Shooting the Wedding

If possible, a "dry run" is a good idea before the wedding. This is where you test your shooting plan and pick up any potential problems. In most cases the wedding rehearsal provides a good opportunity to do this. This is also a good time to meet everyone, establish relationships with important people, etc.

On the wedding day, your shooting style will be a compromise between getting the best shots and not getting in the way. Sometimes you have no choice but to inconvenience people or to get "in their faces" but this should be kept to a minimum — save it for the most important shots. Watch people's reactions and body language as you shoot — if they look like they are getting impatient or annoyed with you, it might be time to give them a rest from the camera.

Try to be as much of a "fly on the wall" as possible. Although some shots require intervention and direction, most of your best shots will come when the subjects are not playing to the camera.

Keep a constant eye out for things happening. Sometimes an important person makes an unexpected entrance, or someone might stand to make a speech.

It's not easy being active enough to get all the footage you need, while being inconspicuous enough to avoid drawing undue attention to yourself. Learn to move and work quietly, choose discreet camera positions where possible, and always remember that the focus is on the live event rather than the video.

Next Page: Editing