
Now yes, we return to the question of “What would I do if one day I were to dedicate myself to wedding photography?”here is my answer…
Wedding photography as a business?
I would think twice. Not three. Just two.
I want you to think how many wedding photographers do you think there are? A lots of? Some? Okay, and now I also want you to think about the number of couples that get married, or at least have a union celebration, and that require a photographer.
In principle, everything seems to indicate that the market for wedding photographers is slightly saturated. More and more people are launching with a reflex camera to cover weddings and, on the other hand, I have the feeling (I do not handle specific statistics) that the number of marriage unions is not especially growing. In other words, more and more photographers have to fight to divide the wedding cake, and I am not referring to the meringue cake precisely, but to the number of clients.
Does this mean that you would abandon the idea completely? In any way. I’m just saying that, like in any other serious aspect of our life, in this case too, you have to think twice before getting into this story. And notice how I say at the beginning of this section “Twice, not three.” I say this because I wouldn’t give it too much thought, nor do I want you to. Spending your whole life thinking about something does not make it work, that “we’ll see”, “little by little”, or “some day” are usually no guarantee of success. If you are interested in entering the world of wedding photography, that “someday” is today, right now. This mega guide will provide you with everything you need to get off to a good start, so don’t put it off any longer.
Once the decision has been made, let’s continue with the rest of the elements that we would have to consider if we wanted to live from wedding photography.
The ideal equipment for wedding photography
Naturally, we would need a camera. Here I have a personal opinion that perhaps not many share: the camera does not need to be especially expensive or professional. Yes, photographing a wedding is a completely professional job, but carrying a professional camera is not an essential condition. If you can afford one, go for it, but if not, any medium-advanced user camera should do the trick. I would, however, spend some money on an extra camera. This is very important because at a wedding you cannot afford to present yourself in front of the bride and groom and with a smile announce that due to technical problems beyond your control (come on, your camera is broken), you will not be able to cover the rest. of the event. More than anything because your life would be in some danger 😉
Carrying a second camera will allow you to have a kind of “spare tire” if at any given time your main camera fails you. On the other hand, a second camera can be useful if you want to switch between two lenses (which is highly recommended). You would have one mounted on the first camera and one on the second. Permanently. So you could switch between one camera and another without having to stop, turn off the camera, unscrew one lens, while a guest holds the other lens. Just imagine the situation please: everyone celebrating at the height of the wedding, and the photographer there huddled in a corner fighting with the lens that does not finish screwing on correctly 🙂
If you can’t afford two cameras don’t worry, you can start with one and later when you’ve earned a few reports you get another. In the meantime, what you can do is work with a camera that allows you to record photos on two memory cards at the same time. What, is that possible? Yes sir, some cameras have 2 memory card slots and allow you to automatically record photos on two cards at the same time. The advantage of this is that if during or after the wedding you realize that a card has failed and you can no longer recover its contents, you rest easy knowing that the second card still has a copy with all the photos.
This is my opinion, here is that of a photographer specialized in wedding photography on the necessary equipment; from the hand of our guest author Adrián Sanchez.
Lenses and accessories
As I always say, half the beauty of a photograph lies in the lens with which it was made. We have already talked about the choice of lenses at length here on the blog, (you can take a look at the article dedicated to lenses for social photography, or consult my article with the best lenses that I recommend).
In general, you will almost necessarily need what I call the king of lenses, along with a telephoto lens, ideal for photographing spontaneous scenes of the bride and groom, family and guests during the wedding while going unnoticed. Finally, a wide angle can also come in handy to take group photos or simply to contextualize the wedding within the environment in a wide way.
I have also seen some wedding photos taken with a fisheye. You are not going to photograph the entire wedding with the fisheye, but if you have one, the occasional snapshot is fun.
In addition to the objectives that I just mentioned, you need some accessories. Inevitably a good flash, the best you can afford please (some recommendations here) and if you can also a flash diffuser. It will allow you to obtain very illuminated portraits of the bride and groom but with a touch of softness that is very good for the occasion. You can also get LED lights. From there, the rest of the accessories for my taste are optional or, at least, not essential at all: tripod, reflector, etc. You can start with what I just mentioned, the rest you will acquire as you go, without hurry, and according to your needs.
You’re going to be meeting with clients, before and after the wedding. You should have a tablet or iPad to show examples that will allow you to agree on details. It is important that you do a wedding report not how you like it, but how they would like it. In your pre-wedding meetings you will have to show them examples, whether they are taken by you or by other photographers, they can even be simple photos from the Internet. The important thing is that you see examples and comment on them. Your task in these meetings is to find out about the type of photography that would fascinate them, that would leave them completely satisfied.
To the iPad or…