Multiple Elements

    Every wedding has hundreds of elements that make it unique.  What makes a photo unique is combining these elements in a unique way.  I personally find photos that combine elements of a wedding to be more dynamic and appealing to the eye.  Of course this is subjective and doesn't always apply. 

    Two areas that I find really helpful to photograph using multiple elements are the bouquet and the cake.  I find it very hard to take a dynamic photo of just the cake alone.  I have the same dificulty with just a bouquet by itself.  Usually I will photograph the bouquet with the bride blurred out in the background.  When I photographer the cake I try to have another key element of the wedding out of focus in the back.

    To all you aspiring wedding photographers out there try combining multiple key elements of the wedding into some of your photographs.

    In this case I photographed the cake and included the head table in the background in order to add another dimension to the photo. 

Interaction

   Getting a couple to interact is a great way to get natural looking shots.  Have them embrace each other and joke with each other while focusing on something other than the camera.  All wedding photographers have different ways of getting couples to interact.  The easiest way for me to get natural interaction between couples it by using a long lens and shooting from far away.  That way the couple is less aware of the camera and the photos end up being more natural.

Cropping!

    Wedding photographers need to pay close attention to how photos are cropped.  Obviously we want to get the crop right in the camera.  But it doesn't always happen.  In those situations we as photographers must identify how we can improve a photo with cropping.

    The other thing that we need to consider is the crop dimensions.  Changing the dimensions of the crop can make or break a photo.  Often good wedding photos can be made amazing just by changing crop dimensions.  The crop dimensions I use most are 1x3, 1x2, 4x5 and 1x1.  There are no rules to cropping, its more of an art than a science.  The best advice I can give is don't be afraid to crop an image in any dimensions.  The final prints will have a bar at either the sides or the top.  I find it gives the image a classy touch.

    The photo below I took at a wedding here in Ottawa at Orchardview.  When I first looked at this image I almost went right past it.  Nothing stood out to me until I cropped it.

 

   Ottawa wedding photographer

The Wedding Location

    One thing I capture at every wedding is the location.  I want the bride and groom to remember where they got married.  Not just the name of the place but what it looked and felt like.  I want them to relive their wedding when they look at there pictures.  I always try to photograph the location when I get some down time at the wedding.  All wedding photographers need to pay attention to the overall location, and capture the location from a creative angle. 


    I find the best way to capture the location is by first taking a few wide angle shots that show the entire scene and then I focus in on the more interesting points that make the location unique.

    Below is a shot I took at Stanley's just outside Ottawa.  It was shot using mixed light.  The flash gave me the fine detail while hand holding the camera.

 

The Flowers

    As a wedding photographer one thing we must do is leave no stone unturned.  We must capture photos of everything that may have any meaning to a bride.  One of the most important details to capture is the bouquet.  The bouquet can be used in so many ways to create unique and captivating images.

    Any aspiring wedding photographers out there!  Don't forget the bouquet!  One of my favorite things to do is keep the bouquet in focus and have something or someone of significant meeting blurred out in the background.  This is done by using a wide open aperture and/or using a long focal length on your lens.

    This shot was take just outside Ottawa at Strathmere!  Great place to get married!

Wedding Photographers Equipment Part II

    Ok guys I have gotten some people expressing various opinions about a post a few weeks ago.  My article on photography equipment has sparked some debate.  The point a lot of people are saying is:  "Its not the equipment, its the photographer"

    My point is this.  If you give a wedding photographer a $1000 consumer grade camera body and a entry level kit lens, and he goes and shoots a wedding.  Then you take the same photographer and give him a $5000 body with all pro lenses, and shoots the same wedding taking the same identical photos, using the same exact settings.  The photos shot with the professional grade equipment will yeild nicer looking photos, better color, sharper images, less noise, among other things.

    At the same time I agree that a good photographer using consumer equipment will take better photos that a bad photographer using pro equipment.

The Ottawa Wedding Show

    The Ottawa wedding show was a huge success this season.  I have to give much credit to the awesome team of photographers who helped promote me at the show.  They're all very passionate about the business and was huge reflection on our success at the show!  Thanks so much guys!

    Anyone who is serious about becoming a professional wedding photographer should consider the Ottawa Wedding Show.  It is a great way to meet with brides and other wedding photographers.  See what people are up to.  Keep in mind that there is a lot of competition amoung the photographers.  This show had 25 photographers at it.  The key to success is pricing yourself approrpriatly based on your experience.  Figure out your market and target those brides.  Are you going for the budget weddings, the mid range weddings or the high end weddings?

    If you are thinking about booking at the next show as a wedding photographer, let me know and Ill give you some advice on what works and what doesn't at the show.

    If you are a bride I highly recomend attending the wedding shows, its a great chance to meet many photographers in a short amount of time. 

Focus your Photo

    One thing that is very important for wedding photographers to continuously work on is what they focus on.  Usually photographers are worried about what goes in the frame of the camera and pay no attention to what is in focus.  My advice to all you aspiring wedding photographers, focus on whats in focus.

    The photo below is a shot I took of a couple just as they got in the limo.  The success of this photo is totally because of its point of focus, in this case the champange glasses.  Just remember the viewers eye is drawn to whatever is in focus.

Tell a Wedding Story

   One thing that sets wedding photographers apart is their ability to tell a story with their pictures.  When a bride and groom look at their wedding albums they want to relive the day moment by moment.  As wedding photographers we must provide a series of images the help the bride and groom relive their wedding day in a story format.

