Engagement photos in the Italian countryside? Weathered stone, cypress trees? And the light? Don’t get us started with the light. What photographer coudl resist? Though a lovely idea, it was a bit far for one Tennessee photographer, but luckily, she had another local location in mind: Olive Garden. 

Photographer Shea Cravens is no stranger to photoshoot locations that are a little off-the-beaten path. If there’s potential, she won’t knock it for being unconventional. “I’ve never shot photos at any other restaurant, but I’ve done a photo shoot outside of Big Lots because it was a really neat area that caught my eyes to take photos at,” she told BuzzFeed.

Related: How to copyright photography and register your work

How the Olive Garden engagement photos came to be

Cravens was inspired one day after dining at Olive Garden with family, remarking to her mother that the exterior of the building would be a good place for pictures. It’s easy to see why. The neutral stone beautifully reflects the light—and with a savvy crop, no one is the wiser. Is it a 13-century Italian castle-turned-winery or a restaurant chain? From the dreamy images, whose warm tones Cravens nabbed at sunrise, it’s a tough guess. 

Carlsey Bibb and fiancé Caden Mills are friends of Cravens. “I asked Shea…if there was anywhere she had been wanting to shoot but hadn’t yet. That’s when she mentioned Olive Garden!” Bibb told BuzzFeed. “They were way better than we could’ve ever imagined.”

Related: Botched wedding Photoshop has internet in tears 

These Olive Garden engagement photos are going viral

With more than 260,000 views and 24,000 comments on TikTok, Cravens’ Olive Garden engagement photos are picking up steam with photographers and the media—even Jimmy Fallon had to talk about them. On Instagram, the same video has been watched 387,000 times. Cravens’ TikTok profile now reads “that Olive Garden photographer.” 

The restaurant itself has weighed in, too. “Never-ending love calls for never-ending refills,” the pasta chain wrote.

A word of warning 

While it might be every creative’s dream to go viral, there is a cautionary note to the story. One interested media publication commented on the TikTok video, asking “Will you irrevocably grant NBCU permission for unlimited use of the video and on all NBCU platforms and media, worldwide, in perpetuity?”

Another user replied, “Don’t do anything without asking for payment! These vultures will get your videos and get rich off of them without giving you a penny. Happened to me.”

While getting in front of literally millions of people who might like your work sounds like a dream, there’s a cost, too. So, photographers, when your moment in the spotlight comes, know how to protect yourself. 

The post Tuscan dreams in Tennessee: These Olive Garden engagement pictures are going viral appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

The job of a wedding photographer goes well beyond taking pictures. Shooters play the role of cheerleader, problem solver, guest wrangler, and much more. That’s why it’s a good idea to be prepared for almost anything. What follows is a list of useful items that could make you a hero on someone’s big day—from handy solutions to wardrobe malfunctions, to first aid and weather protection. After all: Who doesn’t like being a hero?

Pocket knife 

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A simple Swiss Army Knife will do. Whether it’s removing tags from garments or trimming down stray threads, a pocket knife can be an invaluable item to carry on any photoshoot. It’s also useful for last-minute grooming needs. And if you can find one with a built-in toothpick, all the better: That way, when you inevitably notice broccoli stuck in the mother of the bride’s teeth, you’ll have an elegant solution for its removal (don’t worry, they’re washable). 

Safety pins

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Accidents happen, and there’s nothing worse than a wardrobe malfunction on someone’s wedding day—delicate dresses are incredibly easy to tear! Come prepared with a small handful of safety pins, just in case. They take up no space in a bag and cost next to nothing, but in the right situation, they can be a day-saver. 

Band-Aids 

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Speaking of accidents, sometimes the combination of revelry and libations can lead to bodily mishaps. While packing a full first aid kit might be overkill (one hopes the venue has one on hand), a small travel pack of Band-Aids can help turn a potentially messy situation—say, when the best man smashes his chin on the dance floor trying to do the worm—into a well-controlled one.  

Tide to go / Shout wipes

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Weddings often involve wearing lots of white, and those crisp fabrics show stains pretty darn well, technically speaking. Save the day (and time editing) by coming prepared to handle even the worst spaghetti sauce splatters or bloodstains (see above). The PopPhoto staff is split between Tide To Go pens and Shout Wipes, but either will do. These bad boys can be kind of pricey, but their power to fix an oopsie is well documented and well worth the cash. 

Extra cash

Cash is still king, and it’s a good idea to have some on hand come wedding day. From tipping cab drivers to hitting the vending machine, you’ll be well-prepared with a little bit of old-school scrilla. I’ve even witnessed a wedding photographer pay a bystander $20 to move their car, all in the name of improving the shot.

Phone charging brick

SEE IT

Portable power packs can juice up much more than your smartphone: Some can even charge a camera. This suggestion, though, is less about powering up your own devices and more about being prepared for when, inevitably, someone in the wedding party’s phone dies. Just make sure the brick doesn’t “walk-off” (this has happened to us too many times).  

Step stool or apple box

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Ok, this one you may not technically be able to fit in your camera bag. But having some sort of means to get an elevated vantage point can open up lots of new creative potential, especially when shooting portraits one-on-one with the couple.

Rain jacket, camera cover, umbrella

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It should go without saying to be prepared for whatever nature may throw. Having a fully waterproof jacket is supremely important if the wedding is outdoors and there’s any chance of precipitation. Likewise, be prepared to keep your camera dry. Rain sleeves are an inexpensive way to cover your gear in downpours. Alternatively, a trash bag will do in a pinch (though this may not be the classiest look). 

An umbrella is also a good idea, not for your own sake but for the bride and groom. While wedding day rain may be a bummer, umbrella pics often have an elegant, timeless look to them. So be sure to take advantage of whatever the weather has in store. 

