5 Things To Know Before Becoming A Wedding Photographer

There are more individuals beginning their lifetime careers in the wedding industry every single day and many of these individuals want to become a wedding photographer . However, being a wedding photographer is not a piece of cake as it's a highly competitive industry and it takes a lot of hard work to succeed. The photographer has a huge responsibility as it's their job to make sure that each moment captured is completely perfect which can lead to a lot of pressure. However, there are many tips to becoming a wedding photographer that will make the process easier to adapt to, some of which we share with you below.

1. Prepare 

Many individuals believe that simply snapping pictures is an easy task. However, it is prudent to get everything, as well as yourself, prepared for the big day. This means that you should most definitely know all of your gear that you are using inside and out.

Grab a friend and take photos of them in different types of poses, as well as in different lighting situations, so you can practice capturing the types of pictures you'll be shooting on the big day. Also, think about the objects that you are going to use within the wedding photos, such as flowers, shoes etc., and practice with them as well.

2. Location 

One thing you should definitely do is scout out the location that the pictures will be taken in before the big day. By exploring the locations for yourself when you're not under pressure to capture photos, you'll be able to develop some unique and beautiful ideas for yourself. Plus, you go and check out the church or wherever the wedding will take place, you can get a feel for what type of building it is and your photo style can reflect this. Also, don't forget you can do a little bit of research and see what other photographers have done with those locations in the past to give you some ideas and inspiration, too.  

It may seem like a lot of work to do this, but preparation is the key ingredient to a successful photography shoot.

3. Write A Picture List 

Make a list of everything you plan to do at every location you are going to be taking shots in and be as specific as you possibly can as this will help things run more smoothly when the wedding day arrives.  By making a list, you won't forget smaller, creative shoot ideas you may have thought about capturing while visiting the location previously, plus it also means you won't miss key shots such as the bridal party getting ready, cake cutting images and close-ups of the rings. 

Photo by Joshua Waller

4. Assist 

A great way to gain experience without as much pressure is to find a photographer you can assist.  Contact a few photographers in your local area and let them know that you are willing to help them out if they have a shoot that they are going to be doing. By doing so, you'll be able to pick up some incredibly helpful tips and help you understand what exactly goes on behind the scenes during a wedding.  As you work with them, try to imagine the next step that the photographer would take, this will get you in a mindset of how you can plan your own photography shoot and don't be afraid to ask questions, although it might be best you save these for after the shoot's completed. 

5. Pretend 

If you've never photographed a wedding before and you have willing friends who'll help you out, gather them up and practise some poses in a fake wedding shoot. This will give you a chance to try out ideas that you have to see if they actually work or if there's anything you can do to improve them further. 

Even though it can be very hard to break into this area of photography, if you practise and use the tips we've shared, you should be able to gain plenty of experience that'll help you move forward on your path to capturing a couple's special day in a way they will never forget. 

For more tips, check out our blog where there are wedding photography tutorials on SEO, cameras, accounting and more.