PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

6 Digital Wedding Photography Tips for Successful Wedding Photography

Taking digital wedding photographs can be much different from taking pictures with a standard camera. You will have a number of advantages available; however, there are also other considerations that must be made. Below you will find digital wedding photography tips to help guide you through the process.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #1: Getting the Shot without Disturbing the Service

One of the most important digital wedding photography tips that should be observed is how to make sure you achieve the shot without actually disturbing the ceremony. First, you should always make sure the sound on your camera is turned off.

Nothing disturbs a ceremony more than the sound of a digital camera. In addition, make sure you time your movements with other activity during the ceremony so that you can achieve the boldness you need to get the right shot without being obtrusive.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #2: Being Prepared

Being prepared when taking wedding photographs is always important but it is even more so when using a digital camera. You will need to make absolutely sure you have an adequate number of batteries. Batteries tend to drain quickly and you do not want to find that your battery has run out of power before the end of the event.

Memory is also another critical element that should be observed. Make sure you bring enough memory cards with you.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #3: Types of Photos

Ideally, you should go over the shot list with the bride and groom ahead of time. You can always provide a shot list to the couple and allow them to add or subtract the types of formal group shots they want taken. Candid shots are always popular for weddings. Both photos taken before the ceremony as well as during the reception can provide an excellent opportunity for natural, candid shots.

When you are working on the shot list with the couple is an excellent time to have them review some of your prior work. This can help to manage expectations and ensure the couple knows what to expect from your work. Of course, you should always have a signed contract to make sure all contingencies are covered in the event something does not go as planned.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #4: Choosing your Equipment

A tripod can come in quite handy when shooting digital wedding photography because it allows you to set-up and maintain the shot with perfection. In addition, you should also make sure you bring along your extra flash just in case you need it. Try to predict in advance what kind of equipment and lenses you need, if possible by visiting the location before the wedding.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #5: Editing

Digital wedding photography provides you with the unique advantage of being able to correct or enhance the photos after the fact. You can crop them in order to remove elements that are distracting or you can correct red-eye. These benefits allow you to focus more on capturing the image with the knowledge that you can always touch it up later through the editing process.

Digital Wedding Photography Tips #6: File Formats

When using a digital camera there are a number of different formats that can be used. RAW is one of the best formats due to the fact that this format allows you to manipulate the photos after they have been taken. It does require additional processing time; however, the benefit of being able to manipulate white balance and exposure can be well worth it for wedding photographs.

JPG allows you to achieve very high image quality along with good compression ratios. This is something that GIF is not able to do.

Even though JPG is a good compromise between file size and quality I would advise you to use RAW file format for all your digital wedding photography. The reason is the flexibility RAW format provides to adjust exposure and white balance.

You generally won’t get a second chance to shoot wedding photographs and using RAW file format provides can help you recover otherwise hopeless photographs.

This can make the difference between a very satisfied or dissatisfied couple.