Gaffer’s tape

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This one is actually pretty obvious—I frankly assume most photographers keep a roll of the good stuff in their bag (and maybe even under their pillows), but I’d be remiss not to include it. Nevertheless, it must be said, gaffer’s tape is a photographer’s best friend. Not only is it good for fixing gear-related issues, but it can also come in handy for garment issues as well. Groom rip the seam of his pants? A strip of gaffer’s tape on the inside might hold him over, at least for a bit.

Snacks, water, gum

SEE IT

Any good wedding client will feed their photographers. But just in case dinner is late, or in the unlikely event you’re forgotten about, packing a bunch of snacks is a solid move. We personally like protein and meal bars. Nuts, jerky, and dried fruit are also good calls. And don’t forget to bring water to stay hydrated! (I know I sweat profusely when documenting a wedding.) Gum or lozenges can also help keep your mouth from getting dried out, especially when trying to direct wedding guests come portrait time. 

Are there any items we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 everyday items every wedding photographer should carry in their kit appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Candid photos may conjure up that really unflattering picture your uncle took at your wedding with his shiny new camera. The angle is wrong, he’s somehow added 50 pounds to everyone, and the facial expressions…well, we don’t need to say any more about that.

However, great candid images do exist—case in point, the body of work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, known as the father of photojournalism. He believed so strongly in what he called the “decisive moment” that he wrote an entire book on the subject. Cartier-Bresson proves that with a little luck and mastery of composition, candid photos are a sheer delight. This week’s winners prove that there’s a story anywhere we choose to look.

If you want to submit an image for consideration, check the website, submit to the Flickr pool, follow us on Instagram, or join our (NEW) Facebook group where we share the weekly theme on Mondays.  

Lead image by Anthony R Gargano. See more work here.

Related: Sandra Cattaneo Adorno’s street silhouettes capture the spirit of Rio

I now pronounce you…

It’s Wedding Week at PopPhoto, and Ken Souser nabbed this candid moment at a relative’s wedding. Love that the guy is the one overcome with emotion. 

Mirror, mirror

Jennifer Tiveli’s image speaks volumes, and I am instantly curious—where is this person going? Barefoot, beautiful dress, a simple strand of pearls. A makeup brush flies blurrily through the air against a powdery cheek. Hair, elegantly coiffed. All this in stark contrast to the garish color cast by the curtains about the room, the pair of flip flops under the vanity, and general disarray. 

Fountain of youth

Lloyd Gill captures the innocence of youth, carefree and footloose. There are few pleasures simpler than twirling barefoot in the grass. How I wish childhood would stay exactly like this. 

Contrast

Raymond Choo documents a stark reality between immeasurable wealth and poverty. “Contrast of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,’” he writes. “The young woman balances a load of wood on her head while carrying a young child. Image taken from a viewpoint north of the Yamuna River in Agra, India.”

The worm

It isn’t really a wedding if no one gets down on the dance floor. For Tina Witherspoon, this guest did not disappoint. “My favorite wedding/dance floor photo ever!” she shares. 

Determination

Tom Bricker’s image made me chuckle. So much is going on—the hustle of the kid in the foreground, running for base, and his opponent in the background. The face says it all. “I will get you!”

The post Freeze! This week’s best reader-submitted Photos of the Day appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

This post has been updated. It originally published on March 13, 2016.

In martial arts, there’s a saying that goes something like, “The white belt is the most difficult belt to attain.” It implies that the first step is the toughest—and that can be true of wedding photography, too. That first wedding shoot can be very important, but it can also be extremely tough. So, before you agree to capture someone’s big day, there are some questions you need to make sure you can answer honestly and completely.

Are my skills ready for this?

This should be the most obvious one, but it can also be the most challenging to face. You may know your camera like the back of your hand, but there are a variety of other skills required to pull off a wedding. A large part of the day centers on figuring out logistics, scheduling, and a million other things that have nothing to do with f-stops or shutter speeds.

You also have to account for the pressure you’ll be under on the wedding day. If you have never tested your photography skills in a tense situation, it’s worth starting a little smaller and working your way up. You don’t want to freeze in front of a bridal party that’s eager to get to cocktail hour.

Are you going to use an assistant or a second shooter?

An extra set of hands and eyes can make a huge difference when shooting a wedding, but picking the wrong person can make things even more difficult.

Your first challenge is finding an assistant who doesn’t mind working with someone on their first wedding. Your assistant’s reputation is on the line as well as yours, and if you’re unproven, it can be risky to accept the assignment. Tapping someone you know and are comfortable with is a big plus.

You also have to decide how much you can pay your assistant. Some second shooters are aspiring firsts who will work for cheaper in exchange for experience. But you can’t offer much in the way of guidance, so make sure to carve out a fair part of your budget to pay your helper.

You also need to be extremely clear about how things are going to work in terms of intellectual property and editing. Will your assistant be shooting to your memory cards and handing you the images, or do you expect this partner to do some image editing, too? And is this a work-for-hire gig in which you own these photos after they’re shot? All things to consider when picking a second shooter.

How much should I be charging for this?

It can be hard to land on a concrete number when you’re trying to determine your own worth, especially if you’re just starting. It may feel like undercharging takes some of the pressure off by lowering expectations, but that’s typically not the case. All it usually accomplishes is setting a precedent of low pricing for any referrals you may get if you do a great job.

When deciding on a price, you will want to have an accurate picture of how much the wedding is going to cost you in terms of actual dollars and the time you’re going to spend working on it. This includes not just the cost of your assistant or second shooter but things like fuel for traveling, meals bought en route, insurance, and even wear and tear on your gear.

Is my gear ready for this?

You know the well-worn trope that it’s the painter and not the brush that makes a masterpiece. But if the painter shows up with a plastic-barrel 50mm f/1.8 paintbrush that breaks midway through the process, then we have a problem. Cameras break. Lenses break. Memory cards fail. Flashes die.

If you have something that you really rely on for a shoot, you’re going to want to make sure you have a backup for it in case something goes wrong. Buying backup gear isn’t exciting, but it is essential if you want to take this seriously.

