WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BPS206

Launch a career or small business venture

...as a Wedding Photographer

At other events (eg. sporting events), many different people are part of the event. At a wedding, the total focus is on the bride and groom - they are the event! The photography needs to maintain this strong focus on the bride and groom and convey the image that they are first and best in every way on that occasion. The whole concept of a wedding is always romantic, frequently fashionable and preferably overflowing with optimism and life.

Become a successful Wedding Photographer

Wedding photography can be the most critical and stressful type of photography because:

The event is so very important to the bride and groom
The bride and groom are usually quite stressed out
The wedding only happens once
More than at most other types of events, photographs are an integral part of what happens during the wedding.

Course Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

Introduction
- Nature and Scope of Wedding Photography
- Creating Romance
- Managing People
- Planning
- Developing a Checklist for Wedding Shots
- Brides Home, Grooms Home, General Shots, At the Ceremony, At the Reception, etc
- Digital Wedding Photography
- Equipment
- Lighting at Weddings; Rain, Sun, Overcast Weather
Logistical Planning
- Key People to Liase With
- Guidelines
- What Shots
- Listing Shots
- Preparation
- Understanding different Types of Ceremonies -christian, muslim, buddhist, Jewis, etc
Equipment
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Larger Format Cameras
- Digital Cameras
- Back Up Equipment
- Lenses
- Flashes and other Accessories
- Bags
- Battery Packs
- Tripods and Monopods
Style Options
- Photojournalism versus Classical
- The Traditional Poses
- Other Shots
Photographic Composition and Posing
- Taking Flattering Photos
- Principles of Photo Composition; Unity, Balance, Proportion, Harmony, Contrast, Rythm
- Qualities of the Subject; line, form, mass, space, texture, colour, patterns, tone, lines and paths.
- Camera Techniques to Assist with Composition; movement, depth of field or focus
- Basic Principles of Light
- Basic Camera Terms
- Equipmentand Materials
- Filters, Lighting
- Composition
- Rule of Thirds
- Developing a Portrait Style
- Posing for Photos
- A Photo Essay
- Blurring Movement
- Panning
Shooting the Wedding Ceremony
- Pre Wedding Shots
- Order of the Wedding
- Precession, Greeting, Statements of Intention, Exchange of Vows, Exchange of Rings etc
- Important Shots at a Ceremony
- Posed Photographs before a Reception
- Indoor Weddings
- Controlling Light
- Restrictions on Photography
- Outdoor Weddings
- Dealing with Strong Backlight
- Larger Wedding Parties
- Smaller Wedding Parties
- Video
Shooting the Wedding Reception
- Scope and Nature of the Reception
- What and when to shoot at a Reception
- Guests
Post Production
- Processing
- Batch Processing
- Fault Finding
- Digital Colour into Black and White
- Digital Duotone and Sepia Tones
- Filters and Image Processing
- Special Effects
- Compositing
- Presentation of photos, etc
Business & Marketing

Selling yourself Establishing a Wedding Photo Business
Devising a Business Plan
Marketing
Scheduling your Work
Financial Management
Insurance
What to Charge
Written Contracts
Customer Satisfaction

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Lesson Aims

Determine factors relevant to any particular wedding, that can impact upon the way in which a photographer will plan and conduct the shooting of photos for that wedding.
Learn how to plan what to do, where and when on the wedding day.
Select photographic equipment appropriate for use when photographing a wedding.
Determine an appropriate style for wedding photographs, according to the needs of the client.
Improving your photographic composition.
Shoot a Wedding Ceremony
Shoot a Wedding Reception
Process and present wedding photos to the clients, in a variety of formats
Successfully establish, market and manage a wedding photography business

Starting a Wedding Photography Business
Establishing a wedding photography business requires more then just a talent for photography. With the advent of digital cameras and the simplification of the photo taking process, everyone thinks they are an expert! Photographers need more then ever to offer the best professional services and produce beautiful photos, today’s clients are worldly and informed - they need to be sure what is on offer cannot also be produced by a family friend or relative. And also importantly you need to know how to run a business. Your potential market will be unique to the region or locality you live in. If you live in a large city, the variety of opportunities will be greater, but the competition for work is also likely to be stronger. All these things need to be considered.

To obtain photographic work, a photographer needs to present and sell themselves to their clients. This is done by firstly, developing an awareness of the potential market, secondly assembling a relevant portfolio and developing an effective sales approach, and thirdly by implementing what has been planned (ie. selling yourself).

This course helps you understand the wedding industry, develops your ability to take wedding photos; and also gives you the knowlege to avoid common pitfalls and optimise your chance of success in getting a wedding prhography business started.