Welcome to the first of many Wedding Tip Tuesday's!
Being that weddings are my biz I see a lot of things that do and don't work well for weddings. So I'm starting something new here on the blog. Wedding Tip Tuesday.
Today's tip involves the ceremony itself.
Tip: Have the Officiant stand on the stage facing the audience not standing on the floor level or stage with his back toward the crowd.
Reason: Wouldn't you rather have a photo of the back of your gorgeous dress than the back of the officiant's head (likely balding) - and his suit? I 'get' why the officiant's suggest this. They suggest that it will be nice for the guests to see the face of the bride and groom.BUT................... I've had many couples tell me after the fact that they hated that because it made them all too nervous to see their guests from the stage.
From a photography perspective this is why I suggest this tip. When I'm at the back of the church shooting down the main aisle I like to zoom in close to the hands of the bride and the groom as they are exchanging rings and also get shots of her dress from the back... and then the profile of the couple when they are turned to one another during ring exchange and the vows.
Personally - I'm not a roaming photographer during weddings - which is why my biggest lens is about the size of a my youngest child (k.... slight exageration). I stay at the back of the church and zoom in. I don't want to be a distraction to guests and heaven forbid the couple or their family's see me. I also love being in the balcony to get the birds eye view and also to zoom in from that view. One of my favorite photos from my own wedding is a view of the ceremony from the balcony.
Here are a few samples of the right way to do it.
*If the pastor was standing on the floor level with his back to me I couldn't get shots like this. You can see the tulle on her dress and the detail in the drop waist.
*If the pastor was standing on the floor it would have ruined this shot. Not that the flowers wouldn't have been gorgeous but it wouldn't have had the same punch as it does here.
The following photo was taken from the balcony. I love how close I was able to get. You can see Ashley putting Cody's ring on very clearly. If the pastor was on the lower level in front of them I would have missed that shot.
So there you have it.
Thanks for reading Wedding Tip Tuesday.
Have a blessed day.
Love to all,
Amy