Renting gear is also an option, but it’s worth getting it early to become familiar with the stuff you rent. You don’t want to be learning how a specific camera or lens behaves when you’re in the middle of a crucial ceremony moment or you have an entire wedding party staring at you, eager to be done with portraits so they can go eat finger foods.

What exactly am I getting myself into?

The scope of a wedding photography shoot goes way beyond the ceremony and reception. You must spend time communicating and likely meeting with the couple to go over such important details as the timeline and their expectations for the pictures. You will need to spend time visiting the venues to scout locations in advance and to visualize the images you can create there. And plan to spend extra time the day before the ceremony checking and double-checking your gear to make sure everything is ready to go and nothing is forgotten.

The big time-suck to consider, however, is the editing process. You will likely shoot hundreds, if not thousands, of photos over the course of a wedding, and it’s easy to underestimate just how much time it takes to cull and edit that mass of images. You will spend far more time looking at and editing the photos than you spent taking them.

Am I on the same page with the couple creatively?

Wedding photography clients vary pretty widely when it comes to taste and aesthetic preference, so it’s important to understand their expectations well before the big day rolls around. For an experienced wedding photographer, the client can look at older work and get a feel for the style, but beginners don’t have that luxury. Communication is key, even before you sign the contract. If they’re expecting traditional, but you’re dead set on a photojournalistic style, it may be better to pass on taking the job, even if it means turning down a nice chunk of change.

Do I have a contract in order to protect my client and myself?

Typically, first wedding jobs come from friends or even family, so the idea of a contract can seem like overkill. However, shooting a wedding without a contract is a terrible idea regardless of the client. Not only does a contract protect you as a photographer, but it also protects the client. A good contract will outline the usage rights, including your right to use the photos to market your wedding photography to other couples, and the timeline of the editing process. It will also ensure that you’re all on the same page right from the start. If you’re shy, get over it. It’s worth it.

Have I followed the necessary steps to be conducting business?

Once you start accepting money for your services, you’re conducting business and there’s a whole world of responsibilities that come with that. Laws about conducting business vary immensely from location to location, even within the United States, so you’ll have to do some investigation on your own to find out exactly what you need to do before you cash that first check. Do you need a business license? Do you have to charge sales tax? Should you form an LLC or operate as a sole proprietor? How does this change your taxes? Can you accept credit cards? If you’re friendly with other pro photographers in the area, they may be able to help you get started.

Is my insurance in order?

A lot can go wrong during a wedding shoot, but insurance is there in case something goes seriously wrong—for instance, things getting damaged or someone getting injured. Many wedding venues, especially the high-end ones, won’t even allow you to operate on the premises if you can’t provide proof of insurance.

The idea of million-dollar policies can sound very scary, but the price of insurance typically involves a pretty reasonable monthly payment or a yearly lump sum. The best options vary by location and the size and type of your business, so seeking some real professional advice can save you a lot of headaches in the long run. Plus, if something does happen—someone trips over your gear, for instance—you won’t be sued into oblivion.

Professional liability insurance is also something that’s worth considering as it can help protect you in case something goes bad with your clients. If for some reason they don’t like the photos or don’t think they got what they paid for, it can absorb some of the fallout.

What will be the final delivered product?

Wedding photography has changed a lot in terms of the final product delivery, but the process may not be over once all the editing is finished and the images are exported. Some clients want prints, while others want a tangible, finished album. Some clients would prefer a nicely presented thumb drive in a box with some small prints, while others simply want an online gallery. Make sure to discuss with your client before accepting the job to make sure you’re comfortable providing what they want. There’s a lot of money to be made from selling clients on prints and other tangible goods, but if the client isn’t interested, it can turn into a fiasco.

Will there be a videographer as well?

Some wedding studios provide videography services as a way to increase revenue, but that’s a very tough gig if you’re not experienced. So, there’s a good chance you’ll be working with another creative person on-site and it’s always best to do a little coordinating in advance.

Reaching out to the videography crew can help things run smoothly on the day to make sure you’re not impeding on each other, but it can also be a good way to build a relationship with another creative person in the wedding industry.

What happens if I screw this up?

It’s always good to keep a positive mental attitude about a job, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the consequences if something goes wrong. The contract should outline most of your contingencies, but that doesn’t account for things like personal relationships or professional reputation.

Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you really don’t feel like you’re ready for that start, it’s important to know that turning down a job is OK.

The post 12 questions to ask yourself before your first wedding photography job appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

Award-winning photographer Vanessa Joy has been photographing weddings for over 20 years and prides herself on making her client’s big day a fun and stress-free experience. Joy’s introduction to wedding photography came from her mother, who actually worked as a wedding photographer as well. Her high school photography teacher ran a business photographing weddings, too, and after Joy graduated she joined him as an assistant, where she worked for nearly five years. She started her own business in 2008 and has been capturing couples on their big day ever since. 

She’s currently one of Canon’s Explorer of Light photographers—an honor that is only bestowed to five wedding photographers in the country. In the lead-up to her busy season, Joy took some time to talk with us about the pre-planning she does before a shoot, her favorite gear, and why she thinks second shooters are indispensable. 

How have you seen the wedding photography industry change since you started shooting on your own? 

Wedding photography has changed so much. With film, every shot was so planned and expected and you would set up for it by focusing your camera on a pew, and once the bride or groom, whoever got to that pew, that’s when you took the photo. With cameras like the Canon EOS R5 and the EOS R3, which have such impeccable autofocusing, you barely even have to think about focusing anymore. You end up taking a lot more pictures than you did back in the day—which leads to good things.

You capture more moments, you can capture them more easily, and more photos come out. But it also leads to a little bit more work, but then of course they get more images in their wedding albums. When I first started, wedding albums were, I don’t know, maybe 50 pictures. Now, most album designs are about a hundred pages and there are three or four pictures per page. With all of that, client expectations have definitely gone through the roof. I’m just waiting for my first couple to ask me to face-tune all their photos.

