How much should the photographer move throughout the ceremony?
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at
4:48 am
I am photographer shooting my first wedding soon. So excited!
I am nervous though about moving throughout the ceremony and taking pictures. I am not really sure to draw the line. I have been to weddings where the photographer literally ran all over the place during the ceremony, and I’ve been to weddings where the photographer sat in the pew (no joke!)
Assuming your church/venue allowed it, would you want the photographer to run all over like that? If that was the best way to get quality pics?
What is a good medium?
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Congratulations on shooting your first wedding!
What ever you do, do not stay in one place the whole time. Most people like variety.. and they will want to see their special day from many different angles and views. I wouldn’t say that you have to be running around the whole time.. just make sure you are moving around some. Most of us photographers have an eye for what would make a great picture, so everytime you see one of these oppurtunites, move where you need to get it. Good luck!
During the ceremony they should be discreet, but still getting the shots. I would want a lot of pictures to choose from (more good ones then). During the reception they should be everywhere. Family members, guests, etc. Good luck!
During the ceremony itself I don’t expect pictures from a lot of different vantage points. I think the photographer moving all over to get those shots would be very distracting for the guests. Of course I would expect all the processional shots, but for the actual ceremony I would expect the photographer to be in the center aisle, far enough away to get pictures of the whole wedding party at the altar, but with a zoom lens that would allow for close ups during the vows and exchanging of the rings.
I would stay at a distance, but also move around so you can get different angles. You can ask the bride and the groom too.
This is one of the reasons why shooting a wedding is THE hardest type of photography.
You MUST move around a LOT. You want to have a variety of angles and shots, even just for the ceremony. You want to capture everything that you possibly can. The bride walking down the aisle, the husbands facial expressions, the brides facial expressions, the parents, the family, the guests, the kiss, placing the rings on each other fingers, the wedding party, the flower girl tossing petals, the ring bearer in his cute suit. There are SOOOOOO many things you want to capture, and you NEED to move your tushie to get those shots!
This is why a lot of people fail at wedding photography…because they don’t have the gull to get the shots. Yes, it will probably be out of your comfort zone, but if you want to please the people paying you for your service, you need to get in there for the awkward shots.
You can be as discreet as possible, but honestly, you’ll be seen. You’re photographing a wedding, it’s unavoidable to be discreet to the point where the guests won’t notice you.
It IS the best, and only way to get a variety of quality pictures!
A happy medium is somewhere between the two you mentioned. You should stay in the front half of the church. Swap spots between the outer aisles and the center aisle. When you’re on the outside aisles, you can stand and zoom in for the shots you need. Whenever you’re in the center aisle, position yourself next to one of the front few pews and be sure to take a knee so you don’t block people’s view.
shew, wished you lived around here. I need a photographer.
Just move around like you need to in order to get good pics. They will be grateful to have wonderful pictures!
I think that my church has the right rule – the photographer is given one location, and has to stay there. She gets the entire balcony though, so she can still move around. I would be much happier if she stayed in one spot during the wedding, as I get distracted easily and would much rather sacrifice a couple of pictures than have something interfere with the wedding.
Basically, if anyone can notice that you’re there, you’re moving too much. Unless they told you that pictures are the top priority, focus more on staying out of the way, and less on getting every last shot. The purpose of the pictures is to remember the wedding, and you’d much rather that they not be able to remember what you were doing while they were celebrating.