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Master Photographers Tell You How

The People Person - Lori Berkowitz Offers Her Professional Tips on Wedding Photography by Jeff D. Kent Lori Berkowitz’s 10 Tips for Taking Great Pictures at a Wedding Article rating: 9.66

1) Get a digital SLR. If you’re really into photography, no matter how good your point-and-shoot camera is, you’re going to wind up frustrated. There’s going to be a shutter delay and it simply won’t have the quality of an SLR. A digital SLR is going to cost a little more, but it’s worth it.

2) Know your camera. Once you really know your camera, you don’t have to think before taking a picture. There’s no fumbling with controls or trying to figure out settings. You just make images, and the images you make become an extension of the way you see the world. Your camera becomes an extension of yourself.

3) Shoot from your heart. Once you learn your camera, shoot from the heart. If you follow your passion, you’ll be able to capture those moments that the average observer would overlook. So shoot what you enjoy. Even in general categories, concentrate on what you like. What gets you excited? Is it people’s faces? Is it details, like the way the napkins are folded or the flowers are arranged? Is it the architecture of the room? Shoot the things that you find beautiful and you will create wonderful images.

4) Experiment with a higher ISO. The idea is to not always depend on your flash to light a scene. This goes for both indoor and outdoor shooting. It’s easy to do with digital cameras because you can see what you’ve captured right away. So experiment. Bump up that ISO and see what you can get without a flash. It really changes what you can capture. And don’t be afraid of low light. If things are a little dim, just take in a deep breath, hold it, and push the shutter button.

5) Position yourself where the best light is falling on your subject. Don’t ask the subject to move; move yourself to where you need to be. If the light is better from a different side, move around to that side. Notice the light more. Move around the light more. And keep taking pictures from all angles.

6) Make sure you have a focal point. You don’t have to stand straight front and center of everything. If you’re photographing a landscape with a person, you don’t have to center the subject every time. Move them to the side. Go higher or lower. Try different angles. Think: What’s your focal point? You could take a picture of a woman, but the focal point could be her pearl necklace. At weddings, people always want to take pictures of the full body, the whole outfit. Get that shot, but then take a closer-in portrait that captures some of the person’s personality.

7) Play with aperture. Experiment with your depth of field. At a wedding, you have all these interesting ornaments like flowers, candles, rings, jewelry and head pieces. It can be very romantic to sharpen details on certain items and leave others blurred. Focus on one rose and let rest of bouquet fall out. Sharpen one pearl in a necklace, or a gem in a ring, and let the rest go softer.

8) Consider your overall perspective. If the ceremony is in a field, walk back 30 feet and take a picture of the entire scene. If there’s a house or building onsite, go to a second story window and shoot down. Get that overall perspective that participants in the wedding can’t see. The bride and groom will never see their event from that angle until you give them that picture. Sometimes you don’t even need to go that far. Maybe just move back 20 feet, shoot wide, or hold your camera up high.

9) Analyze and experiment. The learning curve isn’t bad with digital, especially when you’re shooting something you love. All the information you need about each image is recorded by the camera. You don’t have to walk around with a notebook writing down your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, like we used to with the old film cameras. So, while you’re shooting, analyze. Take a look at your images. Take a look at your histogram. Take a look at your ISO. Make mental notes of these elements and learn what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to experiment. There is no waste like with film. If you like something, note your camera settings. Do the same when images don’t come out well.

10) Set the scene. At weddings, try to shoot the room and the ceremony site before anyone enters them. Get quick shots to set the scene. Then do the same shot when the areas are full. That way you’ll have nice side-by-side shots of the areas before and after the guests occupy them.

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Nice variety of photos. Inspirational. Thank you. Posted by: Candy Bott Jun 27, 2006 @ 12:50 PM EST

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