How do most of your clients find you these days and what is your process like for confirming jobs? 

It’s usually either through a referral or Instagram. If they found me on Instagram or they found me through a venue, they’ve usually already seen my photos. Even if they haven’t, I usually go through some sort of description of what I do the day of. So they inquire, I give them a bit of a starting range for price, just to make sure we’re a good fit there—because there’s a wedding photographer for every budget and a client for every photographer. If I’m within their budget range, we’ll get on a call and I usually ask them a lot of questions. I want to talk to them about their expectations, their wedding, and figure out what they want. From there I can sort of tailor what I do to fit what they want—assuming it actually does fit. I don’t change styles with every wedding that I shoot, I’m going to shoot the way I choose.

I try to really stress the experience over everything else because they’ve contacted me, they already like my photos. The experience, on the other hand, that’s where I try to differentiate myself. Most people looking for a wedding photographer don’t know the difference between good and great photography, but they do know the difference between a good and great experience.

What sort of pre-planning needs to happen to ensure that great day-of experience? 

I’m helping them write their family photo list. I’m helping them with their timeline or communicating with their wedding planner about their timeline. During the wedding, I try to be unobtrusive, even the stuff where I am posing them. It’s not your senior photo: it’s not tilt, turn, smile, it’s more fluid. And I can be more fluid because of the cameras that I use. I can put them in situations and let them move all around. They don’t have to stand still. My camera can keep up with anything that they do.

After that, I do a same-day edit on any given wedding day. Both the Canon EOS R5 and the R3 that I use have wifi, so I will go through the camera and I’ll just star the photos I like. When I hit my Canon Connect app, it puts all those starred photos right up front and then I can download them really quickly from that app, process them through Lightroom, and text them or airdrop them to my clients before I even leave for the night.

Getting couples some same-day edits is pretty impressive, why did you start integrating that into your day-of workflow? 

For a few reasons, I’m a very impatient person in general, so if I have the photos and they’re fresh in my mind and I’m excited about them, I like to edit them then, before all the photos that my editors handle. I want to edit a few photos and I want to put my spin on them. Secondly, the thing that breaks my heart the most, is when I look at one of my couple’s Instagrams the day after the wedding, and they’ve posted a selfie—like an iPhone photo—and then that’s “the photo,” because it’s the first one that’s going to get the most attention.

I want that photo to be my photo—I want all the attention, for marketing. So, I like being able to give it to them that night. Plus it gives my editors a base to start with. They see what photos I like. They see how I edited them. And it gives them a base for editing the rest of my photos from that day. I also will print out a handful of photos, because it’s just fun. I use the Canon Selphy printer for that, which is a super small portable printer, so I can just give a little novelty album to the couple the day of. 

What is your typical turnaround time for the rest of the images? 

The proofs are usually ready within two to three weeks, although I tell clients three or four to give a little buffer. And I like to deliver a predesigned album. I’ll tell the story visually with every moment of the day and put it together in an album design. Then we will do a video chat going back and forth, and making the album exactly what they want it to be. It’s a good process. I don’t put the burden on them to pick out their photos, because they’ve never designed a wedding album and it’s such a horrible task for them, and they’ll never get it done. My clients get their wedding album within three to six months. 

It sounds like all of the pre-planning that you do before the big day helps make sure everything runs smoothly the day of. 

It’s exactly that. It’s not even just planning out timing and shots, and just making sure that time is correctly aligned, but it’s setting expectations too. Reiterating the things that you told them on the first phone call, but that they probably forgot. Or maybe it’s in your contract, but they didn’t really read that because they just skim that and sign it on the bottom. 

What advice would you give to someone who has done some second shooting, but wants to venture out on their own and become a primary shooter? 

As a photographer, you just have to be in control. Maybe it’s getting them in control by being funny, or getting them in control by being a little bit authoritative—because sometimes that’s necessary when they’ve been drinking too much. You just have to figure out whatever it is for you, but that happy ground has to be authoritative, but nice. There’s just a lot of smiling and nodding along the way. If I hear red flags about certain guests being a little bit high maintenance early on, sometimes I suggest hiring a third photographer, just to be there for that person. And that does happen every once in a while.

What’s your approach to working with second shooters? 

I’m very picky with my second shooters. I won’t just hire some random person I found on Facebook that week. Most of the second shooters have been with me for over a decade. They’re people that can shoot in my style, but also understand what it’s like running a business because they run their own businesses. They understand the weight of photography, and wedding photography specifically. They also know how to be professional and mimic the kind of experience that I want my clients to have. They’re all extremely vetted. And most of them will shoot my associate jobs for me too—the weddings that I’m not on, that I sell as a slightly lower budget option. 

What sort of little details are you looking to capture the day of? 

I think it’s more about anticipating the little moments, especially the ones that the bride and groom don’t see. It’s definitely more of a second photographer job since the first photographer is having to direct and control and be in the forward-facing main action moments. The second photographer—which every wedding should absolutely have and I insist all of my weddings have one—is the one who’s pointing the camera in the opposite direction, and looking in the opposite direction of what’s actually happening to catch all those little moments that are super fleeting, but just special. A lot of times these are moments that the couple didn’t even see. So when they’re looking through their pictures, they’re like, “I didn’t even know this happened,” or “I didn’t even get to see this little design thing.” 

What’s your go-to gear on the day of a wedding? 

One of the best lenses for wedding photography hands down right now is the Canon RF 28-70 F/2 lens. It’s like three prime lenses in one. And when you think about it that way, it’s also a deal. Using it allows me to not have to change lenses, really ever. I’m also using the R5, a 45-megapixel camera. I can do a digital 1.6x crop on that, and now my 28-70mm lens reaches 112mm. It’s a lower megapixel image, but it just makes that lens all the more versatile when you attach it to the R5.

