P&P: Wedding Shooting

The girls are getting ready at someone's house, or the hotel room, or maybe getting hair and makeup done at a salon ahead of time. The guys are doing the same, except for the salon.

We arrive at least fifteen minutes before our scheduled start time, introduce ourselves so the bridesmaids aren't all of a sudden "ah cameras!" and get establishing shots.

Getting Ready, or Bridal Prep, is a good indicator of how the day will go. Is the bride stressed? Is there a tense family dynamic from divorced parents? Or is it awesome and happy and yay? The more stress there is, the more judicious you have to be about where you point the camera and even where you are; two or three guys with cameras in a smallish room can be pressure that the bride doesn't need. Step out for a bit and come back in when things are better. Whether because of this or even if things are going well, make sure you also have time to shoot details like the dress (ALWAYS the dress), any jewelry, shoes, and rings. (Typically we get shots of the rings now but sometimes we don't have access to all of them, so we get them later at night.)

If your timetable, which you've worked out with the couple ahead of time, gives you time to get some shots of the guys getting ready, then go for it. Alternatively a second team getting the guys works great too. This is far less demanding; see them in their slacks and undershirts, then putting on vests, ties, jackets, then detail shots of cufflinks and/or any other cool items they're using, be they superhero flasks or, um, lightsabers.

The groom and his guys are generally easygoing, but there's a possibility that cameras in the room can stifle the atmosphere, so again shoot what you need to and get out, or at least minimize your footprint. We had three thooters (one photo, one video, one intern) in a smallish hotel room earlier this season and sent one of our guys out so we weren't crowding them.

If you've got the team for it, you may two-shoot the bride getting into her dress (as in, have two cameras rolling), but it's generally not needed.

The First Look is increasing in popularity. I wish I had done one at mine a year ago. It lets the couple see each other in a private moment and work out off of those jitters from how beautiful she is, or how nicely he cleans up. (I didn't realize it but apparently I was so nervous during my ceremony that I was rather pale, which was easier to spot because of light rosacea I had at the time. I was also barely able to pay attention to what was being said, and being able to watch it later wityh a clearer head is a note in favor of videography in general. srsly do eet)

We roll two cameras as a rule, one on the bride on her approach and a close-up on the groom as he turns around and sees her for the first time. Sometimes we do a wide third shot if the location is particularly stunning and breathtaking. After that moment and a minute or so of "wow" and hugging and kissing, the photographer will start to get photos of the couple and the bridal party. (Another reason for a first look is to get these out of the way beforehand so you can enjoy your cocktail hour, which is another reason for my regret of not doing one.) One camera is fine, just follow the photographer and get shots of what they're shooting. Close-ups, wides, couple and full bridal party. Ask the photographer if you can take the reins for a couple shots and get some with movement or cheering, something that video can do that photo cannot.

Once you feel you've gotten enough, depart to start preparing your ceremony.

This is important. This is why you've been hired. Do this right and do not fuck up.

Arrive an hour ahead of time to set up your gear. Yesterday my assistant and I, due to improper preparation of the timeline and not knowing the layout of the venue, arrived at 3:30 for a 4:00 ceremony. We unpacked a ton of gear for a somewhat long walk and prepared our five-camera setup and were ready at 3:59. (Ceremony ended up starting twenty five minutes late, but we were ready for it to be on time.) Don't leave it to this. I was stressed and wasn't thinking clearly when I needed to be, or I would have seen the opportunity for a really neat additional GoPro angle before it was too late to add in.

The simplest way to shoot a ceremony is to have a wide camera as a dump shot and another camera that you move around with getting tight shots. If you've got the equipment though, I recommend at least four - a wide shot, a tight shot down the center aisle with the bride, groom and officiant, and a dedicated camera on each side, one for the bride's face and one for the groom's. Add to this any specialty cameras you want - we add one or two GoPros for additional angles.

Because this is your reason for being there, don't be afraid to have gear that you use for only this half hour of the day (or hour). We have a Panasonic video camera that's not great visual quality but has two XLR inputs; this is our wide camera. We have a 75-300 variable aperture zoom lens that's a pain with moving targets and ick, variable aperture; this is our center aisle lens for getting a great three shot even from near the back of a church.

