Digital Wedding Photography Tips

At first glance good digital wedding photography may seem to be a subject best left for the pros.

While that may be true, it is also possible for photography enthusiasts, amateurs, and of course, simply wedding guests who want to capture the special day, to take digital wedding photos like the pros.

An advantage to other people taking digital wedding photography is that you can capture the event from the perspective of a by-stander.

The hired photographer has an agenda which usually consists of a list of standard shots such as the bride getting out of the limousine upon her arrival to the ceremony, the groom shaking hands with the best man, or formal portraits in the garden. However, you do not have those restrictions.

With this freedom of not having the responsibility of capturing every specific desired image, you can use the information below to record a unique perspective of the event, which you can then turn into a nice gift, (say for the couple’s first anniversary, for the parents of the bride and groom…)or simply as a special remembrance for yourself.  The digital wedding photography tips below are just some of many different styles and possibilities to capture these special moments in time.


Think of yourself as a storyteller.  First and foremost digital wedding photography is about telling a story.  It can be a form of photojournalism, and it can transcend into fine art.  It’s all about your eye.  How do you see this event?  Think of your “job” as telling a story to someone who was not able to be at the wedding (or any event, for that matter.)  What do you want to convey to the person who did not attend?  You are capturing the event, but you are capturing the small details that when put together make up the moments that what happened.  Your hands hold the tool that will record this event through your perspective.  Think about that.  If ten people followed these tips at the same event, ten different stories will have been told.  Tell yours.

Realistic documentation or fantasy documentation? Decide from the beginning where you want to go with this project of capturing digital wedding photography.  What is your end result going to be?  Are your images going to be for your personal use?  Will they ultimately be a gift?  Do you want generic images for other uses?  (Such as taking images of the bouquets and using them as wall-art.)   Weddings give digital photographers a great opportunity to get creative.  There are a lot of textures at weddings – fabrics in the gowns of the bridal party as well as guests, flowers, food, displays (buffet, cake table…) Even guests dancing give the photographer many opportunities for documenting the event from a fantasy perspective.  By setting your camera to a slow shutter speed and then taking pictures of dancing, you will get streaky images that will have a strong feel of movement.  They may not be in sharp focus, but that’s not what fantasy is about.  Fantasy is about feeling, and telling a story from a different perspective.

Be an observer.  Often times when a main event is unfolding, there is another, more precious event happening.  When the crowd is focusing (no pun intended) on something, say, the bride enters the church – all of the sudden shutters start clicking, flashes start going off, and they are all focused on the subject.  It’s okay to grab that shot, the point of this tip, is to then quickly observe the crowd – just look around, try and blend, don’t be noticed.  What do you see?  You will be surprised at how many great digital photographic opportunities are right around you!  Is there a tear in the father-of-the-groom’s eye?  Is there a little three year old trying to run down the isle and Mom is holding her from the sprint?  These are the types of little digital wedding photography tips that can turn a mundane group of same-as-everyone-else’s photos, into a unique treasure.  So often these are the little noticed events that will become some of the most cherished memories.  After all, what I am telling you to record often becomes the visual record of the stories that get told long after the wedding day is over.

Be different.  When everyone is taking pictures of the cake, try and take a picture of something different – something related to the cake.  This could be a detail of the cake, or the setting where the cake is.  Another good tip for being different would be to take a picture of the guest who is photographing the cake, for example.  Also, you can take a picture of the same subject, but from a different angle.  Looking at a common scene from a different perspective instantly gets your images noticed.  The viewer recognizes the familiar scene, but because you are presenting it from a different angle, or viewpoint, the viewer stops and notices it. 

Listen.  What is being discussed about the wedding by the guests?  If guests are talking about Uncle Elmo who has put the centerpiece flower in his hair, get a shot of that.  You get the point.  Often the subject is handed to you by the other honored guests.  Listen. Act. Shoot. 

Look for sentimental moments. Often people try to hide their emotion.  With this in mind, look for people who suddenly become quiet, or whose body language tells something is going on with them.  Observe their face – is there a tear in their eye?  Are they getting choked up, do they glow of love and pride?  These are the moments that are better captured with a telephoto lens.  Zoom in, take the shot.

Be Complete.  If you take a close-up shot, also take a wide-angle shot.  This puts the event in perspective.  The wider shot gives the close-up a reference point.

Look for funny moments. The spontaneous, mistakes, and comedy that inevitably happens during weddings make for great pictures.  Accidents happen.  Capturing them can be a little bit of like being in the right place at the right time, but you can stack the cards in your favor for capturing these moments by being observant, listening, and anticipating what might happen next.  After observing the crowd as the day goes on, certain individuals may start to emerge as having a greater chance of being the subject of these funny moments.  Keep an eye on them.  You know where I’m going with this…

Don’t discount the formal shots.  If you are in a position to take some formal shots, by all means, go for it.  Here is a list of some of the more common traditional shots that a wedding photographer might take:

Bride alone, bride with her mother, bride with her maid of honor, groom alone, groom with best man, the bride & groom, bride with her attendants – couple with attendants, bride with siblings, groom with siblings, bride & groom with their siblings, bride with her family, groom with his family, bride and groom with each other’s family, bride and groom with both families… the list can go on-and-on.

The Obvious Tips. Charge your camera(s) before the event.  Make sure your digital media cards are empty.  That means download any images that are currently on your camera’s memory card.  Bring extra batteries and digital media cards.  Do maintenance on the camera before the event, such as cleaning the lenses.

I hope these digital wedding photography tips help you to take better images of special events as well as your photography in general.

PS – Share your digital slr camera with a kid.  Kids feel special when you entrust them with a digital slr camera.  And it’s a real, “Bordum Buster” too.  Adults get a kick out of seeing a kid with a, “grown-up” camera and with the camera set to auto, some pretty cool pics can come out of it.  Children understand you are allowing them to use something valuable and they want to “pay you back” by taking care of it and making you proud.  But most important, by sharing your camera with a kid, you are encouraging and connecting with a child – what a great feeling.

Thanks, Andy, for the suggestion. There are always more digital wedding photography tips to be shared.