Kathy L. Pollick |
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Tips for Taking Wedding Pictures
This might sound like a dumb question, but to those of you that do paid weddings; do you ever use a tripod when taking the wedding pictures? We had a photographer (she's a hobby photographer, not a pro) who just did our daughter's wedding. All the shots were hand-held, and I was under the impression that if you wanted to blow any of the photos up beyond a 5x7, you should have the pix taken on a tripod for sharpness.
September 02, 2005
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Kerry L. Walker |
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Yes, I use a tripod. No, I do not use it for all the shots. I mainly use a tripod for the shots taken in the church during the ceremony without a flash. I have many photos blown up to 16x20, and beyond that were not taken with a tripod and they are plenty sharp. A wedding is a fast-moving event and, for most shots, a tripod is impracticable.
September 02, 2005
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Kathy L. Pollick |
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Well, I wrote Debby to see if she would be willing to tweak a few of the photos for me. The photographer does this as a hobby, not a profession. (Friend of the groom) and she does NO editing on anything. For the most part, I could have done as good. Not to say they are bad, but they just don't have that professional look to them. All I can say is, at least I have some photos to remember the day. I was trying to find one of the wedding shots to put in the local paper & I actually couldn't find ONE with them stand "cozy" together. They are all standing side by side, staring at the camera.... seemed a bit amaturish to me. No real creative poses. Most are very traditional looking. I'm hoping to convert a few to b/w & do some hand tinting (well not me, but debby).... I just wanted a couple really special looking pictures of the kids.
September 02, 2005
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Kerry L. Walker |
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When I am shooting formals of the bride and groom at a wedding (and bride with Dad, etc.), I tell them to enjoy themselves while I get set up, even though I am standing there ready to shoot. They think I am doing something with my camera, so they relax and, often get quite intimate, smiling and looking lovingly at each other. I shoot THAT, then I pose them for the formals. The unposed shots are usually the best ones.
September 02, 2005
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Cyndee Wanyonyi |
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Wow, Kerry. Great thing to tell the B&G and Dad/Bride. I am going to try that next time :). It seems that lack of creativity in poses is a common problem among newcomers ...
September 02, 2005
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Kerry L. Walker |
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Sometimes you can say something like: "Well, Dad, your little girl is grown and married now" and you will get a tear - great shot if you can get it. When shooting a wedding, you have to be part photographer, part wedding coordinator, and part psychologist. Just interact with them a little, and direct them a little. If all you do is pose them, all you will get are posed shots. Posed shots are nice, but it is more important to capture the emotion of the event.
September 02, 2005
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Sandy D. Anton |
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Hi Kathy,
We shoot around 100 weddings a year. I shoot the weddings where there is a natural bond or attraction to the people, and so on and so on. I hear quite a bit that pros use a tripod, pros don't use autofocus, etc. Kathy, I have found that a good photographer will follow advice for lighting and then develop their own style. Honestly, I never touch a tripod! I have no use for it. I sell 30x40 prints from weddings, they are outstanding. Focus on creativity and lighting and you will be successful!
September 06, 2005
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Julie M. Cwik |
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Hi Kathy,
Don't use a tripod if you have a fast enough lens. If you don't have a 2.8 lens, then grab that tripod and bring it along just in case.
September 06, 2005
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Maria Melnyk |
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Nothing wrong whatsoever with hand-held shots. Flash will stop the action and the image will be sharp regardless of the size of the enlargement. If the situation calls for a tripod, however, one should be used even if all someone will order is a wallet size.
I use a tripod for altar pictures if I want to bring out the light in the beautiful altar area so the background isn't dark. I use it for available light shots when I can't hand-hold the camera due to the shutter speed I need. And I use it when I absolutely must have a perfect horizontal or vertical, where even the slightest tilt would be noticeable, like when I'm matching straight lines in a scene, such as a horizon at a beach. I use it when doing portraits if I have certain props in there, like columns. But, other than all the above, hand-held shots are fine and allow me to work faster and get more shots.
(And Kathy, this is by no means a "dumb question.")
September 14, 2005
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