Professional Wedding Photography Tips For Creative and Memorable Albums

There is no "formula" for creative wedding photography. Each couple and each wedding are unique and different. Here are 10 professional tips on techniques I use to assure that every bride and groom has a wedding photo album that exceeds their expectations and dreams.

Get To Know The Couple

Every couple is unique and has a special chemistry between them that helps create great wedding photographs. Get to know each couple by spending an hour or two with them ... talking over coffee or having a drink. Observe how they interact with each other, their expressions, profiles, body language, gestures and physical and non-physical attributes. Note their personalities ... are they "playful", "carefree", "reserved and shy", "theatrical" or "cuddly". Understanding their physical attributes and personality will help you take more creative and personalized photos.

Create A Concept ... Tell A Story

Behind every couple ... and every creative wedding album ... there's a story. It could be that the couple were childhood sweethearts ... or a love at first sight second marriage ... or the bride could be getting married in a place she always dreamed of as a child. Ask questions ... listen ... create a concept .... find a thread ... build a theme and weave it throughout your photography. The wedding album should be a personal storybook telling the tale of a special man and woman and the most important day in their life.

One of the most touching and memorable wedding albums I ever created, had a special story between the bride, the groom and her father. The bride's mother had died when she was a child, and her father ... on the surface a tough-looking Irish Catholic CEO of a large corporation ... had become both father and mother to her. They had a deep bond between them you could see in every glance and loving gesture.

The groom never knew his parents and as a child was bounced around from relative to relative and from one foster care parent to another. The bride's father became both father and mother to the groom as well ... so there was almost an identical bond between the father and his son-in-law as well. This hard-nosed CEO was actually one of the warmest and gentlest persons I've ever met. I used this relationship as a theme and used candid shots of the three of them, alone and together to help tell this very unique story.

Scout the Locations Carefully Before The Wedding

Never assume that because you may have shot at a particular church, synagogue, catering hall, country club or restaurant before that you don't have to scout the wedding locations. Interiors get redecorated, rooms get added, grounds get re-landscaped. A country club where you once shot a "winter" wedding will offer entirely new and different backgrounds and "photo opps" during the spring, summer and fall. It always pays to scout the bride's home in advance if that's where she and her wedding party will be getting dressed.

Combine Fashion, Portrait, Candid and Journalistic Creative Approaches

Too many wedding photographers fall into a rut and shoot almost every wedding the same old way ... a group of formals ... ceremony shots ... table shots ... the

"cake shot" and the farewell shot. This creates boring photo albums that are merely document a historic event as opposed to tell a very personal story.

Mix photographic styles and techniques to make a creative and memorable album. Take your beautiful formals with the eye of a fashion photographer. Today the bride and groom are glamorous stars, so make them feel and look the part. Mix in plenty of informal candid shots as well. Taking a few photo-journalistic style shots of the guests and the ceremony also helps add interest and contribute to the "fashionable" aspect of the day.

Look For Naturally Occurring Situations

When people get together, interesting photo opportunities arise that you could never storyboard, script, pose or other wise create yourself. Watch the children especially. Kids do some of the most incredible things ... especially then they're all dressed up. Seniors often present some very interesting photo opportunities as well. Keep on the lookout throughout the event ... especially towards the end when people have had a few drinks and let their guard down.

While shooting a friend's large Italian wedding, I became fascinated in two older gentlemen who looked like two character actors in a scene from "The Godfather". They bumped into each other and began having what appeared to be a terse conversation ... so I took a few available light shots. All of a sudden they broke down in tears and started hugging each other. I kept shooting.

I later asked one of the guests about those two men. It turns out they were uncles of the bride who had a big argument 20 years ago before one of them left Italy to come to American. They hadn't met or spoken since ... until that moment. This moment of reunion and forgiveness was very special to the bride and her family. Not only did they include it in their album, but they ordered 27 additional 8 x 10 prints of what they called the "hug shot" for family members who had requested it.

Curiosity Leads To Creativity

Don't be afraid to ask banquet managers or even guests for observations or information that might help you find some extra shots. Curiosity is part of the creative process and leads to great shots.

Avoid The Cliche Posed Table Shots

The posed shots of guests sitting and standing around a table are usually some of the most unattractive shots in any wedding album. Ask the couple how they feel about these. Do they want every table shot ... or would they rather have more attractive shots of the guests at each table talking, dancing or having fun

Never Make People Pose In Uncomfortable Situations

If people are uncomfortable posing or being put in a particular situation don't do it. Their discomfort and uneasiness will always show in their bodies and in their face. Try to find situations that are more natural and comfortable for them. That's why getting to know the couple by spending an hour or two with them informally before the wedding.

Use Dynamic Lighting

Flat lighting is the sign of an amateur photographer. Don't be afraid to use dynamic lighting with strong shadows to add interest or create a specific mood. Experiment with color gels on the strobe or over the lens to add some creative diversity to the album.

Combine Available Light and Strobe

Available light and strobe photography can work well together in the same wedding album. Use each where appropriate and don't forget to mix color and black and white shots as well. ( with digital professional cameras today... it's easy).

The two most important things to remember about wedding photography are firs,t that each couple and wedding are unique and deserve a unique and very personal wedding album. Secondly, their wedding is their big day and they are the stars, so do everything you can do to make them look and feel like celebrities.