Photographyblog, Annabel Williams, On the wedding day

The Church

As soon as you are in the church remember the guidelines the vicar has given you; check your camera settings in relation to the light, take stock for a second and quietly capture as much as you are allowed.

An image that often means so much to the bride and groom is the first shot of them walking down the isle after they have been married.

If you are concerned about them blinking, capture a few images when they are looking away from camera, chatting and acknowledging their friends, as these make wonderful images for an album.

As soon as you have what you need here dash outside and make sure that you and your camera are ready to capture the couple in the doorway, a wonderful image. Watch the light; keep them within the shade of the church if you can, a top shade gift.

When the bride and groom step into the church grounds encourage them away from the church front to prevent a line-up that would delay the wedding day completely.

A really great tip is to guide the couple to a photogenic area of the grounds with shade, to ensure that all of the images you gain of them greeting their friends are captured in the most flattering light. This is not always possible, and sometimes you have to just go with the flow. Start with the bride and groom, then add the bride’s family, then the groom’s family, then encourage both families together, lastly adding the friends, capturing each image as you go, as speed is of the essence.

Confetti

Watch the time, you will know when the bride and groom are due to leave for the reception so just before this liaise with the bridal car driver, tell him you are about to do the confetti shots, so he is ready too. He will really appreciate the consideration.

Look for the bride maids; give them the nod, as you want to get as many confetti carriers as possible. To a degree you are setting up the shot, trying to get everyone into the right position, it will not always pan out as you had hoped but wherever possible make it happen in a relaxed manner. Shot as many images as you can here, as with all action shots a large proportion will end up in the trash. Capture the confetti on the floor, the atmosphere it creates with the guests, and the laughter. When the bride and groom see these images they will mean so much to them.

Reception

Head to your car quickly as your goal is to be right behind the bridal car, capturing them not only driving away, but arriving too. As you are following the car, do a quick image check, have you captured the groups at this stage, what is missing, what still needs to be captured? Again, take stock for a moment. A great tip is to take plenty of memory cards and ensure that each chapter of the wedding day is allocated a separate card. It will make looking after your images both easier and safer. Guard your cards, have a good system and stick to it.

What makes a great networking photographer is one who also looks after those they work with - so ring the hotel when you are on your way to let them know the bride and groom are about to arrive. They will appreciate this and recommend you to others.

Have a structure, select three locations in or outside the reception venue and stick to them when shooting the bride and groom. Capture as many images of them alone as possible before the guests arrive because as soon as they do the bride and groom will naturally want to spend time with them.

When taking images of the guests wherever possible have the bride and groom, or their parents within the images, as they are more likely to place these images within an album. If the couple have children, don’t forget to take special images of them too as they will mean the world to them.

As soon as you know you have all of the essential images in the bag, enjoy yourself and be creative, capture images that will exceed exceptions, whether they are of the location and venue or the bride and groom. You can fall into line with their pace now and that of the hotel. If you have time, take detail shots of the room, arty images of table settings and let those creative juices flow...

This was a very hard post to write, as there is so much I want to share, so much to tell but let me finish by saying that weddings are glorious to shoot so enjoy every one!

Biography

http://www.annabelwilliams.com

Catherine Connor is Annabel Williams' business partner, and MD of Contemporary Photographic Training. Catherine's meteoric rise in the often chaotic, always exciting photographic environment comes from an unusual springboard grounded in the world of international corporate management. Her infectious energy never fails to motivate those around her, and equips her with an organic understanding of market direction, fashion trends and lifestyle management.

Catherine is first and foremost a people person; her unique sense of fun, determination to succeed and boundless commitment to her industry make her a born mentor, allowing her to impart to all delegates a wealth of skills and knowledge pitched perfectly at achieving the vital balance of confident ability and self-worth.

It is Catherine's passion for her subject that makes learning from her a pleasure, which her students can then take forward, and are able to apply so effectively to enhance their skills.

All images in this article © Annabel Williams