wedding

PSA: This is Why You Need to Dress Up When You Shoot Weddings

I recently shot a wedding with a buddy of mine where there were other hired professionals doing what they do: videographer, musicians, coordinators... you get the idea. My friend and I do our best to stay out of each other's shots, but just in case it's unavoidable we both wear formalwear so we can easily blend in as guests.

Nikon D5 Pro Review: The Batman of the Camera World

Powerful, insanely fast, supremely agile, hauntingly accurate and a master of the dark. The Batman of the camera world.

I could end the review there, but what fun would that be?

5 Reasons You Can’t Book a Bridal Editorial Shoot (and it has nothing to do with your gear)

I was honoured to wrap-up another bridal-inspired editorial shoot where I was paid for my expertise. Having been a wedding photographer for 5+ years, I can say with certainty that it has taken 2+ years of hustling to be welcomed into the inner circle of a few select Sydney florists, stylists, hair stylists and makeup artists. Being invited to shoot an editorial campaign is one thing, being paid for the privilege is another.

Galloping Horses Make for a Gorgeous Wedding Photo

Here's a gorgeous wedding photo captured recently by Vancouver-based husband and wife wedding photography duo Jelger and Tanja. They managed to capture the bride and groom, Andrea and Eoin, with horses galloping by and sun beams peeking through the clouds.

I Do Wedding Photography with the Sony a7S

My name is David Weightman, and I do wedding photography as Married to My Camera. As my brand name suggests, I’m rather attached to one camera! Due to the documentary style of wedding photography I practice, I feel it’s more important that I know my camera inside out, rather than upgrade constantly to the latest model on the market.

I put being able to react quickly and “get the shot” above all else. Having said that, last year I decided to add the Sony Alpha a7S to my bag (or should I say hip). I’m still shooting with an SLR, but when I began to research the Sony mirrorless system I found that there were a number of features that would allow me to shoot where I had so far been struggling with the SLR.

Brides Magazine: Don’t Feed Your Photographers

Brides magazine recently published an article titled "Which Vendors Do You Have to Feed at Your Wedding?" In the piece, wedding planner Sandy Malone gives brides advice on which vendors they're responsible for feeding at a wedding, and which you can leave out of your plans.

Her "general rule" is that wedding photographers don't need to be fed, and photographers aren't happy about it.

100 Photographers ‘Flash Mob’ a Couple’s First Dance

During a wedding reception back in September 2013, photographer Tammy Bryan and the couple decided to have a little fun with the guests by organizing a flash mob. Bryan is the organizer of the Greater Cincinnati Photographers Club, and she asked 100 of the group's photographers to help brighten up the first dance... literally.

17 Ideas for Marketing Your Wedding Photography in the Off-Season

Weddings are a seasonal thing. They really pick up in spring, roll on at a steady pace through summer and then spike into the fall. But then comes November, when the frenzy of peak wedding season slows down, it can be tempting to hibernate until spring. If you’ve had a particularly busy year, it may actually be necessary for you to cool your heels for a minute.

I’ve Had Enough with Wedding Guests Taking Pictures with Phones

Right, I've had enough. I want to talk to you all about guests using mobile phone cameras at weddings. I want to plead with you, and I'm going to make this very simple: brides and grooms, please have a completely unplugged wedding ceremony.

Look at the photo above. This groom had to lean out past the aisle just to see his bride approaching. Why? Because guests with their phones were in the aisle and in his way.

Making an Alice in Wonderland Portrait with 12 Hours of Photoshop

After my Star Wars photo-manipulation went viral, I was contacted by a fellow in Hong Kong who wanted to surprise his wife with a bit of Wonderland. He gave me some photos of him and his bride, and then graciously gave me artistic freedom to create the photo above.

A Wedding Photographer on a Self-Balancing Scooter

Self-balancing scooters have become all the rage over the past couple of years, and you can now buy a small handle-less Segway-esque device for yourself for around $300 to $400. In addition to gliding around and attracting curious looks on the street, you can also use the "hoverboards" to shoot stable photos and videos.

Photographer Recreates Couple’s Wedding After the Hired Shooter Flaked

Matt and Heather Koehler got married in Michigan back on September 12th. Shortly before walking down the aisle, the couple was devastated to find that their wedding photographer was a no-show. The "professional" they had hired to document their special day was nowhere to be found, so the couple was forced to go through with the wedding without the official photos they had planned and paid for.

This $500 Wedding Selfie Stick is a Hit with Brides

Luxury wedding selfie sticks are a thing. Not only do they exist, but they're actually a hit with brides who want to shoot selfies on their big day with style.

The New York-based boutique Reem Acra recently unveiled a $500 selfie stick that's covered with Swarovski crystals and white blossoms. It's being sold for a whopping $500 each, and it's already out of stock.

