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• All About Photography
• Taking Photos of People

How do you overcome your fear of taking photos of people? If you’re shy, it can be a challenge! Are you usually the one shooting from across the street with a long lens? Of course, that means you can never use the photos commercially, because you’d have to actually talk to someone to ask them to sign a model release!

Have you ever spotted a real character, or wanted to take photos of people who represent the region where you’re traveling? But you’re not sure how they’ll react, or whether they’ll want to be compensated, and so you pass up the opportunity?

See what others have to say.

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• Learning Digital Photography
• Water Photography

Water is one of my favorite subjects to photograph. In this article, Barbara Bender shares loads of creative and original ideas for doing water photography of water in all its forms, from liquid to frozen. She also provides some useful tips to help you get the technical details right. Enjoy her helpful explanations and her stunning images!

Water: Not Just for Drinking!

by Barbara Bender

Water. It has no colour. It’s transparent. It’s common.
Doesn’t sound too promising as a photographic subject, does it?
Yet in spite of these seemingly uninspiring characteristics, water photography can provide you with endless possibilities in countless situations for making interesting images.

Water On Baking Pan in the Kitchen
© Barbara Bender

Large Bodies of Water

In addition to being the subject of the usual waterscapes, oceans, lakes, and rivers contain vast amounts of the liquid itself to work with. Although water has no colour, it reflects whatever is nearby, and large bodies of water usually appear blue because of the reflection of the sky. However, because conditions can change, there can be enormous variation in hue, and the appearance of the water can vary dramatically with the weather and time of day. Often, particles suspended in the water and the composition of the bottom itself can affect the colour as well, especially in oceans. Colour can also vary according to the depth of the water. It is not uncommon to see many bands of varying blue, turquoise and green all at the same time, in the same location, as lighting conditions change.

Waves, Hawaii
© Barbara Bender

Closer to shore, there can be reflections from boats, buildings, trees, or docks et cetera to work with. When the surface is still and glassy, these reflections can be almost mirror-like, and the presence of ripples and swells can distort the reality of what is being reflected into fantastic abstracts of colour, shape and line.

Moving water in the form of waves, waterfalls, and currents can present different kinds of opportunities for water photography. By experimenting with various shutter speeds at the time of exposure, water can be captured either quickly, rendering it into frozen, glass-like shapes and droplets, or slowly, resulting in soft, ethereal, milky impressions. Often, such photographs portray the water as a feature of the larger landscape. For a change, try to photograph just the water itself, or include only small sections of the shore or rocks in order to convey its behaviour as it moves around or against these obstacles. Don’t shoot only one or two frames. Make dozens of photographs for each shutter speed setting. Because water is moving at different speeds and configurations, each image will be different. Remember that you can also pan during the exposure, moving your camera in different ways. Digital cameras come into their own for this kind of water photography play. Just be sure to have lots of memory cards and fresh batteries.

Bala River
© Barbara Bender

Water in Containers

Swimming pools, bathtubs, sinks, and potholes, can all contain water and provide possibilities for water photography. In these instances, it’s more about shooting through the water for the unique effects it can cause, rather than photographing the water itself. Because the amount of liquid in such containers is much smaller, the colour can take on the hue of the vessel itself, or whatever is nearby. Reflections are often easier to find and work with because the surface is generally quieter. Clean water is clear, making it possible to see the details of the container distinctly, so you can photograph items or details on the bottom or in the water itself. These often can appear distorted because of the subtle movements of the water, and therefore are more visually interesting. The physical phenomenon of refraction adds an exciting visual dimension, as these objects or details appear bent or distorted. Even chaotic patterns of light bouncing off the bottom of the vessel can make unique photographs.

Swimming Pool Steps
© Barbara Bender

 

Water in Action

You can photograph water which flows from fountains, faucets or garden hoses. Play with various shutter speeds here as well. Backlighting in these situations can add a lot of drama and interest. During heavy rainfalls, if your camera is well protected, try to capture the streaks of rain with both fast and a variety of slower shutter speeds, and also shoot through the deluge itself. Heavy rain can soften and distort the appearance of whatever is behind it. Try photographing through rain-splattered or streaming windows or car windshields.

