Welcome to the world of wedding photography! The following parts await you in this tutorial series:
Part 01: The basics
Part 02: Preparations
Part 03: Equipment and gear
Part 04: Wedding preparations
Part 05: The wedding ceremony (registry office/church etc.)
Part 06: Family and guest photos
Part 07: Celebrations
Part 08: Portraits of the couple
Part 09: Inspiration and choice of location
Part 10: Attention to detail
Part 11: Post-processing/image editing
Part 12: Save the Date/Trash the Dress
Introduction
The time has finally come! The preparations are in full swing and the wedding planning is taking shape. This is a very exciting time for the bride and groom and depending on the lead time until the big day, you can even lend a helping hand in the first preliminary talk.
In this part of the tutorial series, I would like to show you how you can approach the conversation with your bridal couple, which points you should definitely consider beforehand and what you should definitely have prepared on the wedding day so that you can take pictures in a relaxed manner.
1. preparation for the interview with the bride and groom
It doesn't really matter whether you're taking photos for friends or acquaintances or for a couple you don't know. In any case, you should always appear confident and give the couple the feeling that they are in good hands! And that you really know what you're doing.
Each of my bridal couples comes to the studio for a non-binding initial consultation, to get to know each other, so to speak. Here I tell them a little about myself and my work, ask the couple what they have in mind and how I can possibly be of help. So it's a first "get to know each other". It's not just the pictures that have to be appealing or convincing, there also has to be sympathy. After all, the wedding photographer is a matter of trust.
After that, the couple has enough time to talk about it again and decide whether they want to make a binding booking. Only 2-3 weeks before the wedding date is there a detailed consultation, during which the exact time and schedule is noted and a detailed elaboration is made.
Create a checklist for the first meeting in which you list exactly what you need to know in the first meeting and what you should tell the bridal couple that is important to you. Last but not least, also a few things that should convince the couple that you are exactly the right photographer for their wedding.
There are couples who already know exactly what they want at the first appointment and give you clear instructions that are essential for them.
In the same way, you will meet couples who will rely on you completely and need your help. This is just as much your job as fulfilling their wishes. Always have an open ear and respond fully to the couple's wishes. Because the bride and groom are the center of attention. They won't be interested in how something can be realized, but that's your job too.
I would recommend making a photo book with your existing work. If you don't have any wedding photos yet, then maybe a few beautiful beauty photos or couple photos.
These should of course already be in your photo collection. This way, the couple will get to know your photography style and know how to appreciate you as a photographer. If you have already accompanied a few weddings, I would recommend a colorful mix: A few photos from the preparations, a few from the ceremony, guest photos and, of course, the couple's photos. Detailed photos always look very good too. You can also include one or two black and white or sepia images as examples.
Have a few things ready that you can talk about if the bride and groom don't ask you any questions to keep the conversation going. Tell them about yourself and your work, how you will photograph the couple on the day and give them the reassurance they expect from their photographer. I'll give you a few more suggestions on this in the next point.
2. getting to know each other for the first time - from the preliminary talk to the schedule
If you are now conducting your initial consultation or even the detailed consultation, you should make a note of everything that is important for your preparation.
Create a cozy and open atmosphere, whether at your home or at a location of your choice. Perhaps you also have a small studio where you can receive the bride and groom-to-be. Serve a coffee and show your guests a few of your references, if you have any.
As I work with strangers every day, it's now very easy for me to start a conversation and the first "sniff" is easier for me than it might be for you at first.
Don't worry, it will all come! That's why photography is such a wonderful profession, because you come into contact with other people every day and learn to adapt quickly to the other person.
I found that very difficult at first, but today it's the best thing about my work.
Of course, I don't know your circumstances. From a professional point of view, my checklist is naturally based on completely different points than would be the case for a hobby photographer accompanying a wedding for friends.
I have listed a few key points below that need to be clarified in any case. No matter who you are photographing and whether it is a hobby or for a fee.
If the couple does not ask you about this, you should address these points yourself.
2.1 Duration of the reportage
How long would the couple like to be accompanied on the day? For me, this option is "open". This means that the bride and groom can still decide on the day itself and shorten or extend it if necessary.
However, experience already allows me to make a recommendation if I know which pictures are to be taken. For example, if the bridal couple would like to have a civil ceremony (usually much shorter than a church wedding) accompanied, followed by a few guest photos and couple portraits, they can manage with an accompaniment of 1-2 hours.
However, if preparations or subsequent celebrations are also to be photographed, you can quickly reach a reportage time of four hours or more.
You should always allow 45-60 minutes for a church wedding. In some rare cases, this time can even be exceeded, for example if the wedding and baptism take place in one ceremony. Sometimes the confirmation of a spouse is also "made up for", which takes time, and communion also takes a good quarter of an hour.
I would calculate a maximum of half an hour for a civil wedding. Unfortunately, many registry offices now process the ceremony in a record time of 15 minutes.
