I just shot my first wedding a few weeks ago. It was a fun but tiring. Maybe I didn't wear the right shoes. My Mom suggested I wear flats, but flats don't have cushion. I'm used to wearing sneakers & Mary Janes are the closest thing to a sneaker that is a dress shoe. Anyways back to the wedding. I shot the wedding as a gift for my cousin & his new bride. Most wedding photographers start out shooting for family/friends.
I have been a second shooter/assistant at a wedding portrait studio. It was a great educational experience. I learned about lighting, posing, how a photographer works during a wedding, what he shot, etc... I have a degree Commercial Photography. I went to school to do photo shoots for GQ, Details, album covers, etc... Even my photography professor said that being a wedding photographer is a miserable job. Glad I didn't listen to him. After shooting this wedding, I think I might want to do it full time. It does pay well, but that's not my motivation, maybe a little. I love seeing the couple's reaction when they are reliving their special day through my photos.
I have been a second shooter/assistant at a wedding portrait studio. It was a great educational experience. I learned about lighting, posing, how a photographer works during a wedding, what he shot, etc... I have a degree Commercial Photography. I went to school to do photo shoots for GQ, Details, album covers, etc... Even my photography professor said that being a wedding photographer is a miserable job. Glad I didn't listen to him. After shooting this wedding, I think I might want to do it full time. It does pay well, but that's not my motivation, maybe a little. I love seeing the couple's reaction when they are reliving their special day through my photos.
I come from a photojournalistic background. I shot the wedding as if I was a fly on the wall. When I shot the bride preparations, I rarely spoke to her & her bridesmaids unless I needed to photograph details (shoes, bouquet, etc...)
I shot the portraits strobist way with just a speedlite, umbrella, light stand. I've been shooting fashion for years and strayed away from using strobes when shooting outside. I tried to use as much natural light as possible. But the problem was that the ceremony was at night. I took advantage of the sunset during the pre-ceremony photo shoots. During the ceremony I didn't use flash. Flash is bothersome & ruins the flow of the ceremony. As Jasmine Star said "We don't live our life through flash." The lighting inside the chapel was horrible. It was a yellow tungsten lights. Thankfully I shot it RAW so I can easily change the white balance in post. I tried to make the color corrections the same settings on each picture. Majority of it was the same. Maybe 5 pics were not.
Did I mention that this was a destination wedding? I shot their wedding at the happiest place on earth. What a cool place to shoot a first wedding right? Unfortunately because of a contract I signed, I can't post them on my site. Picture that mouse partying with the bride and groom & their guests. The staff I worked with was great. They were the best coordinators that I have ever worked with. They were so organized to the T. They made sure I got what I wanted, told me what was going on etc... I should've asked them if they were hiring. I wouldn't mind spending time down south during the fall/winter seasons. I'm from New York where it's 40-50 degrees in October. Down there 90 degrees. I wanted to stay. I guess that's why birds fly south during winter.
I hope that this was the start of my wedding photography career. Actually it might be. The bride's sister asked about me. :)
I shot the portraits strobist way with just a speedlite, umbrella, light stand. I've been shooting fashion for years and strayed away from using strobes when shooting outside. I tried to use as much natural light as possible. But the problem was that the ceremony was at night. I took advantage of the sunset during the pre-ceremony photo shoots. During the ceremony I didn't use flash. Flash is bothersome & ruins the flow of the ceremony. As Jasmine Star said "We don't live our life through flash." The lighting inside the chapel was horrible. It was a yellow tungsten lights. Thankfully I shot it RAW so I can easily change the white balance in post. I tried to make the color corrections the same settings on each picture. Majority of it was the same. Maybe 5 pics were not.
Did I mention that this was a destination wedding? I shot their wedding at the happiest place on earth. What a cool place to shoot a first wedding right? Unfortunately because of a contract I signed, I can't post them on my site. Picture that mouse partying with the bride and groom & their guests. The staff I worked with was great. They were the best coordinators that I have ever worked with. They were so organized to the T. They made sure I got what I wanted, told me what was going on etc... I should've asked them if they were hiring. I wouldn't mind spending time down south during the fall/winter seasons. I'm from New York where it's 40-50 degrees in October. Down there 90 degrees. I wanted to stay. I guess that's why birds fly south during winter.
I hope that this was the start of my wedding photography career. Actually it might be. The bride's sister asked about me. :)