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 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!

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.

 

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.