One of my old favorite lenses is the Canon EF 135 F/2. It’s like the secret prime lens that most people don’t even know exists, but it’s a beautiful long lens and just creates the most creamy bokeh in your background. Using it on the R5 with the adapter, you can do that 1.6 crop again, and it’s like shooting a 200mm lens, but it weighs next to nothing. I also bring Profoto B10s and Canon EL1 flashes to use on top of my camera. 

Your outdoor nighttime shots are all really beautiful, can you share any tips about executing this style of image during a wedding? 

It’s not as hard as you think—I will say that. I know people get very intimidated by doing that, but I do have a book, The Off-Camera Flash Handbook, that makes working with flash very easy. If you’re going to do a nighttime shot, go outside, go to a place where you’re going to place your couple, and take a picture as if you are taking a picture without a couple there. Those are your settings. Then all you have to do is add light. Put a flash behind them maybe, to get a glow behind them, and put a flash off to the side to hit just the two of them, maybe with a grid. So it’s really just the two of them. From there just trust your TTL for your light, figure out where your power should be based on how you wanted your background to look, and then make it darker or brighter from there.

See more of Vanessa Joy’s work here.

The post Vanessa Joy on the art of capturing someone’s big day appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

This post has been updated. It originally published on May 18, 2012

As the ones responsible for capturing a wedding day in images, we photographers are under a ton of pressure. To help you next time you’re asked (or even hired) to assume the role, we tapped ten top wedding pros for their techniques and strategies for bringing a smile to the face of even the most demanding bride or groomzilla.

This isn’t about what equipment to buy to shoot weddings—you can read about that here. Nor is it about conventional poses, lighting setups, shot lists, or marketing strategies. (For these, see any of the 200 wedding tutorial books you can find at bookstores and online.)

Instead, we want to bring you the thought processes of America’s top wedding shooters as they hit the ground running to cover a typical event. What are they looking for as they go from formal family portraits to the ceremony, to the dinner and reception? How do they (subtly) coax participants into the poses and pictures that will produce a stunning wedding album? And how do they set up the circumstances that allow them to find, mine, and even create that most important of wedding guests: human emotion.

Chasing emotions

A set of pictures that capture the deep and true feelings between a couple getting married—and the emotions and hope that friends and family feel for them—is the holy grail of wedding photography. This, ultimately, is what we’re after.

As Dave Getzschman, a former wedding pro based in Los Angeles puts it thusly: “Emotion is the substance of wedding photography. You can and should build images around light, color, and composition, but without emotion, there’s a vital human element missing.”

Getzschman looks for real interactions between the couple, the wedding guests, and members of the bridal party. “These emotions reflect our humanity and translate immediately and powerfully to viewers regardless of their culture, race, ethnicity or language,” he says.

How do wedding photographers find or create the conditions in which these emotions are allowed to rise to the surface in images? “I engage with my subjects and it gains their trust. I arrive early, introduce myself, learn people’s names, ask questions, listen,” Getzschman says. “When intimate moments occur, I want to have ingratiated myself to the point where I can stand a few feet away from my subjects with a wide-angle lens and have no one feel that I’m intruding.”

For photographer Ira Lippke, it’s all about depressurizing the situation. For example, during a couple’s formal portrait session, “I emphasize that the photography is secondary. The primary reason for pulling the couple away from their guests is for them to have some meaningful time together, just the two of them on their wedding day,” he says. The couple immediately relaxes and focuses on each other, “and I get emotionally real images that way.”

Angelica Glass offers a similar approach. When subjects are standing and see the camera, they often tense up. Some even stop breathing. “My favorite strategy is to ask them to sit. Once seated, people tend to become more relaxed and breathe normally,” she says. “For shots of the bridal couple, I also ask others to leave the room. That way the couple can relax without too many sets of eyes on them.”

New York-based shooter Ron Antonelli also takes a physical approach to posing portraits. “I remind the couple to touch one another. Whether it’s holding hands or having an arm around a partner, a spontaneous moment will always seem more emotionally connected if a couple is physically connected,” he advises.

Importance of candids

While beautifully composed moments at the altar and attractively posed or semi-posed portraits are important components of a fully accomplished wedding album, the images that resonate—the ones that viewers linger over—are often the candid images that showcase memorable exchanges and implied narratives.

For Todd Laffler, “Candids are king. When I’m trying to capture impactful candid moments, I think of myself as a hunter in camouflage, observing and waiting out my prey. It often takes keen observation, anticipation, and patience to capture a moment at its zenith.”

He continues, “One of my favorite times for candids during a full-mass, Catholic or Episcopalian service occurs during communion. At this time, after the bride and groom have received the Host, the focus turns away from them as the rest of the congregation takes communion. This is when I find loving, intense, and intimate moments between the two. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, I can be rewarded as they happily share a private moment in the middle of the ceremony, up near the altar.”

Sergio, a single-named photographer based in Tucson, AZ, carries the hunting metaphor a little further: “Real moments are the most valuable prey of all. I think of such a moment as a mouse. I need to set a trap of light and composition, and then be patient. You don’t chase a mouse with a mousetrap; you set the bait and wait.”

The best candid pictures capture a moment, but they also imply a story or define the relationships among families and friends. “I don’t find it the least bit satisfying to make pretty, one-dimensional wedding pictures,” says Getzschman. “I challenge myself to make multidimensional images that suggest a context, convey a narrative, and offer insight into the relationships between my subjects.”

The truth about shot lists

Even wedding warriors who deny it have a shot list imprinted somewhere along their strands of DNA. Their trick is to approach each wedding milestone (procession, vows, first kiss, recession, reception toasts, first dance, etc.) with a fresh eye.

For example, Laffler likes to “photograph the bride and groom entering the ballroom for the first time from behind with a wide-angle lens. This way, we can see all their guests’ reactions to them coming in.”

