10 Tips on How To Start as a Professional Wedding Photographer

Photographs are moments in time captured electronically and then stored on your computer or on an online photo site.  They can be printed via these online sites or directly from your computer.  The photos are not just stored files like other documents or spreadsheets.  These files contain important memories and can evoke emotion.  Especially pictures of very important events such as weddings.

These memories are so important that it is one of the times of people’s lives that they will actually spend the money to hire a professional photographer.

If you are breaking into the highly profitable Photography Business and are considering to provide your services for weddings or if you will be attending a wedding of a friend or family member and want to capture some special moments, here are some fundamental tips and techniques to help you capture these special moments with your digital camera:

1. You need to be aware at all times in order to capture candid moments as well as catching all the different activities that occur at weddings.  Including the first dance, the cake cutting  and the father/daughter dance.
2. Always consider the lighting of the background as well as the foreground and consider repositioning yourself to maximize the ambient light.
3. Make sure the background enhances the picture and does not distract with a crowded background.
4. If any of the subjects in the photo are wearing glasses and you see light reflecting then you might consider advising those folks to slightly tilt their heads down or to the side to reduce or eliminate glare.  This is especially important if you are using flash.
5. Depending on the content of people and objects in the view finder, you might also consider whether it is appropriate to zoom in or zoom out to include or exclude people or objects. 
6. Candid shots can be quite dramatic.  Many times you can capture a special moment with a candid shot more than a posed shot and many times these photos are more liked.
7. Always have extra memory for your camera.  If you run out of memory on your card you may miss some great shots toward the end of the event.
8. For special events like weddings you should use the maximum resolution available on your camera to allow for enlargements.
9. Just always remember that the higher the resolution utilized, the larger the size of prints that can be made.

Shooting weddings can either be a very stressful time or a very memorable time.  If you prepare well and keep the list above in mind then you can embark on a very fulfilling career with providing beautiful photos for people’s most special event.  In addition the less stressed you are the more you can enjoy the day and share in the joy that is happening all around you.  Do keep in mind (here is Tip #10!) that as a hired professional photographer it is also important to try to blend into the background and perform your tasks with minimal event interruption.