Have a good relationship with your photographer: You will get back from your wedding photography experience what you put into it. If you click and really get along with your photographer your formal images will be better.

If you plan on taking some pictures at a wedding, there are a few shots That seem to end up in every album. If you capture all of these events, you will be known as a great photographer.

Number one is the cutting of the cake picture. The usual sequence starts with a close up of the cake followed by both bride and groom looking down and cutting then looking up (this is the best shot). It ends with a ritual feeding each other and hopefully not a smash job. One full length shot is enough. The rest should be cut at the knees for a medium crop. The feeding can be closer.

Tip! Add your personal touches. For example; if you have children you may consider making them an important part of your wedding.

Second is the first kiss after the ceremony. This event can come quickly so you’d better be positioned ahead of time with your finger on the button and the camera to your eye. You only get one chance. This picture is mostly symbolic so it doesn’t matter if you can’t see all of the faces.

Third most popular is the picture of the bride and groom getting in the limousine after the ceremony. Right after the throwing of the rice shot, you must race around to the street side of the car, open the door and be prepared to stop the bride from entering prematurely. You must get the bride and groom’s faces close to each other for a good shot. Take two to be sure.

Tip! They have your itinerary / wedding party names to review and make sure there are no issues and that transitions from one thing to a next have a natural flow to them.

Loved by brides, grooms and parents alike is the close up picture of the bride looking up into the groom’s eyes. Include the bouquet and show the rings in the shot. Make several variations: looking at the camera, touching heads, and looking out to the distance. Of course take some full length pictures, some with the flowers on the ground , the bride and groom hugging.

Fifth is the toast picture. It makes a great wallet and thank you card as well as ending up in every album. Because it is so popular, take one toasting each other and two looking at the camera. The same shot works well with the parents as well. If engraved, be sure the glasses are turned toward the camera.

Tip! Maintain a to-do list for the major wedding-related jobs. If you use Outlook, this is easy to put together and print out with their Taskpad, along with percentage completion.

Pictures in the house are kind of anticlimactic, but there is one shot that gets all the oohs and aahs. This one has the bride with her bouquet looking out of the living room window for the limousine to arrive. Usually no flash is needed, the light from the window supplying a perfect portrait quality. Her left hand can be parting the curtain and the right hand holds the bouquet. The lace always looks great.

Finally, the first dance picture showing happiness, togetherness and action at the same time. The ideal shot is full length taken as the bride and groom tilt toward the camera. The photographer is at a low angle and the bride and groom are cheek to cheek. Because the timing is so difficult, no one will mind if you take several tries for the perfect shot. Though these wedding shots are the most popular, the most important shots are the family picture and the portrait of the bride and groom.

Tip! Size Matters: Keep the guest list as small as possible. Editing the guest list will most likely cause the most headaches of the entire wedding process.

Kenneth C. Hoffman,

Retired portrait and wedding photographer. Comments anyone?

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