Get at least one lavalier microphone to put on the officiant to hear him and catch the couples' vows. Ideally you'll have a second on the groom for backup. (One groom refused to wear a mic then the officiant muted his, we asked the couple to come in to ADR their vows because they were awesome and we didn't have them. We can now keep the mics from being muted but still insist to the groom on a backup in case of equipment failure.) We also have two audio recorders. In a church, one is placed on the lectern for readings, and a second near the live musicians, if any. Outside there's typically a DJ set up so our audio recorder is plugged into that to get clear audio. Let me state this plainly: get clear audio. Without it you're just a sequence of photographs, and then why were you hired when the photographer is already there?

A larger team for the ceremony helps to keep all of these pieces of equipment operating smoothly and pointed where they need to be, but if it's just you, plan your time and movements carefully. Know if your cameras stop recording and need to be restarted at the [12, 30, etc] minute mark and you need to restart them before they hit that on their own. Keep a constant eye on battery levels and know the time limit of your cards in case they need to be swapped. Move calmly, never appearing rushed. If you can monitor your audio feed, check it to make sure you're loud enough but not clipping. When the point of interest moves, figure out which camera needs to shoot it and adjust that one first, and then the others accordingly.

Planning ahead helps, as does keeping a cool head in the moment. Keep it together and before you know it, the ceremony is done. Now it's time for family photos.

Ignore.

Okay, so. As a videographer these aren't really important. If you have a ton of time in your schedule, then get a few shots, with the parents at least. But if you're pressed for time, break down your gear and head to the reception. The photographer's got this and video won't add too much to the moment.

If the couple didn't do a first look, the photos with the two of them will be after family photos, so try to work that into your schedule ahead of time so you can do so. (A first look makes things easier on your vendors too, just saying.)

This is the one point that I'll talk about photographers, because this is where they must shine. Preparation is key, knowing all of the family shot combinations the couple wants and wrangling them all. An assistant here is paramount to let people know who's on deck. A smoothly run family photo session can be a joy, whereas if it's even slightly botched, people begin to question your professionalism. Prepare, prepare, prepare.

This is what the couple has been planning for the last year and a half. The ceremony is nice but come on man, the party.

Once again, get here an hour early if possible. You'll probably have less gear but there's some coordinating to do as well. Our typical reception formality setup is a wide DSLR, a tight DSLR, and a GoPro and/or a third DSLR for emotional reactions - people cheering during the grand entrance, crying during dances, and so forth. We also have two video lights to properly light the dance floor (and the grand entrance approach if it's not well lit) and an audio recorder to plug into the DJ/band's system for clear audio during the entrance, dances and toasts.

Talk with the band leader or DJ to find out where everybody is entering from and what they're doing, and prepare your cameras and lights accordingly. If you have a preferred spot for people to stand during toasts, let the DJ know so they can let the toast-givers know where to stand.

Though there's a lot of formalities during the reception, the formula of wide/tight/reaction works great throughout. Wide shot of the dance floor with people in the background for dances and a tight shot on the dancing couple; wide shot of the couple (plus speaker if they're there) during toasts with a tight shot on the speaker. Bouquet/Garter toss, um, you're sorta on your own. For tosses get a closeup on the tosser (snrk, sorry) and a wide shot of the ladies/men catching (srk, can't help it, I swear I'm a professional here), and for garter retrieval/placing, more First Look style, each camera pointed at one of the subjects.

Again, preparation is key. If you have a team, know before the shoot who has which role. When you get to the location, use your hour of prep time to set up not just the first dance but go over with your team where everything will be, who's responsible for moving cameras and lights. Have a method of communicating with your team, such as the following: something unexpected happens and the assistant looks at the lead videographer. The lead points to the assistant, then holds up one finger, signifying 1 shot, or close-up on the speaker, during the toast because the speaker didn't move where they were told and the assistant, who was going to get a wide shot, is in a better location for the tight shot. You know, for example. Having agreed-upon nonverbal communication (as well as radios with earpieces) can help your team move smoothly.

After formalities are done, you're in open dancing. Shoot stuff with whatever gear you've got. No need to two-shoot unless an impromptu event breaks out (or if like at my wedding, we told the team we wanted continuous, multi-angle video rolling on "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" because it's kind of a thing with my wife's family). Snipe people's dancing, happy faces with a tight lens on a tripod; smoothly move through the dance floor with a wide lens on a GlideCam; get cool stuff. Flex your creative muscles.

Get ring shots if you haven't done so already. If the photographer does night photography, tag along.

Chances are you won't leave by your end time. If you're set to leave at 10:30, you probably won't be out of there until 11, even if you had your assistant start packing up non-essential gear at 10.