Free weddings can easily last 45-60 minutes. If the couple has already had a preliminary talk with the priest or theologian, they may be able to tell you about it. Just ask about it! If you attend weddings more often in the future, you will gradually get to know the registry offices in your area and will even be able to tell the couple something about the respective weddings.
The calculation of the couple photographs depends on various circumstances. Where will the photos be taken, does a journey to a more distant location have to be taken into account, how important are the couple photos, i.e. are a few nice pictures enough or is this the focus of the reportage?
I always recommend planning a one-hour reportage so that there is no stress in the schedule, but I am also happy to extend it to two hours if the couple consider these photos to be the most important event of the day. I might even change locations so that they don't always have the same style of pictures. Sometimes I even visit the locations beforehand if the couple wants me to.
In general, you should never plan too much in advance about how you're going to style the pictures. It depends on so many things that you can't possibly estimate in advance: What's the weather like? Where will the sun be if it's a beautiful day? What is the mood of the couple on the day and how long do they want to be photographed?
I only think about this when we arrive at the location. Then I go on a journey with a photographer's eye and look for the places where I would like to take photos. I would recommend part 08: portraits of the couple. There I will go into detail about the conditions in which I take photos, how and with which camera settings.
Please always remember that the guests are on their own during the couple's reportage, unless the photos were taken before the ceremony. The couple should also take this into account, as the guests need to be kept busy with treats or meaningful events on site during this time. You should point this out again. Sometimes the bride and groom don't think about this in advance and simply "disappear". This can make the guests feel superfluous or bored.
Many wedding couples tell me about this experience as guests at other weddings and therefore want to keep the couple reportage as short as possible. I would never "overdo it" and kidnap the couple for three hours, but if the guests are taken care of, then you can take your time!
During the initial consultation, you should also advise the couple not to schedule the wedding too tightly. There is often a large list with a detailed schedule, which of course has to be adhered to. The couple should plan generously here.
Remember: If the wedding ceremony takes longer, the carriage needs more time to drive to the location or an unexpected number of congratulations and surprises have been added to the program, the photo reportage is usually skimped on. It's not always possible to postpone the dinner or similar at short notice, so you'll have to shoot your photos in less time!
So it's better to leave some space. That's the most important thing I've learned in my work. Time slots that are too tight cause a lot of stress and time pressure at a wedding. And as I mentioned before: stress must be kept away from the bridal couple and also from you as the photographer. A stressed photographer cannot develop creatively. With a good time cushion, there is always the option of postponing the photos a little if there is a rain shower.
2.2 Addresses of the locations
I always ask my couple to send me an e-mail with contact details and the exact addresses of the wedding locations after confirming the reportage.
You may need the address of the bride, where the preparations are taking place, or that of the groom, if he is also to be accompanied during his preparations.
You will also need the addresses of the wedding venues (registry office, church, etc.) and those of the subsequent celebration.
Then I have all of this clearly arranged and can enter everything into my navigation device one day before the wedding and - in the case of unknown locations - get an overview in Google Earth. Better safe than sorry!
The addresses and exact names are so important, as misunderstandings can sometimes occur here. The information "Church in XY street in Cologne" can sometimes lead to a sweat if the house number and church name are missing. It is not unusual for there to be two or three churches in one street. Therefore, for security reasons, I always have the exact details sent to me in writing and check them again via the Internet.
2.3 Schedule / timetable
The exact schedule and timetable are particularly important in the detailed discussion. Ask your couple to send you the exact schedule again or write it down in detail, especially for longer accompaniments. You will then always have it to hand and never lose track.
It is also helpful so that you always know which lens is required or whether you need to remind the couple to do certain things. Here is a sample schedule for an all-day wedding escort:
Wedding Claudia and Henrik on 07.07.2025
08:00 Make-up bride (mobile at bride's parents, address: __)
09:00 hairdresser bride
10:00 a.m. Dressing of the bride
10:30 Dressing of the groom (address: __)
12:00 Bridal mass St. Gereon Church, 40789 Monheim
13:00 Congratulations and surprises for the bride and groom in front of the church
13:15 Group photo and family photos
13:45 Champagne reception at the location (address: __)
14:30 Lunch
15:30 Wedding waltz
16:00 hrs Departure for wedding photos
5:00 p.m. Coffee and cake for the guests
18:00 Return of bridal couple Wedding photos
19:00 Photos with all guests and individual photos of guests
20:00 Dinner
22:00 Wedding cake
23:00 Thank you parents
24:00 Unveiling: Throwing the bridal bouquet and tie
Certain things are obligatory at every wedding. There are only very rare exceptions where the couple does not want them. In addition to the group photo, I'm also talking about family photos and the like.
It's not a must, but sometimes I ask the couple if they would like to send me a list beforehand of which pictures they would like to have taken. Not because this can't be done spontaneously on location, but because I can then "call them in" and the bride and groom don't forget anything in the excitement of the event. After the group photo, I can then ask the guests to stand next to the couple in the desired position. This can be done in no time at all. I've been booked several times for a revival shoot because such photos were forgotten during the actual wedding ceremony, so this is simply a must. The list could look like this:
- Photos with the whole family (grandparents, parents, siblings)
- Photos with the parents (together or individually)
- Photos with the best man (possibly with partners)
- Photos with the bride's work colleagues
You can find more information on this in Part 06: Family and guest photos. This is only an option for the preliminary talk!
