Hi Elisha, most weddings (especially at night!) have a lot of action to them. How do you capture those fun and spontaneous moments?
Well, at night after the meal, people are usually a lot more relaxed and some are well oiled 😉 This can make for some fun photos on the dance floor. There’s always at least a few guests busting some interesting moves on the dance floor!
Do great wedding photos come from watching how people move and express themselves?
Yes that’s part of it. It’s important not to be snapping the whole time. Put the camera down from your face and watch people interacting. Don’t linger on them for too long though or it might look a bit strange 😉 Watch for people in groups where there is a lot of activity. Someone might be telling a story or a joke and you can usually anticipate some laughter there. I usually take pics of people who might be sitting alone on their phone or having a quiet chat elsewhere. It’s all about what’s happening and what you find makes a good photo at that moment as well as capturing who is there.
How do you know when to release that shutter button for the right moment?
Well, you don’t always know! Digital has made it very easy to just keep on shooting but I would encourage people not to be too snap happy or else you run the risk of just snapping any old thing and not really capturing anything interesting.
There are a few moments during the wedding day that are standard and certain moments/emotions can almost be predicted. I usually look out for these to capture them. For example, when the father of the bride sees her for the first time, when vows are exchanged and during speeches. These are great moments to capture. Sometimes it’s just pure luck when all the elements come together at the right time.
Sometimes, great photography happens when that person has no idea they are being photographed. Is there a trick every photographer has for getting that shot without getting the couple’s attention?
I don’t know about every photographer but I usually use my 70-200mm lens so I can hide among the guests without making it obvious I’m capturing them across the room 😉 Sometimes I’ll use my 50mm too and just wander in and out of the groups watching and capturing them chatting away. 🙂
Elisha Clarke is a Wedding & Portrait photographer food lover, cat convert and daydreamer from Dublin.
