The celebration of love and union is an unforgettable moment. Holding a wedding ceremony is to eternalize this shared happiness. The brilliance of the occasion, however, may not be complete if, due to carelessness or lack of technical preparation, the professional puts the beauty and charm of wedding photography at risk.
Covering this type of event is a huge responsibility, which requires commitment, empathy and a lot of dedication from the professional well before the big day.
The best way to avoid failures that compromise the quality of work and damage the professional’s reputation is to know the ones that happen the most, to prevent and not take risks.
Check out the 9 most common mistakes of wedding photography
1 – Absence of a good briefing
Knowing the history of the bride and groom is the starting point for all the rest of the planning. It is essential to talk to both and submit them to a questionnaire to find out how they met, places and songs that marked the romance, individual tastes and dreams and as a couple, what they expect from the wedding photographs, important people in each of their lives, besides, of course, details about the ceremony itself – venue, costumes, decoration, etc.
From this briefing, the wedding photographers can draw an initial script of how to tell this story in a creative way, always respecting the expectations and the profile of the clients. This process also helps to dimension the team and equipment needed for each type of event.
2 – Do not sign a contract
The clauses serve to provide security for both the contractors and the contracted professional. The document needs to clearly determine the rights and duties of each of those involved.
3 – Lack of technical mastery
Especially when the photographer is a beginner, insecurity about the techniques can generate a series of errors that compromise all the work – such as, for example, focus, speed adjustment, ISO sensitivity, white balance or composition. That is why it is important to study, practice and observe the work of colleagues continuously. The wedding photographer will only be able to make creative, bold and pleasant images when he has full control of the technical part.
4 – Lack of Communication
It is important for the photographer to relate clearly to three main groups:
– Grooms: there must be a connection between the photographer and the photos. The professional needs to talk, direct the couple, give advice on interesting poses to get the best images. Trying to take photos in a quiet and timid manner is a common mistake of beginners, concerned with not “getting in the way”. At party time, however, the ideal is to make people more at ease and interfere as little as possible.
– Photo / video team: the lack of alignment with the video team or with other photographers can cause problems for everyone, such as inadequate light and poor framing.
– Ceremonial: getting in tune with the person or team responsible for advising the wedding will provide the photographer with important information about the event.
5 – Missing important clicks
Just a little distraction and that’s it: there goes the record of that important moment that will leave a void in the couple’s album. Some ways to prevent this slip:
– Keep the camera always at eye level, so as not to miss any move;
– Work with more photographers (the trend is that at least one captures the moment);
– Get to know the protocols of each ritual in depth – such as the entry of groomsmen and fiancés, the ‘yes’ time, the exchange of rings, the first kiss of married couples, greetings and the couple’s departure. It is important to study how the ceremony of that specific religion works, after all, each one has its peculiarities.
6 – Do not back up
Losing all the photographed material is the worst case scenario. The professional may even try to mitigate the impact of the loss by offering a free photo shoot or returning the amount paid, but the truth is that nothing will be able to compensate the couple. There are even cases of photographers indicted for irresponsibility. Therefore, the best thing is to prevent:
– Before leaving the event, remove the memory card from the camera and keep it somewhere discreet with you (inside the sock, for example). In the event of theft or loss of equipment on the way, the photos are kept safe;
– Arriving at home or at the office, download the photos on your computer and on an external hard drive, to have everything in two different places. Consider saving them to some cloud platform as well;
– From time to time, back up everything on that external hard drive to a second hard drive.
According to DK Photo, keeping up with the latest technology and trends is what has made their business sustainable over the years.
7– Do not check the equipment
In order not to be on hand at the time of H, the ideal is to set up a checklist with all the equipment and accessories you need to bring, checking the conditions of each one in advance.
It is worth remembering that the batteries of the camera and the flash, after being charged, should only be inserted at the time of use – before that, they can have a small loss of energy, even with the devices turned off.
8 – Lack of maintenance
As good as the quality of the equipment is, constant use calls for periodic preventive maintenance to clean, check the condition of parts and make possible adjustments.
It is recommended that the items undergo the evaluation of a specialized technician every two or three months, or shortly after exposure to dust or moisture.
A tip: after use, store the equipment (clean) in an organizing box with desiccant material (silica gel) to avoid the appearance of fungi.
9 – Not having extra material
The photographer should not commit to covering a wedding if he does not have backup equipment. It is a safety measure so that, if there is a malfunction in the camera, lens or flash during the service, the event is not impaired. It is also good to provide an extra battery pack (charged) and memory cards (with free space).
Some of these precautions are very simple, but they can make all the difference for the photos to record the most sensitive and happy moments.