Wedding Photography Etiquette
Having attended countless weddings this year not to mention my own, I've sort of discovered a few things that should be taken care of as a wedding photographer. (or if you intend to hire one for your wedding!) I have so many wonderful friends who are avid photographers, and of course, during my wedding, they were so excited to take the 'best' shot that some things were neglected. I understand how it feels to be caught up in the moment, but I've learnt so much through this process that I thought it's best I wrote down these lessons before I forget them. Tips on Wedding Photography A. If You Are the Photographer 1. Do remember how large (or small!) you really are. This is to avoid you from bumping into guests or people or worse yet, the wedding cake as you excitedly circle the wedded couple. 2. Try not to block the view of the guests. They are there to witness the wedding too. Some relatives or friends have come from all over the world, and the last thing they want to see is the photographer's butt. If you need to stand between the guests and the couple, squat, or take your photo quickly before standing to the side. 3. Find out who the official photographers of the day are. Try to avoid standing on the stage so that you will not block or exasperate them in their job. 4. If you have been invited by the couple to take photos, talk to the other photographers who are there too and the videographer as well. Find out where they plan to stand so that you can stand somewhere else. You both DO NOT need to compete for the same shot and the same angle. Try to get as much coverage as possible. And of course, avoid appearing in EVERY shot by just being in the way. Videographers often voice their gripes to me cause oftentimes, a photographer will just walk right in FRONT of their camera and ruin the shot for them. Video is not like photography where you can compose your shot and then snap. There are 25 frames in a second (for PAL systems) for video - meaning 25 still shots for each second. So if you are crossing the frame and it takes you 5 seconds to do that... go do the math. Anyway, it just doesn't make for a great shot. 5. Unless it has been communicated with the wedded couple, try to avoid being 'intrusive'. For example, do not stop the ceremony from carrying on by asking the couple to kiss again solely cause you missed the shot. Avoid touching them or adjusting their positions on stage while the ceremony is happening. The best is to be there, partially visible yet unintrusive! 6. Be assertive when you are taking portraits of family and friends. There is usually a lot of distraction during the wedding - meaning your uncle will have his digital camera too, and so will your third-cousin-from-your-father's-sister's-husband's-side of the family. Everyone will want to take a photo at the same time. So if you have a large family photo, most times, people don't know where to look. Get their attention by waving your hand or raising your voice (but not too gruffly!). Also remember to position everyone properly so that your third-cousin-blah-blah's face will be seen clearly and not just the top of his forehead. B. If You Hiring A Wedding Photographer 1. Communicate clearly what you want from your photographers. If prefer to have that shot of you kissing and don't mind the photographers intruding just so that you can get that shot... then tell them. So at least they know what to expect. Or show them samples of other people's work for ideas. 2. Invite them for recees of the wedding venue. This is so that your photographer will have an idea about how the location looks like and the lighting situation. Even if it's an outdoor location, just invite them along to your rehearsal. 3. If you have more than 1 or 2 or 10 photographer friends, make sure you communicate clearly to them what you'd like them to do. You can announce through the Emcee that ONLY the official photographer can approach the stage and others take photos from the side. Or you could appoint a photography coordinator to make sure that different photographers are standing at different locations to catch different angles and shots. For example, one to follow the bride, one to stand near the groom, another to focus on wide shots and the musicians, as well as reactions from guests....etc. So that way, you don't end up with 5000 images of you walking down the aisle. 4. Lastly, be patient with the photographers as mistakes do happen - candles do get knocked down, toes do get stepped on... they are trying their best too.

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