 

Water in Other States

Not only can water be photographed in a liquid state, images can be made of it when it is in solid or vapourous forms. Snow, ice, frost, steam, rainbows and clouds are all made out of water. Try to make these the subject of your water photography. After a period of windy weather, isolate snow drift patterns and capture the undulating forms. Remember that snow is very light in tone, so you will have to overexpose to some extent to preserve the brightness. Also, snow can take on colour from light. Shadowed areas can appear blue on sunny days, and early and late in the day, can appear golden. Experiment with different shutter speeds when attempting to capture falling flakes.

Ice in lakes, rivers or even puddles can present a variety of colours, cracks, bubbles and patterns to experiment with. Gorgeous frost patterns can be photographed on windows that are not well insulated. If you live in a warm climate, shoot ice cubes or containers of frozen water which you’ve made yourself in the kitchen. Try suspending petals, leaves or other objects in the water before freezing and photograph them.

Puddle Reflection
© Barbara Bender

Mist and fog, composed of minute water droplets, obscure and soften details and features, and can be used to create images which can be moody and evocative. Often these conditions can be quite delicate in appearance, so preserve the lightness by overexposing slightly.

Cloud formations are fascinating to work with, and constantly change shape and colour with the weather and time of day. Make them the main subject of your water photography for a change.

Clouds
© Barbara Bender

Water is available to photograph in some way, anytime and anywhere. So, take advantage of this free, abundant substance. It might be common, but the results can be anything but ordinary.

…And don’t forget to drink your eight glasses a day while you’re at it!

 

About Barbara Bender

 

Barbara Bender is a freelance professional photographer and writer who uses various creative techniques, emphasis on design, and simple, often graphic composition to make photographs which are frequently expressive in nature. Her photographs have been featured in such publications as Nature’s Best Awards Issue, Black and White Magazine, and Color Magazine. A series of articles on photographic Creativity and Playfulness was featured in PhotoLife Magazine in 2010. Over forty-five of her images have been used as book covers for Guernica Editions. As an active member of the Greater Toronto Council of Camera Clubs, she gives presentations and workshops on various photographic topics.

www.BarbaraBenderPhotoArt.com

 

Next, you may want to explore your photographic creativity with some creative photography ideas.

• Home
• Photography Composition
• Visual Design Elements: Light

Visual Design Elements:

Light

The visual design elements of photography include light, line, shape, texture and perspective. Use the lines and shapes created by contrasts of light to create an effective picture composition.

Light

Light is a photographer’s raw material.
Light produces two kinds of contrast that make the other design elements of line and shape visible in photography composition. The two kinds of contrast are contrast in color, and contrast in brightness. Differences in color and brightness are what
form the basic building blocks of an image. In other words, the boundary between a light and a dark area, or between a red and a green area, creates a line, or the edge of a shape.

• Color: Color refers to the different hues in an image: red, green, brown, purple, etc.
• Brightness: Brightness, or tone, refers to the degree of lightness in an image. We usually separate a photograph into areas of light tones, mid tones and dark tones.

In a black and white photograph, you have only one color, so you must rely on differences in tone to create shape boundaries between objects. In a color photograph, you have an additional tool to create boundaries.

It is important to note that color and tone can also express emotion. Light tones tend to lift the spirits, while dark tones are perceived as moody. Red is a color of passion. Blue – well, we’ve all heard the expression about "feeling blue." Use color and tone to reflect the mood you are trying to create in your image.

The angle of the incident light also has an effect on the picture composition. Back or side light highlights details, and may reveal textures or lines in the image. Light from high above (like the sun at midday) causes unpleasant, harsh shadows, and is usually to be avoided.

Check out our helpful, informative eBook
for in-depth tips on composition
and visual design!

Next, I recommend you read about another visual design element: lines.

 

• Home
• Photography Composition
• Visual Design Elements: Shapes

Visual Design Elements:
Shapes

Shapes are one of the fundamental visual design elements of photography. Learn how to use shapes effectively to convey emotion and meaning in your photographic compositions.

Labeling

Before we dive into a discussion about picture composition and shapes, let’s talk about how we see the world.