    Bellow is a few images that are all tied together.  These pics are a small part of what would be considered "The Wedding Story".  For these shots I used a slower shutter speed and higher ISO to let in the ambient lights behind.  The flash gave me the sharp image.

 

Wedding Details

    One thing that is often overlooked or given less attention to at weddings is the detail shots.  Often times wedding photographers focus a lot on the bride and groom and much less on details of the wedding.  I don't know about you but I would want pics of every single detail right down to the decorations on the cake. 
  
    I began to realize the importance in detail shots last summer when I was showing a bride her pictures.  She was so excited to see a close-up photo of her rings, and the cake.  In my mind I was like..."uh its just a wedding cake..."  But when I thought about it... It was her wedding cake and that made the photo so special to her.  It was the last known record of her cake.  Of course it would mean a lot to her to have a nice picture of it.  Since then I pay close attention to details when I photograph weddings.

    Below is a detail photo I took last summer here in Ottawa.  I used an open aperture and mixed my flash with the available light to give a more natural look to the photo without the noise.  Without using flash I would have had a much noisier photo.

Compositing in Bridal Pictures!

    These days brides want more than just a pic straight out of the camera.  They want something more artistic, edgy, and different.  Typical straight out of the camera wedding pictures are a thing of the past.  All you photographers out there who want to shoot weddings, the best advice I can give is learn Photoshop and learn it well.  I spend the same amount of time shooting photos as I do editing them.

    Below is a photo I shot at a wedding in Orleans, this shot was taken during a prayer before dinner.  The Bride was pretty still for the shot so I was able to get a really sharp image.  What I did on this photo is I desaturated the wall behind her.  It was a nasty yellow color.  The easiest way to do this is by simply desaturating the yellows in Photoshop or Lightroom.  The next thing I did is added a second layer in Photoshop of a cracked window.  I used layer masks and blending modes to combine the two images into something I felt was pleasing to look at.

Traditional wedding photography still has its place!

    These days everyone is into candid wedding photography.  Everyone wants a candid wedding photographer.  And I can understand why!  But I do feel its important to capture some traditional shots at every wedding.  The older generations love these shots, and they are great for the coffee table.  Every wedding I shoot I do a formal photo shoot where I mix traditional wedding photography with some artistic studio wedding photography.   I always bring my studio lights to the wedding for these shots.  They give a very crisp clean look to the photos.

   Bellow are a couple traditional wedding photos I took last summer.  Both pictures were shot with identical lighting.  I used a 1600 watt studio light and mixed the lighting with available light.

Equipment Wedding Photographers MUST have!

Hey guys I have just added a new document to my website called "Equipment Wedding Photographers MUST have".  Its a great document to read over and use when shopping around for a photographer.  The reason I posted this document is because I have a problem with Ottawa photographers who charge high end prices and use low end equipment.  Consumer bodies, 3rd party lenses, consumer lenses...ect...  I work hard to purchase the best equipment out there and I feel that other photographers who are charging high end prices should do the same!  Don't get me wrong, there are lots of wedding photographers in Ottawa using great equipment, and I respect that!

If you are shooting with consumer grade equipment this isn't an attack on you!  I started with consumer equipment as did almost every other photographer.   But please price yourself fairly!  

The difference in picture quality between consumer grade and professional grade equipment is extremely noticeable.  Especially in low light situations!

Read over the papers on my wedding site to help you make a more educated decision on who will photograph your wedding!!!

Above is a photo of the equipment I use to shoot my weddings!

Sean and Sara's Wedding!

    Here is a couple shots from my friend's wedding last summer.  I wasn't the offical photographer for the wedding, I was a guest.  But these days its hard for me to attend a wedding and not take pictures.  I love my job so much, I can't get enough of it!

    This wedding took place here in Ottawa at golf club in the west end.  It was a great time!  Thanks a lot Sean and Sara!

Wedding photographers must have a steady hand!

    One essential aspect of great wedding photos, is sharpness.  A great photo almost always have one area of the photo that is tack sharp.  Sharpness is something that takes a lot of work to master.  There are a few things you can do to ensure a sharp photo.

1. Keep your shutter speed no slower that 1/(your focal length).  This rule can be broken when you have a tripod, use a flash, or have image stabilization on the lens.
2. Learn to use your auto focus points to ensure you have the desired area in focus.  
3. Use quality lenses.
4. Use walls, tables, chairs or anything you can find to support yourself.
5. Take a deep breath and release the shutter right before you exhale.
6. In low light use a flash or tripod to ensure sharp images.
7. For freezing motion, use faster shutter speeds, flash and focus on where your subject is going to be.
8. Learn to manual focus, there are times when manual focusing is the only way to get the shot.

This picture was taken at a wedding I shot at the Courtyard Restaurant here in Ottawa, last fall.  The sharpness of this photo is what gives the shot character.  You can see every detail in the subject.  For this shot I put my ISO up a bit to 400 and used a slower shutter around 1/30.  The aperture was set at 2.8 to blur the background.  I had to use a wider focal length to allow me to use such a slow shutter hand held.  To freeze any camera shake I bounced a flash off the ceiling at around 1/4 power.

To all you photographers out there make sure you pay close attention to image sharpness.
To all you shopping around for wedding photographers make sure you look for a photographer who produces consistently sharp images.