2.4 Which photos are desired? Are there any special requests?
In addition to the standard photos such as preparation, wedding ceremony, congratulations and events after the wedding, which you will probably be photographing the whole time, you should also ask about the couple's special wishes.
I always recommend a colorful mix of classic, romantic and modern images for the couple reportage. Especially with young couples, the trend is now towards modern or "freaky" motifs. Jumping groomsmen, funny girlfriend photos and photobooth accessories are all the rage.
Couples usually like this mix, but of course there are also special requests. For some bridal couples, capturing certain moments is particularly important or they may have seen a motif that they would like to realize in the same way. I also record this in my notes so that I don't forget it later in the rush.
I've also had couples who only wanted romantic or modern pictures.
However, not a single "classic" picture was allowed in the reportage.
NOTE: Please don't be alarmed! This is not to say that you always have to put in so much effort in advance. Sometimes couples just give me a quick call and book over the phone without us ever having seen each other before. Then, of course, I just need the time and address. But since this might be your first wedding, you should consider more points and get as much information as possible in advance so that you have everything taken care of. This will save you unnecessary questions for the bride and groom on the day and allow you to concentrate much better on your work.
3. let's go - our wedding bag is packed
Well, I'll be honest. Do I have a checklist? No. Do I always pack my bag the night before? No. The reason for this is simply that I often attend weddings and have it in my head what needs to go in my bag and - thank goodness - I've never forgotten anything.
But if you are really attending a wedding for the first time, then you should prepare a checklist and check it carefully. And yes, pack your bag the night before, because then you can sleep more soundly. I speak from experience.
In Tutorial Part 03: Equipment and gear, I come back to the most important points. I'll also show you equipment that you can save up for if it's not already in your photo bag.
For me, weddings differ from other shoots in the following three important points, which must be taken into account when preparing the equipment.
3.1 Data backup must be guaranteed
Please don't cry out. You're right, of course. Data backup must ALWAYS be guaranteed. That is not a question at all. However, it is of course a top priority for weddings.
My camera allows me to work with two memory cards and a backup is saved directly to the second card. But not all cameras have this, of course. I therefore recommend that you make appropriate data backups (more on this in part 03 of the tutorial).
We really never want to run the risk of losing data at a wedding when we are there as photographers. You'll laugh, but I always have four copies of all-day reportages after the wedding. Twice on the respective memory cards and twice on two external hard disks. The memory cards are only deleted after all the editing has been completed and the RAW data is of course also archived twice.
3.2 A complete set of backup equipment
As a hobby photographer, you don't need to buy a complete second set of equipment right now, but if you're considering attending a wedding or two soon, then keep your old equipment and don't sell it.
I have a second camera with me at every wedding. I've never had to use it, but I could give you many reasons why I might need it... Technical issues, a bump or drop of the camera and for frequent shooters I'll just say "shutter release"!
For safety reasons, I always have several lenses and a second flash with me. Fortunately, clip-on flashes are not the most expensive piece of equipment. I've come across a Nikon model, for example, that likes to run hot "fast"! If you have to rely on the flash in a dark church and your flash suddenly stops working after a loud beep due to overheating, then you will also get warm very quickly. I can promise you that.
Fortunately, it wasn't a user problem, as I suspected, but a known technical problem that has caused problems for many photographers. And so I even ended up with a third flash. In addition, you should always have twice as many memory cards in your luggage as you need.
3.3 A spare battery and possibly even a charger
You will probably know the performance of your battery and therefore be able to estimate whether you will be able to get by with one battery. Nevertheless, I always recommend taking a second battery and even a charger with you on longer trips.
When I attend weddings lasting 12 hours or more, I like to recharge the first battery at a location as soon as I have used the second one. There are many different cameras with different battery strengths, so it can't hurt to stock up and always be on the safe side.
If you've only ever taken photos for fun, then you should definitely clean your equipment before an important event like a wedding. I always clean the lenses and regularly take the camera to a professional cleaner every 2-3 months. Due to the frequent replacement of lenses and my work as a wildlife photographer, I have the sensor and mirror professionally cleaned. I'm sure many photographers do this themselves, but I don't dare.
Then you should work through your checklist and pack your bags! We've already mentioned first and spare equipment, batteries and data backup. Of course, you also need a few batteries for your flash and ideally a cleaning kit, which I always have with me for emergencies. Otherwise, the optional equipment that you may already have.
Phew, now you're almost ready to go. Let's take a detour to the next tutorial, Part 03: Equipment and supplies, and then we can work through our first wedding together, from the preparations for the bride and groom to the evening celebration.
I really hope that Part 02: Preparations has helped you a little with planning your first or even next wedding and thank you for reading! My heartfelt thanks also go to my bridal couples who have allowed me to use and publish their pictures.
Nicole Schick