When you see a flower, your brain rushes to label it.  “Flower!” it exclaims loudly and proudly.  This voice that labels objects around us is essential in a world where we are constantly bombarded by visual stimuli.  Without this labeling and categorizing mechanism, we would become overwhelmed with information.  However, the brain’s labeling system works against the photographer.  Once we identify and label an object, we often don’t look any further.  When that happens, we miss out on really seeing.

“Tree,” says our brain.  And then the object is dismissed without noticing the graceful curve of the branch, or the way the wind is blowing through the leaves, or the silhouette that it forms against the skyline – all potential photographic opportunities. 

Learning to turn off labeling when you look at the world around you helps you abstract what you see. Instead of seeing flowers and trees and fields, you can see shapes: rectangles, and triangles, and circles. Once you can do that, you’re on the road to creating better, and more thoughtful photography composition.

Shapes

The primary shapes are squares, circles and equilateral or isosceles triangles. Secondary shapes are variations on those, i.e., rectangles, ovals, skewed triangles, as well as more complex shapes like stars.

Appropriate use of shapes in your image can lend it a sense of structure and organization. It is best to use a small number of different shapes in a single image (one, or at most two). In other words, use only triangles, or only rectangles, rather than having a mix of circles, triangles, and squares all in the same image. With a mix, the result can be chaotic.

If you choose a primary shape for your image, it tends to give it a sense of stability and regularity. The secondary shapes lend a more dynamic feel to the picture. Choose your shapes to reflect the message you want to convey. For example, moving your camera position over to one side might change the perspective so that a field becomes more rectangular in shape, rather than square.

Let’s look at a few examples of photography composition, and see if you can identify the shapes in them.

What shape do you see in the image?
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Hint: this image is the same composition, only upside-down.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

The above images contain simple triangles. The triangle formed by the lily is slightly skewed, giving it a slightly less static feel than if the triangle had been perfectly centered with sides of equal length. Here are the same images with the triangles traced out:

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

How about the following image? What shapes do you see?

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

There are more triangles in the picture above. This time, the arrangement of visual design elements is a little more complex, with more triangles than the previous portrait or lily. However, all the triangles meet at a point in the center, giving stability and balance to the image; appropriate given that the subject relates to the finality of death. The bottom triangle in incomplete, and the corners are implied. Your brain is easily able to fill in the missing part. There is, of course, another triangle formed by the shape of the road.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

In the following picture, there are again many triangles. Can you see them?

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

However, in this case, they are skewed, not regular. Once again, some of the shapes are incomplete, but our brain fills in the remainder. This image has a very different feel than the last one. It is much more dynamic, and we are drawn down the hill into the picture.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Notice how, in all of these images, the edges of the frame form one edge of the shape. It’s very important exactly where you place those edges! Read more about framing your images in the section on cropping photos, which is a topic closely related to visual design elements.

Enough of triangles! What shape do you see here?

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

That’s right! Circles! The fact that the circles are not concentric (i.e., each circle is slightly off-center from the next) prevents the image from becoming too static.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Let’s have one more shape. What’s left?

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

I see two large rectangles divided by the horizon line. The silhouettes of the phone booth and the Coke machine are also rectangular, echoing the main shapes.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

In terms of its visual design elements, this image has a strong horizontal line, and a central subject placement, giving it a "solid" feel. I used this picture composition to emphasize the fact that the phone booth and Coke machine were seemingly set down in the middle of nowhere. The static nature of the image is given slight relief by the horizon line being vertically off-center, the shadow of the phone booth being only to one side, and the phone booth and Coke machine being different heights.

 

Check out our helpful, informative eBook
for in-depth tips on composition
and visual design!

Next, I recommend you read about another of the visual design elements: texture.

 

• Home
• Photography Composition
• Visual Design Elements: Lines

Visual Design Elements:
Lines

Lines in photography are one of the fundamental visual design elements. Learn how to use lines effectively to convey emotion and meaning in your photography composition.

Lines

Lines in photography may be actual objects, like a road or the stem of a plant, or even the human form. As we learned in the previous section about light, lines are be created by the juxtaposition of contrasting tones or colors.

The main line in an image tends to lead the viewer through the picture space. You don’t want a line that leads straight out before passing through the image, or one that ends abruptly. You want to guide the viewers eye around the image. This is why the "S-curve" is considered desirable; it "meanders," leading the viewers eye slowly through all parts of the picture. In the image below, the road and the river are a similar color, and together, form a S-curve through the photo.

