John P. Sandstedt |
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Although I've shot a number of weddings, I've still advised BP newbies to decline to shoot weddings. It's the last, great place to break friendships. That being said, I agreed to shoot the wedding of the son of friends - with the proviso that they fully understand I'm not a professional wedding photographer. That being said . . . I've usually tried to take the classic photos, although I've never gone to the brides home to shoot the "getting ready images." I get to the church early to scout locations; I try to learn where in the sanctuary there are good vantage points. I try to check out natural lighting opportunities, especially if the minister doesn't open the door to all photography. Obviously, I shoot the architectural shot of the church and, if possible, the arrival of the Bride. Once the ceremony begins, I take a picture of each of the mothers of the Bride and Groom [it's probably OK if you miss the FOG because, traditionally, he's the most useless part of the whole thing anyway,] the ring bearer, the bridesmaids, and Bride and FOB in the processional. If possible I roam the church to get whatver images I can, trying, especially, to get the placement of the rings on third fingers, the first kiss, etc. Then I try for, at least, a shot of the B&G in the recessional. Finally, I try for formals of the wedding party at the altar. Then, it's off to the recpetionj. Here's where you can truly take those candids. In one wedding I did, I took a candid portrait of almost everyone attending - surprisingly, the bride really appreciated this. Obviously, I tried for the Grand Entry, the first dance, dances with FOB-MOG/FOG-MOB,the cake feeding, the garter toss and, a group shot at each table. But for me it was the walk-around and shooting the candids that produced the most smiles - wedding party as well as guests. Most of my weddings were shot with film. One gig - I shot 8 36-exposure rolls, about 250 images. But now, with digital, I really believe a photogrpaher must be choosey - otherwise it's just to easy to take many, many pictures in the hopes of getting some good ones. That involves too much time after the reception [editing, et al.] In fact, with the upcoming wedding I may shoot, I'm planning to provide a DVD only, with essentially no editing. I plan to suggest that the B&G view the images and make a reasonable selection of what they consider the best for editing. I don't have the time or inclination edit all the images that I might take. And, unless the price is right, I'm not going to spend a lot of time and effort making prints. But, remember, I'm no pro - this is not my livelihood.
September 10, 2007
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