Wedding Tips for the Budding Photographer / by Masumi Taguchi

Howdy y’all 📸

Last month I had the privilege of shooting an intimate wedding in Phillip Island. Y’all, it was one of the most laid-back weddings I’ve got to shoot! It definitely sat in the top three. Having focused on grad school for the last few years, it felt great to revisit the wedding photography mentality. Having shot again, I felt this serves as a chance to share three tips that I’ve found helpful in shooting weddings that I’d love to share with you.

  1. Tell the Story

    The opportunity of the photographer at a wedding is to capture the story of the day. Enjoy this process, and focus on the moments that represent figuratively, pages in a book. Ask yourself the questions:

    • “Who are the characters?”

    • “What made them uniquely them?”

    • What was the main event of this story?” - This one may be obvious

    • How did this story unfold? How did it end?

2. Deliver Quality over Quantity

Fellas, be confident in the images you provide. Deliver the images which support you in relaying the story. Refrain from letting anxiety overtake you. Sometimes I see this analogy akin to the concept of TMI - too much information. Sometimes, oversharing takes away from a wonderful story. Don’t afraid to pull yourself back. To some photographers, this means delivering 150 images. For others, it may mean 400.

3. Communicate

Like any relationship that you wish to have, communication is vital. Before you shoot, have an in-person chat so you are all on the same page. This is an opportunity to share your photography shooting style (imagery as well as on-site shooting preference), check for any points of concern, discuss turnaround time, additional products, etc. During the weeks approaching the wedding day, don’t be afraid to ocassionally stay in contact to provide updates & check for any from the wedding party.

I hope these tips will help you along your wedding journey :).
Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Cheers,
Masumi