Building A Career In Wedding Photography

It takes more than just photographic skills to become a wedding photographer, you will need to be the kind of person that is comfortable in the company of large groups of people and stays calm under pressure.



I’ve been shooting wedding photography in Kent for 7 years now and I know the pressure involved in dealing with a wedding day.



It goes without saying that knowing the art of photography is a pre-requisite. This is fairly imperative! However, that isn’t to say anyone with photographic skills can just go out and shoot a wedding.



Before attempting your first wedding, I would offer these tips:



1, ask to help another photographer. Going along as the "2nd shooter" at a wedding takes all the pressure off you. You can watch the professional at work and take a few shots at the same time. By the end of the wedding you will have a rough idea of the way a wedding works and what is expected of you.



2, offer your services for free. Find a friend who is getting married and offer to do there wedding for nothing. Explain to them that you are just starting and would like to get some experience. Make sure they are aware that this is likely to be your first and as such they should not expect miracles! It’s a risk on there part, but if they are aware of the situation you cannot be blamed if you fail to deliver the amazing shots they wanted.



3, check out the camera forums. Forums are full of advice, some can be ignored but if you find the right people you can often get some great advice. Ask plenty of questions, make sure you are fully clued up on what gear you will need and what you will be expected to deliver.



4, have a back-up camera. There is no right or wrong camera. Technically you could shoot a wedding with any camera (tho I would recommend an entry level DSLR at least). But what if your one camera fails? You must have a 2nd camera in case this happens. Modern cameras are electrical items and as likely to fail as a TV or a toaster! And always have spare batteries as well, and lenses! Have spares of everything. And a good quality bag to store it all in.



Whatever approach you take to your first wedding, make sure you’re researched and your cameras are fully charged. Don’t try anything too fancy, get the basics right and go from there. After a while you can start to be more creative and before you know it, with a lot of hard work and a bit of luck you may make it as a professional wedding photographer.



To see my wedding photography, visit kent wedding photography