Saturday, April 4, 2009

Doing your first wedding part 5 (the church)

Now having arrived at the church before the bride (you left after her remember) and found somewhere to park you now need to find the vicar or priest. Ask him/her what you can and can't do in the church, some will allow flash, some won't, some will let you do what you like, some won't let you take any photos during the service (the B+G should have checked this for you beforehand)
Either way it's best to check yourself on the day, you don't want to upset the vicar (I might have the next wedding there!) He could chuck you out remember.
Assuming the normal for many you'll probably find you can't use flash, this is where knowing your camera and having the right kit comes into it's own, switch to a faster lens, up the ISO (remember to put it back after) put the camera on a tripod and carry on, being able to shoot in low light in a tricky church is something that catches out many fledgling wedding togs, that's the mark of the Pro, getting the pics regardless of conditions.
After the vows there's the signing the register, often in the vestry, don't try to photograph the actual signing, wait and set up a proper shot after the official bit, you'll get a better shot and keep the vicar happy! Vestries are often small and tatty, watch out for junk in the background.
The next shots are usually the B+G walking down the aisle, here setting the exposure is critical, you want the B+G sharp and not burned out, but you need the background with enough detail to look like the inside of a church, not the black hole of Calcutta.

In the next part we talk about the "pretty" shots. Wayne

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