A fast shutter speed is a good starting point for wedding photography because you’ll capture lots of movement. For starters, set the shutter speed to 1/200 or faster.
Then try shutter priority mode to really freeze moments. Set the shutter speed to 1/500th of a second to capture active moments. You can tweak these settings to capture laughter, dancing, twirling, and other movements.
The aperture dictates what part(s) of a photo are in focus. If you want to show the grandeur of a ballroom, make sure you’re putting everything in the scene in focus. In that case, you’d use an aperture of f/8 or even f/16.
When you’re taking photos of people and details, you can opt for high apertures to create depth by blurring out the background. In that case, try an aperture of f/2/8 or f/4.
On the other hand, lower apertures isolate the subject, making it the whole focus of an image. This is why it’s best to use apertures between f/1.8 to f/2.8 for bridal portraits. In this way, you can bring in more light while reducing unwanted distractions.
Here’s another wedding photography tip for beginners: keep the ISO under 1000 whenever possible to keep the digital artifacting at a minimum. However, you can always increase the ISO depending on the situation, especially in low-light venues. Want to capture the moody glow of candlelight? Consider bumping up your ISO to 3200. An entire ISO range is available at your disposal, so maximize it and try new things!
For indoor weddings, try to keep ISO between 400-800 to achieve beautiful, grain-free portrait photos. If you go higher than that, you may get more digital noise (though, this depends on your camera, so try a few options).
One of the best wedding photography tips for beginners is to arrive at the venue early. Not only does this give you ample time to prepare your equipment, but also time to scout for shooting locations and available lighting.
Wedding photographer Northern IrelandWhen you arrive 30-60 minutes early, you won’t risk working under pressure to get all the necessary shots. In addition, you can carve out time to talk with the coordinators, and other vendors who will work with you during the day.
Whenever you arrive at the venue, one of the first things to do is to check the lighting that might be available throughout the day. There are four common sources of light that you can optimize:
Use natural light as much as possible to provide a gentle, warmer, and softer look for your subjects. Most wedding venues and reception areas have ample window light. Make a mental note of where windows are located.
Golden hour is a magical time for emotive, evocative portraits of the couple. When the sun is low on the horizon, the light creates a soft and beautiful look that flatters the subjects.
If the available light is dull, a flash can add interest to the scene. Use your flash to illuminate the couple more while filling in the dark shadows. Always check the venue’s unique rules regarding flash.
A reflector is a simple, portable tool to help you bounce and direct light. If the sun is behind the couple, creating bold backlighting, you can bounce some of the light by placing a reflector in the front. In effect, you get more exposure between the couple and the background.
A photographer’s worst nightmare is losing photos, either through accidentally deleting files or a corrupted memory card. Make it a habit to copy images to your computer and an external hard drive immediately after the shoot. Yes, making two–or even three–copies is ideal, and doing it the minute you get home from the wedding is the best time to do this.
Culling refers to the process of separating the good photos from the bad ones. It’s not about deleting unwanted photos immediately, as you may still need them. The goal is to cut down thousands of images into select photos that you will edit and share with the couple.
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