Rosie Parsons - Wedding Photography: A Step by Step Guide to Capturing the Big Day

Copyright 2014 by Rosie Parsons

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the email address below.rosie@rosieparsons.com

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Find Rosie Parsons Photography at www.rosieparsons.com

This book is dedicated to my husband Lee and children Jacob, Summer, Sienna and soon to be born Zac and to all the couples who have allowed me the privilege of being part of their wedding day. Thank you!

Abraham Lincoln

Has a friend just asked you to photograph their wedding? Or maybe you have shot a few before but you want to brush up your skills?

For those of you who havent photographed a wedding before, you may be experiencing a mixture of feelings. Have you made the right decision in saying yes? Can you really pull it off?

Dont panic! The secret is in the preparation. Yes, photographing a wedding is a lot of work and there is a lot at stake - but this guide, based on my seven years of wedding photography experience, shooting in all sorts of conditions, is going to take you through, step by step, everything youll need to know to prepare you fully for this exciting challenge.

Throughout this book Im going to share with you everything I wish Id known when I started photographing weddings!

My background before weddings was in live music photography. I would shoot the likes of Destinys Child and James Brown while also writing reviews as a music journalist. I had the basic understanding how to use my camera, particularly in low light situations, but I didnt have a clue about the intricacies of a wedding day and the challenges Id face when I was first asked to photograph one of my friends weddings!

In preparation of my first wedding I did try to get some experience in advance by asking local photographers if I could assist them, but the response was less than enthusiastic - so I had to figure it out the hard way!

Since then, Ive learned how to photograph a wedding so that its stress free and enjoyable. Its great to have now got to the stage where Im fortunate enough to have had work published in OK! Magazine, Wedding Magazine, You & Your Wedding and the cover of Professional Photographer Magazine, and won Cosmo Bride Wedding Photographer of the Year 2010 (hurray!).

In this book, I want to show you how to tackle every part of the day, including a must have shot list with behind the scenes tips for how to capture each moment, example images to inspire you and my trade secrets for success in every situation.

I must admit that my wedding experience (and therefore my advice) is limited to church weddings, civil weddings and outdoor humanist ceremonies which all follow a similar pattern to the day. If you are asked to photograph another type of wedding with their own customs, such as a Jewish or large Asian wedding, then I would highly recommend doing additional research into what will be expected of you and making sure you talk through expectations and other elements of the day with your client.

I also haven't had wide experience in photographing same sex ceremonies - in fact I have only ever had the privilege of attending one as the professional photographer, which is why I haven't given specific advice on this topic. If you are looking for additional insight into this area, I would highly recommend reading The New Art of Capturing Love by Kathryn Hamm and Thea Dodds for some great tips.

I use all prime (fixed focal length) lenses and shoot in manual mode. These two elements combined are a big factor in the creation of the photographic style of which I get booked for, so I am a big advocate of these, but I will try to give you alternative options too!

Of course you dont need to use exactly the same equipment as I do - you could choose a good all round zoom lens like a 24-70mm f/2.8 for example. The reason I use prime lenses with wide apertures is that they let in a huge amount of gorgeous natural light. This gives me confidence in any situation, so that if Im faced with a dark bridal suite or candle lit church, I know I wont have to bump up my ISO really high and risk grainy images.

If youre wondering where to start with your kit, the main thing is to remember that you need to take lenses which will cover all bases. This includes wide angle shots of the venue and large groups, another more close up lens for portraits of the couple and discreet shots during the ceremony and ideally a macro lens for closeups of details like the rings and flowers. The faster the lens you have, the easier you will find it to shoot in low light conditions (there can be a lot of those at weddings!). That is why I shoot most of the day, apart from group shots, at f1.4.

Here is my essential wedding kit - take it as inspiration. If you dont have a wide, portrait or macro lens, see if you can borrow them from a friend or hire them from somewhere like Calumet Rental. If you need to spend money hiring lenses, make sure that whatever you charge your client takes this extra cost into account.

• My main digital camera body - I use a Canon 5D Mark II
• My second camera body as backup - I have a Canon 5D
• 50mm 1.4mm - I use this for the bulk of the day as its brilliant for low light situations as often found in churches, and can be used for fairly wide shots and portraits if you have a full frame sensor camera like the 5D. If your camera is not full frame then you may want a wider lens for these type of shots
• 85 1.2mm - this is used for low light situations and portraits. It is an expensive lens but does make low light scenarios much less stressful! If renting a lens like this is too cost prohibitive, then a more cost effective version would be the 85 1.8. You can also use a zoom lens instead. I use it most during bridal prep and for bride and groom portraits
• 35 1.4mm - for wide angles of the venue, setting the scene and larger group shots
• 100mm 2.8 macro - used once or twice during the day, for the close up of the rings and other intricate details
• At least four fully charged camera batteries plus a battery charger for emergencies
• 8 x 16GB CF cards - Id recommend four times as many as you think youll need. For a wedding I would take 8 x 16GB to be on the safe side - I shoot in RAW - but I might only use 5 cards on the day
• Two External flashes - one as backup
• Three changes of AA batteries for your flash - 12 in total

If this seems like a lot of kit, especially for someone who may not be planning on doing weddings professionally, then the bare basics Id suggest taking to shoot a wedding would be:

• Two cameras - one as your backup
• A wide angle lens
• A lens 50mm or longer for portraits
• Two flashes - one as your backup
• A minimum of 80GB in memory cards if shooting RAW

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