Of course, he can only do this if he has a second photographer working for him to cover the more typical vantage point, in front of the bride and groom.

Ron Antonelli agrees that one way to get creative with the usual wedding scenes is to capture them from unusual vantage points. “We sometimes mount a remote camera with a wide-angle lens to the chuppah [bridal canopy] during a Jewish ceremony and hide it so it can’t be seen. I fire the camera from anywhere, making photos that otherwise would have been impossible. It’s fun later on when our clients react on first seeing the shots. They had no idea we had taken them!”

Lippke also champions unusual points of view: “I love to shoot the first dance, for example, while crouching at the edge of the dance floor,” he says. “I position myself so that the couple are naturally backlit by the perimeter floodlights.”

Composition counts

Jeff Newsom of San Luis Obispo, CA, finds that careful lens selection and composition can add interest to a wedding scene that on the surface may appear bland. “I explore a lot at every wedding I shoot,” he says. “I’ve found over time that I favor getting closer with a wider lens than standing back with a telephoto. It gives me a natural sense of being close to the subject.”

This technique gives him a chance to showcase a bride, say, by separating her from the background through defocus or by using a low camera angle to eliminate background clutter. He also prefers strong backlighting to wash out a background.

Seeing the mise en scene

Given how much couples (or their parents) usually spend on lighting, flowers, food, music, and all the other expenditures that make up a wedding, the photographer can’t neglect them. You should always capture the venue in wide, establishing shots; get close-ups of table settings, floral arrangements, and the bride’s gown, as well as other macro views.

Ira Lippke approaches the big picture the way a landscape photographer would. “I love landscapes,” he says. “The wide establishing shots of the wedding venue are a critical part of telling the wedding’s story. Personally, my favorite environmental images have people in them, but we get the undisturbed venue before guests arrive, too.”

Technique is crucial, Lippke adds. “There’s an art to bringing out the character and detail of the whole scene in a beautiful way. For me, it’s about finding the best camera angle to produce a beautiful composition and then deciding on the best exposure. I think about whether I want to utilize a slow shutter speed to create some motion blur that would show a human presence without that particular person being distracting, or if I want the entire scene in sharp focus.”

Have an assistant

Being able to focus on both the big picture and the intimate moments that constantly, yet unpredictably, arise during a typical wedding means that this kind of photography is really a two-person job. Having an assistant isn’t a luxury. For dozens of reasons, it’s a necessity. Almost all the pros shown here work with a second shooter—their coverage is strictly a tag-team effort.

“Immediately before the ceremony I meet with my associate photographer, and we make our game plan of how we are going to capture the different aspects of the ceremony and how the layout of the scene would be best photographed,” explains Lippke. “Usually one of us stays upfront to document what is happening at the altar, while the other works on capturing the big picture view. For the reception and cocktails, we take turns covering what is happening while the other photographer spends some time exploring details and the environment.”

Develop yourself

Craig Fritz, who with his wife Kitty makes up Twin Lens Images in rural New Mexico, stresses the importance of developing your own, unique pictorial style.

“Lately, we have been making a concerted effort to stay off of wedding blogs and look at fewer wedding magazines,” he says. “Not because we don’t enjoy looking at the great work out there, but because we recognize that when you inundate yourself with that type of imagery, you can begin to see other photographers’ themes, techniques, and photos in the scene you’re attempting to photograph. We very much want to do our own thing, see our own way, and so this is one way we’re attempting to keep ourselves visually fresh.”

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Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

Photographers know that posing is no joke. And on the fast-paced, often rushed (and behind schedule) wedding day, having a posing plan is essential. There are no do-overs. So how do you ensure everything goes smoothly?

We sat down with Northern Virginia-based wedding photographer Jennifer Nolan and asked her about her posing strategies for creating happy, relaxed, and authentic images. From building a connection before the shutter clicks to addressing insecurities, these are her top tips. 

Build trust and connection

“I just can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get to know the couple,” Nolan asserts. “[If you do this], they already feel taken care of and [know] you’re trying to do your best job for them. I think that goes a long way to putting couples at ease.”

This is as simple as showing up a little early to a session or setting up an engagement shoot with your couple before the wedding. By making time to connect before pulling out your camera, you give them a chance to get to know you—and you them. We’re all more willing to open up to people we trust. And we trust people who are invested in our lives and stories. Even taking 10 or 15 minutes to ask questions and find things you can relate to can go a long way in building trust and comfort. If you are able to do this during an engagement session, then you’ll be ready to roll on the big day.

Be the ultimate wingman 

Everyone has some sort of insecurity—so don’t be afraid to hype your client up. Give them plenty of positive affirmation and acknowledge what they may be feeling. Don’t forget that communication is key. Provide clear directions so they’re never wondering, “what do I do with my hands?”

“I always tell them [that] even I feel nervous in front of a camera,” Nolan shares. “I make myself vulnerable and always remind them that it’s not just them, that everybody feels this way and it’s totally normal. I give them permission to feel that way. It’s just so important to pump up your couples from the beginning. I tell them how great they’re doing because that really does go a long way. I think it boosts their confidence as you’re photographing them.”

Couple poses for weddings and engagements

Nolan usually starts a session by incorporating movement or taking what she calls “mom and dad shots,” traditional-style portraits with the subjects looking straight at the camera.  

“I try to do prompts, walking motions, because I feel that [allows] their interactions to come out naturally,” she says. “From there I can go along and get them laughing, feeling more themselves. After that, I try to incorporate them into different settings.”

For the clients wearing pants, her go-to technique is to have them put a hand (or hands) in their pockets, and have the partner hold on to one of their arms. If someone in the couple is wearing a skirt or dress, Nolan will have the partner hold it, so that their free hand has something to do.

Related: Best cameras for wedding photography

The other thing Nolan is conscious about is asking subjects to pull their arms away from the body to create a triangle, which in turn helps creates a more slimming effect. Above all, though, she is after “the natural look.”

