5 mistakes to avoid as a wedding photographer
Being a wedding photographer means you have a huge responsibility.
Have you ever missed the first kiss at the alter? Had your camera all of a sudden doing weird things mid-wedding? Accidentally taken overexposed images of an important moment? Delivered a random unedited photo in a gallery?
The longer you are in this career, the longer this list adds up. And it’s scary to think that some mistakes could potentially be career ending.
Thankfully, there are a lot of mistakes you can avoid. Don’t learn them the hard way.
Not being prepared.
This is the most important mistake you can avoid. If you think being prepared just means charging your camera batteries, making sure you bring all your gear, have snacks, and have the timeline on your phone, you are making a big mistake.
A good wedding photographer anticipates things.
Research your venue or shoot location. Map out where events will take place, what the lighting will be like, where you want to take portraits, etc.
Have a meeting with your couple. Find out what images are most important to them, if there are any special moments or traditions that need extra attention.
Reach out to the wedding planner or coordinator. Carefully look through the timeline and request edits if need be.
Prepare your second shooter. Don’t expect them to just show up with charged camera batteries ready to go. Share everything you know and are anticipating with them too.
Ignoring backup equipment.
If you are a new photographer and are shooting weddings with one camera - God be with you.
Weddings are just too much of a responsibility to not have a backup for pretty much all your gear. You should at least have 2 cameras, back up camera batteries, chargers, memory cards, flashes, flash batteries, and lenses. For example, if your 35mm falls and breaks you can still shoot everything on your 50mm because you have one.
Missing in-between moments.
If you have tunnel vision on the shot list, are incessantly posing your couples, or don’t have a second shooter, you are likely missing the best parts of a wedding: the in-between moments.
Yes, it is good to “make sure you get everything” but weddings have an ebb and flow to them. While big moments are happening with your couples, small moments are happening everywhere else.
Emotional moments of the guests during the ceremony, background reactions during the first dance, or portraits of grandparents can be some of the most heartfelt and memorable images to a couple.
Forgetting about lighting.
As a wedding photographer, you are often times doing more than just taking photos. You are connecting with people, managing emotions, trying to follow a timeline, and of course “making sure you get everything”. But in the midst of it all, don’t forget that lighting has the biggest impact on the quality of your work.
This doesn’t mean you should convince your couple to change the time of their ceremony from high noon to sunset - some things you can’t (and shouldn’t) control. You can however capture getting ready moments near a natural light window, shoot details in diffused light, or steal the couple away for a few moments at sunset.
Rushing your editing.
Weddings produce a very large amount of images to cull and edit and it’s no surprise that most wedding photographers are looking for ways to streamline the editing process. Just - be careful.
It’s easy to miss mom’s eyes closed in the family photo or a random foot in the corner of a tablescape shot. Taking the time to really see and edit each and every photo unfortunately takes time. Not to mention all the decisions you have to make on lighting, color and contrast, etc.
Slow down. Your galleries will reflect the intention you put into them.
