Chez Spud

Introducing Eliza Claire aka Liz…wedding, portrait, boudoir and trash the dress photographer extraordinaire. That’s her in the photo above, suffering for her art. That little hand in the top right is her daughter’s; she was sitting on mummy’s back using her camera strap as reins and doing ‘gee up horsey’…waaaah! I asked Liz to write a guest post for us about how get get good shots at weddings, although her excellent advice would work well at any type of formal event.

Head on over to Liz’s website Eliza Claire Photography for a nose at her portfolio of wonderful, wonderful shots. Don’t know what trash the dress is? Well then definitely check out this part of her site, it’s a lot of fun…don’t know what to do with that wedding/prom dress sitting in your cupboard? Well Liz can help you out with that…not sure what to buy the man who has everything? Well, um, look here for a gift with a personal touch, although you might want to limit such gifts to your other half rather than your Uncle Bob…speaking of which…over to Liz:

Uncle Bob

Dictionary: un·cle bob ?ng‘k?l b?b (f – Aunt Sue)

n. (American Colloquialism) The guy (or woman) usually found at a wedding, with a camera which is sometimes better than the hired professional’s, sometimes the oldest point and shoot camera there.  What distinguishes the Uncle Bob from the majority of guests, is his attitude.  Uncle Bob will typically believe that he is superior in knowledge and skill to the hired photographer, and will interfere with, obstruct, direct and make difficult the hired professional’s job.

Most wedding photographers have come across one or two ‘Uncle Bob’s’.  Let me tell you my ‘Uncle Bob’ story.  My story involves a bride, a groom a primary photographer and two second shooters. Oh, and the overzealous guest.  We knew she might be trouble when we saw her.  Or, more correctly, when we saw her two semi-pro Nikon cameras – one slung over each shoulder.  She meant business:

And, sure enough, it wasn’t long before she joined us and the bride, and started to direct her own shoot (including one pose that involved both her and the bride lying on the grass)  I imagine that she took some great photos, but her impromptu photo-shoot did mean that dinner was considerably delayed for the other guests.

But how can you avoid being thus-labelled while still taking photos at your friends’ wedding? Because, let’s face it, we all love taking photos and a wedding, with all of your friends and family dressed up and in the best of moods, is the perfect time to do so.  We all want to record their big day in our own way.  I know I do and, even when I’m not working, my camera is never far from my side.

Well, it’s really quite simple – remember that the day is about the bride and groom.  This is just as true a reminder for some wedding professionals who believe that their photos are, not just important, but an integral part of the day! So don’t hold up the proceedings, be considerate and courteous to everyone (including the photographer who’s been paid to capture the bride and groom’s day)

The ideal guest captures the moments that I miss.  Generally, I work alone and, naturally, I cannot be in all places at once.  So, when I’m taking photos of the happy couple with their families, look out for the shot of the bridesmaids hugging, or gran wiping tears away while proudly watching her grandson and his new wife.  Those are the shots that your friends will cherish.

When taking candid photos, a shallow depth of field helps to isolate the subject from the background, but remember that if you’re taking a photo of a small group of people, an aperture of f2.8 may mean that people further away from the focus point won’t be in focus – I would recommend using the Depth of Field Preview button in these situations, just to be sure.  An aperture of f8 is always safe!

Getting the right settings is always going to be about balancing shutter speed and aperture, never more so than in a dark church.  So put your ISO up high and shoot with as small an aperture as you need to keep the shutter speed over (about)  1/100^th of a second.

Avoid using flash during key moments, because your flash could blow out the official photos, as well as those of other guests.  Many religious ministers and some civil officiates actually ban flash these days, as it’s so distracting to them.  When cutting the cake I always ask the DJ to announce that I will take my shot first, then invite guests to take theirs – again, not to annoy you, but to ensure that your flash doesn’t blow out my photo.  When we’re all trying to capture the same moment, it’s easy for this to happen.

Look for different angles, for shapes and symmetry.  Try shooting from above or below the normal line of sight – it makes for far more interesting photos.

We’ve all heard stories of guests whose photos have captured the wedding far better than the professional, but your if friends have hired me to do a job for them, then I will be working hard to do so.  Please give me the space to do so to the very best of my ability – don’t stand in the aisle during the ceremony (as many guests do), try not to stand directly behind the bride and groom when they’re having portraits taken, certainly don’t, as one photographer I know experienced, join the bride and groom at the altar.   Stay seated during the ceremony, otherwise you risk distracting the bride and groom, the other guests, and cutting across the hired photographer’s photos.

Finally, have fun! Come out from behind the camera occasionally and see life, not through a lens, but up close and personal.  Record the memories, but be a part of those memories too.

Finally, a couple of photos that I love, that wouldn’t have been possible to capture if it wasn’t for the guests keen on photography.  So don’t stop taking your photos, just don’t turn into Uncle Bob!

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