Wanted: Wedding Photography in Exchange for Free Instagram Publicity

Instagram has over 400 million active users now, and top photographers on the service can make thousands of dollars per photo by promoting products. With the value of Instagram followers increasing, it seems that some people are now trying to use their follower counts to get free photography.

A young couple in Chicago posted an ad this week that was aimed at photographers (and other vendors) who would be willing to offer their photography (and other services) in exchange for free publicity... through an Instagram account with 17,600 followers.

President Obama Crashes Wedding Photographs

San Diego-based wedding photographers Jeff and Erin Youngren got an unexpected surprise this past weekend after President Obama stepped into the scene. The wedding was at the Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, and Obama happened to be playing a round of golf on Sunday.

Wedding Photographers Show Off Their Dance Moves with the Bride and Groom

Here's something you don't see very often at weddings: a choreographed dance involving the photographers. At a recent wedding in Albania, the bride and groom came up with the idea of doing an organized dance with their sharply-dressed photographers and videographers to open up the dance floor. You can watch the 3-minute routine in the video above.

Internet Helps Photographer Find Couple in Stunning Storm Wedding Photo

One of the big photo stories on the Web this past week has been the picture above, shot over the weekend by Australian photographer Sam Yeldham. Yeldham was shooting time-lapse photos of a storm rolling into Sydney when a bride and groom strolled into the scene. He captured a gorgeous shot of the couple as the sun was setting and before the storm struck, but the couple was gone before he could get their contact information.

Wedding Photographers Reveal Their Earliest Photos to Show How Far They’ve Come

Confucius once said that "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Well, the journey of a thousand weddings begins with one photograph. We asked a handful of wedding photographers to share an early photo that represents their humble beginnings, and a current photo that represents where they are today. Not surprisingly, many of the photographers turned us down.

Apparently, sharing your vintage photos is not cool.

The Story of How I Shot a Wedding Inside a Cave

My name is Andre Oliveira. I’m 24 years old, and I began learning how to use DSLR cameras in 2008 starting with a Canon Rebel Ti that my school supplied. I worked my way to my first Nikon, the D3100, and then eventually up to a D7000. My best upgrade was buying a Nikon 50mm prime lens 4 years ago.

This is Wedding Photographer Sam Hurd’s Impressive Backup Workflow

Washington D.C.-based wedding photographer Sam Hurd has quite a wild backup system for his clients' images. In an article and video Hurd posted on his blog, he explains the extensive setup behind his apocalyptical-style backup protection. If you thought you had your files well protected, you might feel otherwise after watching this (unless you're careful to the same degree).

Video: Creating a Star Wars Wedding Photo with 12 Hours of Photoshop

Photographer Tanya Musgrave shoots weddings professionally, but she also dabbles with photo manipulation on the side as a hobby. A groom she worked with recently asked her to do a special Star Wars photo based on the Battle of Hoth seen in The Empire Strikes Back. So, Musgrave shot a special photo on the way of the ceremony and then did the rest of the magic in Photoshop.

The 3-minute video above is a time-lapse of the long editing process.

I Don’t Do Weddings: Wedding Photography Through a Commercial Photographer’s Lens

There was a time when I guess you could have called me a wedding photographer. Although at that point you could have really called me an ‘anything’ photographer. It was early in my career. At that point in time I would have photographed a cat eating belly button lint if someone had paid me to do so.

Fainting Bridesmaid Leads to the ‘Strangest’ First Kiss Photo

Wedding photographer Sean Cook captured his "strangest photo" a few weeks ago while shooting at a wedding in Chicago. At the exact moment of the bride and groom's first kiss, a bridesmaid (the groom's sister) fainted. The newlyweds now have a "first kiss" wedding photo that features a bridesmaid lying facedown in the background.

Ceremony is Another Crowdsourced Wedding Photo Aggregation App

It is not a new notion to challenge the need for pro photographers in the 21st century when just about everyone has a smartphone and a high-resolution camera in their pocket. Just last year, Facebook released a video asking “Why have one photographer when can have a hundred?”. Now, a new application called Ceremony is looking to help collect all of your favorite moments by crowdsourcing images from the guests at your party.

Photographer Makes 6-Foot-Long Print of Every Single Person at Wedding

Photographer Liam Hennessey runs a wedding photography studio in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Recently he was hired to shoot a wedding at a hotel that was extremely close to his studio. Wanting to do something unique for the couple, an ambitious idea popped into Hennessey's head: "Why don't we have every guest come to our studio and get their photo taken?" he thought.

So they did.

7 Tips to Save You From Wasting Time and Money on the WRONG Photo Workshop

Note: I don’t name names in this article, but if you’ve been in the wedding industry for while, you will know who I am referring to. If not, you really do need to read this.

A photography industry workshop can be a fantastic way to learn and help your business grow. Industry leaders can share information that they have gathered over the years, distilling it that knowledge into a valuable seminar or workshop.

Great education can save time on the learning curve, and save you from making big mistakes. Unfortunately, for every great educator out there, there are 10 people who have absolutely no business teaching.