Together, the road and river form an S-curve.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Lines can run horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or be curved. The direction of the main lines in a picture compsition actually convey emotion. I believe that this is because we naturally attribute human characteristics to objects in our world. For example, if an object stands upright, we liken it to a human standing tall and proud.

This human form carries a positive message in its vertical stance.

If an object is bent over, we see it as being sad or tired, the way people tend to "droop" when they feel that way. Take a look at the next three images, all shot of the same flowers. Consider how each one conveys a different emotion, simply due to the direction of the stem.

These flowers seem proud.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

These flowers are dynamic.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

These flowers appear rather melancholy.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Vertical lines are uplifting, strong and powerful.

Diagonal lines imply motion, action or change. They are dynamic.

Curved lines are slow and meandering. They say "take your time, and don’t rush." They can appear melancholy or hopeful, depending on the direction of the curve. The can also be sensual.

Horizontal lines are steady and calm. They imply tranquility or stability.

Whatever the message you want to convey in your picture composition, consider positioning the main line of your subject to reinforce the appropriate emotion. You may find that you are subconsciously drawn to subject matter whose lines "align" with your mood!

The following image of reeds in a pond was taken just before sunrise. The scene was calm and tranquil and the water was still. I chose to place the line of reeds horizontally across the image to reinforce that feeling. Had I chosen a diagonal placement, it would have conflicted with the other cues in the photography composition that indicate peace and tranquility.

The horizontal placement of the line of reeds echoes the tranquility of the scene.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Does the diagonal placement of the subject in the following picture composition reinforce the message?

The diagonal positioning of the subject reflects the action
taking place in the image.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Check out our helpful, informative eBook
for in-depth tips on composition
and visual design!

Next, I recommend you read about another visual design element: shapes.

 

• Home
• Photo Composition
• Visual Design Elements:Perspective

Visual Design Elements:

Perspective

Perspective is one of the visual design elements. It indicates depth in a two-dimensional image. Learn how to use perspective to communicate with your viewers — or to keep them guessing!

Perspective

Photography is a two-dimensional medium. Perspective is the tool we use to indicate depth. We can decrease or magnify the sense of perspective by how we arrange our other design elements (lines, shapes and textures). If we arrange them in a way that reflects the "real" three dimensional world, then we can easily communicate in a familiar language.

We may, however, deliberately choose to arrange our visual design elements in such a way as to remove the usual perspective cues, and force the viewer to take a closer look at the image. They may be able to "figure it out," or you may intend the image to remain an abstract design.

It’s hard to get a sense of scale from this image.
Is it a close-up of only a few inches, or is a huge iceberg?
Closer inspection of the water gives it away. It’s a length of about 10 feet.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

This image has even less depth cues. It could be an aerial
photo of a large area, or a close-up on only a few inches.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

Neither approach is right or wrong; it’s all about what message you want to communicate. Use the building blocks of visual design elements as tools.

Depth Cues

 

Relative size

How large objects are in relationship to each other gives us an indication of their distance away. If there are two objects that we know to be the same size in real life, and yet one appears much smaller than the other in the image, we assume the smaller one to be further away. Think of two people in a photo. One appears large, and the other tiny. We don’t jump to the conclusion that the tiny one has been magically shrunk! Instead, we simply assume that person is standing further away.

Fence posts get smaller as the fence recedes.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

In the image above, the fence posts are all the same size in reality. In the picture composition, they are smaller on the right than on the left. This cues us that the right side of the fence is further away.

 

Color

In general warmer colors (e.g., reds, oranges, yellows) seem to advance, and cooler colors (e.g., blues, purples) tend to recede.

Lighter toned objects tend to seem closer than darker toned objects. One exception to this is due to the effect of atmosphere. Haze tends to lighten objects in the distance, as in the photography composition below.

Atmospheric haze makes the distant hills lighter.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Sharpness

We use focus as a cue for distance. This is related to the atmospheric effect defined above. In addition to making distant objects appear lighter, the haze also makes lines and edges softer, and less "focused." As a result, we tend to interpret sharper, in-focus objects as being closer to us than softer, out of focus ones.

