Creative Wedding Photographer How-To’sFor creative wedding photographers, business is booming. Weddings are a billion dollar industry and wedding photography can be a very lucrative career. To be good, you have to work very hard. The rewards are very good. But, the work is very hard. For many photographers“wedding photography” is not worth the hassle and a lot of photographers will not shoot weddings for love nor money. For others weddings are all there is. Shooting a wedding carries a fair bit of responsibility. Creative wedding photographers require added skills. As a wedding is a one time event the photographer must be alert, prepared, backed-up and concentrating. Shooting a wedding is both exhausting and invigorating as the photographer is constantly working, looking for angles, getting the nice candid shots, plus the hours can be very long. I highly recommend an invaluable wedding photography guide that will teach you how to minimize mistakes and maximize profit and success in this lucrative photography niche. It takes the mystery out of what works. Wedding Photographers Must Be Tactfully AssertiveAt a wedding, everyone is competing for the wedding couple’s time and attention. Especially the bride. The creative wedding photographer must graciously, yet assertively, control the situation in order to get the best possible shots. Tactful, assertiveness is explained in the pre-photo session, interview. Great photos are expected of that day. Assertive (not aggressive) wedding photographers make this clear beforehand to the bride.Timing is important. Communication and planning time lines before the event will eliminate many of the stresses associated with photographing a wedding. An ability to tactfully assert yourself and take charge also helps - particularly when photographing large groups or families - a common expectation after the ceremony. Creative Wedding Photographers Find Hard Work PaysHaving a checklist with all of the expected shots is also an extremely useful tool for the novice photographer. I don’t shoot weddings often, these days. I don’t like the pressure. However, when I do decide to shoot a wedding, having and following a checklist eliminates most of the pressure.The work for photographers at a wedding is very hard. For the bride and her family, a milestone is being visually documented for their heirlooms and legacies. Much more is at stake if one-of-a-kind shots are not taken at this one time family event. Often, while the photographer is setting poses of the wedding party, wedding guests bring personal cameras and insist that members of the wedding party pose for them. Wedding photographers, work hard as photographers; as directors; and as crowd control experts. That’s, hard work! On the other hand, the rewards. Wedding photographers can earn as much as a good commercial photographer, working mostly weekends. Working hours for wedding photographers are mostly weekends. As most weddings are on a Saturday, you will find that it may be difficult to plan weekend activities with friends and families. However you may also find it pleasant to be able to wake up late on Monday morning – your only worry for the day being finding the tv remote control and edit last Saturday's job. Wedding photographers usually have an office or studio and some double as a Retail Photography Studio. In larger cities you will find wedding studios that only shoot weddings and may have large studios equipped with make-up and hair and gowns ready for the bride to wear. Some studios also have arrangements with Bridal shops allowing the bride to try several gowns during her portrait session. Know Who Your Customer IsAs a creative wedding photographer your biggest responsibility is to the bride and groom, but especially the bride. The bride is the one who is going to carry your album around to all her friends and colleagues, telling everyone within earshot what a wonderful photographer you are. If you wish to be a successful wedding photographer, above all be fully aware of this: the bride is your primary customer. The creative wedding photographer never forgets this point.Classic Wedding Photography and TechnologyClassic wedding photography includes formal portraiture in the studio, outdoor photography (often at a park, beach or scenic location on the day of the wedding) and both posed and candid shots of the couple and their guests at the religious or civil ceremony and the reception that follows. During the film era, wedding photography often equals a full production. Digital cameras and technology have dramatically changed all of that.Today, most weddings are done with digital cameras. Technology such as digital photography, has introduced different expectations for the photographer. Digital cameras prove to be a winner for photographers in that they can correct minor mistakes, such as lighting, cropping, etc. Creative wedding photographers can afford to be more experimental and creative. Also, with digital, the wedding couple can view selected shots during their shooting session, and be comfortable with the photographer’s skills. In spite of the dramatically changing technology and diminishing film sales, there are many photographers who continue to shoot with film. And, still, many others feel that negative film captures more information than the latest digital technology, with less margin for exposure error. Wedding photography stills carries with it images of granduer, romance and splendor. Discout wedding photographers exist. But, mainly in highly competetive wedding markets. Like Las Vegas, for example. The traditional images of wedding photography still carry the day. Successful wedding photographers overdeliver on service. As with all photographers, a creative wedding photographer must have a marketing plan to have any chance of being successful.
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