“The primary thing is making sure that they are relaxed and they don’t look stiff,” she says. “I think a good [pose] is either belly-to-belly or him with his hands in his pocket and her wrapping her arms right around him. Usually, you get the girl leaning and she does it naturally.”

How to pose couples with height differences

Posing couples with a big height difference can feel challenging, but Nolan advises that photographers don’t worry too much. When it’s possible, she’ll have the couples sit down to even things out, or she’ll have the taller partner bend down and just photograph from the torso up.

“Remember, they know their height difference,” she reassures. “While to us, it’d be, ‘Oh no, how am I going to work with this?’ They already know; that’s who they are. Unless they specifically say they feel funny about it, I wouldn’t put too much of an emphasis [on it]. If they’re comfortable with how they are, then I just make it work.”

Set expectations and communicate 

Are you a Photoshop wizard? Do you prefer batch processing files in Capture One/Lightroom? Let your clients know what you can, can’t, and aren’t willing to do. Otherwise, you may be fielding an unexpected request.

Nolan also will advise her clients on things like wardrobe to ensure that the resulting photos match their vision. Otherwise, that’s another opportunity for a missed expectation.

“One time I had clients that [said], ‘We just don’t feel right.’ It was because their outfits weren’t as dressy as the place they picked for photos,” she recalls. 

Sometimes, however, there will be elements out of your control—and Nolan advises that the best course of action is to keep calm and do your best.

“You [might] have couples that are unhappy, especially when [it] comes to body issues,” she explains. “I think sometimes it’s just not up to us. I think [we] as photographers just need to realize that we can’t control that.”

Avoid this mistake

If there’s one mistake photographers should absolutely avoid, it’s not taking the time to build a connection with their clients. According to Nolan, that’s when the tension will come through in an image, and that’s the last thing that should happen when documenting such an important event.

Other things photographers should look out for? Hands (of course), “the good side” (everyone has one), and mixed expressions—if one person is laughing but the other has a serious expression, the photo just won’t make sense. 

“I think hands are very important when we’re posing,” she states. “You want to make sure they look relaxed. I kind of joke about it [and say], ‘We don’t want Barbie and Ken hands.’ They always laugh about it. I’m constantly reminding them that I’m looking out for those things and I’ll ask them, ‘Do you have a good side? Do you have a bad side?’ But  like I mentioned earlier, those 10, 15 minutes of just getting to know them, putting them at ease, go a long way.”

See more of Jennifer Nolan’s work here.

The post How to pose couples: A wedding photographer’s tips and tricks appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Wedding photography is undeniably one of the most—if not the most—important investments a couple makes on their big day. Though the first dances, toasts, and wedding cake won’t last forever, the wedding photos will. So, it’s understandable that there are demands for perfection.

One good-natured Pennsylvania bride, however, was shocked to discover her wedding photos contained something far from perfect: “crazy eyes” poorly Photoshopped onto the faces of guests who blinked.

A Photoshop job gone awry

Newlywed Anaya Ramos-Bridgeford recounts reviewing the gallery before giving the photographer the OK to release it to family and friends. That’s when things got weird. 

“A lot of the photos were gorgeous, until I came across a photo of me and my bridesmaids, and I noticed something odd…I blew up the photograph and I couldn’t believe my eyes, quite literally because they were photoshopped on HER face as well as my own,” she shares.

Instead of busting into a bridezilla—which would have been pretty darn understandable, given the situation— Ramos-Bridgeford instead had a good laugh.

“I burst out in laughter because I have never seen such a thing,” she tells PopPhoto. “It was uncontrollable.”

After sharing it with her family and friends, who also descended into hysterical laughter, Ramos-Bridgeford contacted her photographer. It turns out, he was baffled. The “crazy eyes” were the handiwork of a third-party editing service, which had replaced blinking subjects’ eyes with…any eyes they could find, apparently.

The photographer, who was professionally trying not to laugh with her over the phone, reverted the images back to their original, blinking state. Far from being angry, Ramos-Bridgeford is reveling in the joy the mishap is spreading across the Internet. 

“I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Literally gasping for air. How could you truly be angry at something so hilarious?”

Going viral 

Ramos-Bridgeford posted the photos to her TikTok and Facebook accounts on Wednesday and woke up a viral sensation with 1.5 million views and thousands of comments. Though a shock, the extrovert was tickled that her story had reached so many. 

“For someone who has less than 100 followers and never passes 10 likes I was baffled yet excited. I’ve always wanted to become ‘viral’—not necessarily in this way, ‘The Crazy Eyed Bride,’ but I am so happy I was able to give the world a good laugh. I know I need it myself,” she says. 

Now, they’re just waiting for Ellen to call. 

“I think my friends and family are as shocked as me. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. We’re just waiting on a call from Ellen! That would be a dream. My dad keeps calling me and asking ‘Has Ellen contacted you yet?’ ‘Any other interviews?’ ‘Anaya you’re famous!’ I am very extroverted so I am loving the attention; my poor husband on the other hand is so shy and introverted. Still, we’re very shocked at all this!”

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If you’re a decent photographer, sooner or later someone will ask you to capture their nuptials. While this is a job often best left to pros, you can up your odds of success with a bit of preparation. Here are 25 ways to stay friends if someone asks you “shoot my wedding!”

DO be clear about what you’re offering. “Make sure the couple knows that you’re shooting as a favor and that you can’t guarantee results,” says New York City-based wedding pro Cappy Hotchkiss. “I’ve seen many friendships end over this.” Limit expectations, and “don’t get roped into doing a ton of large family groups. Explain that you will capture groups as they occur,” adds the photographer. If it’s going to take you months to deliver the photos, let the couple know in advance.

DON’T miss colorful background detail. For the Brooklyn, NY, wedding pictured above Dennis Pike included an ersatz NYC taxi and the Williamsburg Bridge.

