Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration. They coordinate the date according to vacation times from work. Or they coordinate the wedding day for the family to be able to make it into town.  Or they plan it based upon maybe available venues, like the church or the restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer.  This is no small matter.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you consider the pictures are what is going to be captured for a lifetime.

What are the things to think about when making plans with the photographer in mind.  The time and the date.

Let’s begin talking about time.  How many people do you think would want their photographer to rush taking the photos? I am pretty confident most couples will not agree to that. 

Without even considering your photographer, a majority of the times most couples do just that. The couple will end up rushing the photographer to get all the shots in. 

How so you say? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm. With the reception beginning at 2:30. How many shots can a photographer make when he only has a half hour to work with? Not that many.

Worse thing to consider, what if he does manage to take all the photos? Do you think they can take some real good shots if they are being rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

The second thing to think about when doing your planning is to keep the photographer’s availability in mind.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance. Let’s say you are dealing with a large photography company, they probably have a few photographers.

Well without considering your photographers availability on the wedding day could turn into a disaster.  Because if you book that special day and don’t make sure that the actual photographer will be available, when your wedding day comes you might be shocked to find someone totally different.

This scenario happens when you are dealing with a big company. You may not even realize that they have a staff of photographers and if the photographer you liked is booked, unless you ask, they might not tell you.  When your wedding day comes, they might just outsource their work or a second rate photographer might show up.

So be ready by not letting this happen.Making plans for your wedding day is special. Be sure that you also plan it thinking about your wedding photographer.

Being asked to take photos for a wedding is a huge responsibility.If you’ve been approached to do it as a friend, or maybe asked to do it as a professional, here are 5 great tips to do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.  So whether you are seasoned pro, or a rank amateur, if you follow these tips, you will feel comfortable and not have to second guess yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.

Our first tip is a simple thing you can do and that is to have the couple and the families go and make a shot list.  When the day is hectic and chaotic, this will help immensely when you are trying to get family and group shots later on in the day.You will love how you can just go through your list and get all the shots you want without leaving anything out.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.  Great as they are, they also are tempting to delete a shot since it is so easy to do.Don’t even think of looking at the shots.  What makes a great shot in your mind could differ widely that what makes a great shot in the couples minds.  And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.

For the the third tip, make sure you get candid shots during and after the wedding.  A good wedding photographer will not just try and get the typical shots, like family group shots, wedding party shots, or your standard bride and groom.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It could include things that don’t go perfectly, like a flower girl not wanting to walk down the aisle or the ring bearer making a wrong turn.Every photo matters.

The fourth piece of advice is make sure you have back up equipment.Do you even want to think of the horror of not being able to take any more shots of the wedding because of a broken camera.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.By being prepared for the worst and bringing extra cameras and equipment you will avoid the horrible moment fo not having any working cameras to capture the rest of the wedding. day.

Last piece of advice, make sure you know the lighting of the wedding. There can be a huge difference between the lighting inside the wedding and outside, so make sure to practice for all the different possible conditions. You should try and see if you can scout the locations for the big day and try and find the best spots to shoot as well as gauging the lighting needs.

Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.

No doubt a wedding will be one of the most important moments that will happen in a person’s life. Hours and hours go into all of the planning for the wedding. Most of the tasks that take place in wedding planning are time consuming, stressful, and can be frustrating. That’s why it is crucial that your homework is done when trying to find good people for all the jobs.  One of the most important jobs is that of the photographer. From my experience as a San Diego wedding photographer I’ll show you it can be a few simple steps away.

Finding a wedding photographer is a big job. There are several things to take into account when trying to make this important decision. The photographs that you get from your wedding day will be some of the most memorable moments that you. The photos will be all over your walls for the rest of yourlife. One of the important factors when trying to find a photographer is price. A lot of photographers will charge you a certain price for a specific lenght of time for the wedding. It is important to know up front what all is included with that
price. When it comes to finding a wedding photographer, the biggest upside to pricing is there is a lot of competition. Don’t forget, a lot of photographers will negotiate their price to fit what you need.

Another thing to take into account when deciding is how much experience does this person have. Is this their first wedding job, or have they done a few? Their price might be a reflection of just how long and how many years of experience they have in business. Now just because someone may have a lot of experience doesn’t guarantee they will be better. Sometimes the photographers that are just starting their careers and are trying to build a name will turn out to be excellent. The advantage of going with someone like that is you know you are going to get their best effort. When looking for a wedding photographer, you will find people with varying levels of experience. When you do an interview of prospective photographers, it will give you a sense of what it will be like when you work with them.

A final thing to think about when you prepare to make that decision is what kind of personality does the photographer have. Are they likely going to try call all the shots and decide on all your poses? Or are they going to let the bride and groom make some decisions? The other thing to consider is whether or not you want to be making decisions on the photos. The bride and groom might have enough to worry about that day as it is. Take all of these factors into consideration when you choose your photographer. If you do, no doubt you will have some beautiful photos to cherish for the rest of your lives.  Take it from me, your experienced San Diego photographer.

When you are asked to be the one to take photos of the wedding is a huge responsibility.If you’ve been approached to do it as a friend, or maybe asked to do it as a professional, here are 5 great tips to do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.  So whether you are seasoned pro, or a rank amateur, if you follow these tips, you will feel comfortable and not have to second guess yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.

Our first tip is pretty simple and that is to have the couple and their families make a list for you of shots they want to take.With a day that can be as hectic and chaotic as a wedding day, doing this will help when you are trying to organize all the group and family shots later on in the day.  You will love it and when you can just go down the list and get everything without leaving anything out by accident.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Even though they are great, it is also tempting since it is so easy, to delete a shot.  Don’t even look at the previews.Remember, what you think is a great shot, could be vastly different than what the couple thinks is a great shot.  And who knows, they might appreciate the so called un “professional” shots.

A third tip to consider is making sure you get candid shots.A good wedding photographer doesn’t look to just take your typical shots, like group shots, or wedding shots or your standard newly married shots.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.  And that includes some of the things that could go wrong, like a flower girl not making it all the way to the front, or the ring bearer dropping the rings.Every picture counts.

The fourth piece of advice is make sure you have back up equipment.  Do you even want to imagine having a camera stop working halfway through the day.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.By being ready with extra equipment, you will avoid the uncomfortable time of not being able to take any more pictures of the wedding day with a broken camera.

Finally, you have to be prepared for the lighting and you do that by practicing. There can be a huge difference between the lighting inside the wedding and outside, so make sure to practice for all the different possible conditions. Think about seeing if you can go to the locations of the big day and look for the best spots to take pictures as well as study the lighting needs.

Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.