DO learn the basics. Visit the websites of wedding photographers and see how they do it. “Try assisting an experienced wedding photographer. You will see first hand how it’s done, with zero pressure on you,” recommends Dennis Pike, the northern New Jersey photographer who shot the couple in the car at left. “The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be, and the people you are photographing will feed off of that.”

DO pre-plan. “Don’t walk into a wedding thinking you can go with the flow. Weddings aren’t like street photography, where you can walk around taking pictures,” says wedding pro Jonathan Scott, who has studios in both New York and Florida. “Pre-planning will make sure you don’t miss important shots.” Scout the location in advance for good backgrounds and lighting. Do Internet searches for the venue to see how other photographers capture the location.

DO ask what the couple wants. Pre-planning includes finding out what pictures and which guests are most important to the couple. “Make sure you get good portraits of the VIPs,” says Pike.

DO know the agenda. Learn in advance how the day will flow. “You need to know what is going to happen and when in order to be in the right place at the right time. Be sure you find out, for example, when classic moments like the first kiss, first dance, and the cake cutting will occur,” says Dennis Pike.

DON’T be afraid of high ISOs. It’s better to take a sharp, noisy image at 1/500 sec and ISO 6,400 than a low-noise image that’s blurry at 1/30 sec and ISO 400. You can always do noise reduction when processing your RAW files.

DO finesse compositions. Instead of asking her subjects to move, Hotchkiss moves herself. “You don’t want to disturb the moment by heavy-handed posing. I block out unwanted background clutter by tweaking my position left, right, up, or down.” She also says to be aware of the lighting. If, in your viewfinder, the lighting looks harsh on your subjects’ faces, it may look even harsher in the final image.

DON’T be shy about directing your subjects. They want to be told how and where to stand, explains Dennis Kwan, a wedding and portrait specialist with studios in New York City and Los Angeles. Giving subjects direction projects a confidence that allows them to relax when being photographed. “It tells your subjects that you know what you’re doing, even if maybe you don’t,” says Kwan.

DON’T obsess about sharpness. Todd McGaw shows how soft can be romantic in the image below.

DO follow the smiles. The most expressive people will make your best subjects.

DO capture the beauty. If the bride is up for it, orchestrate a fashion shoot.

DO preset your camera. Make sure you’re capturing high-resolution JPEGs, RAW files, or both. Set auto white balance and evaluative metering, and turn on lens stabilization.

DO shoot a lot. Kwan warns that nonprofessional photographers often err by not shooting enough. “Especially with groups, always shoot more frames than you think you need. It will make sure you have at least one good shot where everyone is looking at the camera and no one is blinking,” he says.

DON’T shoot with unfamiliar gear. If you’ll be using a camera that’s new to you, put it through its paces before the big day. You don’t want to be fumbling with controls while subjects are waiting. “Wedding moments only happen once, and when they pass, they’re gone,” says Pike. “You have to be able to work accurately on the fly.”

DO get reactions. After classic wedding moments like the bride coming down the aisle or the first kiss, turn your lens on the guests and capture friends and family.

DON’T skimp on batteries or memory cards. The last thing you want, says Pike, “is to find you have space for only 30 more photos on your last memory card with two hours left.”

DO back up extensively. A common mistake among nonprofessionals, says Pike, is inadequately backing up wedding files. This includes immediate Internet, hard drive, and DVD backups, but also instructing the wedding couple that they, too, are responsible for backing up digital wedding pictures. Also, as you pull full memory cards from your camera, store them securely, all in the same location. “One of the worst things that can happen is losing a memory card,” warns Kwan.

DON’T worry about shot lists. “Avoid getting mired down in a must-have shot list that you found on the Internet,” advises Rich Lavigne, who, with wife Anne, operates a wedding studio in South Plainfield, NJ. “Stay alert to the moments that are happening all around you. Look for smiles, laughter, singing, or tears. If you’re looking for and photographing these moments, you’re doing a pretty good job of capturing the spirit of the day.”

DO have fun. Capturing treasured wedding moments can be a gratifying project for all involved. Embrace the moment, embrace your friends and family, and don’t forget to smile while you’re doing it. Follow these suggestions and your pictures will reflect the joy that makes weddings wonderful.

DO simplify complex scenes. One way to simplify? Convert to black-and-white.

DON’T miss the action. When the dancing starts, set high shutter speeds and capture multiple moments by shooting continuously.

DO get close. This is especially true for must-get moments like the timeless first kiss.

DO use the best equipment possible. If necessary, rent or borrow a DSLR with great low-light capability, plus a fast f/2.8 zoom—either a 24–70mm, 70–200mm, or both. A reliable shoe-mount flash is also important, with wired or wireless provision for using it off-camera in TTL mode. Power your flash with rechargeable NiMH batteries, not lower-capacity and slow-recycling alkalines. And bring a back-up camera and flash.

DON’T try to do it alone. Need help aiming that off-camera flash? Enlist the help of friends or relatives. “It’s nice to have someone help organize your equipment,” says Scott. This is especially true if you’re working in an environment where someone might walk off with an unwatched camera bag. While you’re shooting group portraits, an assistant can gather (and tidy up) the next group.

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The internet is excellent at coming up with smart places to put action cameras. We’ve seen them strapped to athletes, dogs, eagles, and all types of other interesting subjects. This video, however, is a bit different. Some clever wedding guests strapped a GoPro to a bottle of booze, then passed it around to the guests to take a swig.

The result, as you can see, is almost like a video photo booth of sorts. You get a hilarious little video portrait of each guest as they down the hit of Fireball. It’s a clever thing for a guest to come up with, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this type of thing start to show up in the services of professional wedding shooters who are trying to differentiate themselves from the increasingly large crowd of competition.

I was actually going to post this yesterday, but the video was then made private. Now, it seems to be public again because they must have realized there was no keeping it away from the Internet.

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