Texture

We talked about texture as one of the visual design elements in the last section. Texture also cues us to distance. The closer a texture is to us, we more we can discern it, and the more coarse-grained it is. As it gets further away, the individual elements of the texture get smaller and closer together, and the whole texture appears finer-grained. The following image of a canola field illustrates this principle. We know that the canola near the top of the frame is further away from us than the canola at the bottom of the frame because of the cues provided by the texture.

The texture gets more fine-grained as the canola recedes into the distance.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Overlapping Objects

One more cue for perceiving depth is the overlapping of objects. This is quite straightforward. When an object overlaps another, we perceive it to be in front. In the photography composition below, the sequoia (the red tree) blocks the view of the pines because it is in front of them – and therefore closer to us.

The overlap cues us that the sequoia is in front.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Point of View

Perspective can also refer to your point of view. Get creative! Take an unusual perspective when you photograph. Shoot from down low to take on your pet’s view of the world. Or shoot from high above to see like a bird, as in the following image of a Florentine cafe.

A bird’s eye view.
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

We’ve finished with perspective photography, the last of the visual design elements!

Check out our helpful, informative eBook
for in-depth tips on composition
and visual design!

Next, you may want to read about the first of the photography rules of composition: simplify!

 

• Home
• Wedding Photography Tips
• Wedding Photography Checklist

Are you planning your wedding? Thinking of hiring a photographer, but are unsure of how to choose the right one? Here is a wedding photography checklist to help you in interviewing and selecting a photographer.

 

 

Here are quick links to the tips in this wedding photography checklist:

•  
• You Get What you Pay For
• Choose Your Style
• You Need to Click
  (the comfort factor)
• Questions to Ask
• Sign a Contract
• Be Kind to Your
  Photographer!
•  

© Julie Waterhouse Photography

You Get What You Pay For

Wedding photography checklist item #1 deals with the subject of money. Don’t expect champagne on a gingerale budget. It is perfectly understandable that not everyone has a large budget for wedding photography. Just make sure that you budget and your expectations are in line. If you hire an amateur who does wedding photography "on the side," you cannot expect the same level of service and quality as if you hire a professional.

Some of the things you can expect from a professional photographer include:

• (1) a high degree of skill in dealing with a variety of locations and lighting conditions,
• (2) a photographer’s assistant working alongside the photographer to make things run more quickly and smoothly,
• (3) backup equipment available in case something goes wrong,
• (4) availability of post-processing retouching services,
• (5) good organizational and people skills,
• (6) a contract to protect both parties, and
• (7) liability insurance in case something goes wrong.
•  

Choose Your Style

Wedding photography checklist item #2 is all about style: the style you want for your wedding photographs.

Traditional photography involves formal family and bridal party portraits, and photographs at pre-determined moments during the day (e.g., the exchange of vows, the best man’s toast, the father-daughter dance, etc.).

Journalistic, or reportage photography is a more candid style of photography that has become increasingly popular over the last decade. It documents your wedding like a news story, capturing spontaneous moments throughout the day.

Fine art photography is an artistic style of wedding photography that emphasizes the beauty of the image, making each picture a work of art.

What style of photography do you want for your wedding?  You may want one of the above-mentioned styles, or a combination. For example, many couples choose an overall photojournalistic style, but still want a number of formal portraits included.

You Need to Click

Okay, no pun intended, but you and your photographer do need to "click." Wedding photography checklist item #3 deals with personalities: yours and your photographer’s. Do they match?

Make sure that, ahead of time, you meet the photographer who will actually be shooting your wedding, and make sure you feel comfortable with him or her. Choose someone you get along with and trust.  You need someone you feel at ease with so that you can relax and smile beautiful, genuine smiles on the Big Day!

Questions to Ask

Wedding photography checklist item #4 contains a series of questions you may want to ask the photographers you interview, to help you choose the right one for you (and do interview more than one, so you can compare!).

Can I see some examples of your work? Ask to see some samples of complete wedding albums, not just a portfolio of the photographer’s best shots. It’s easy to get a few brilliant shots at a wedding, but you want to make sure the photographer shows consistency.

What style of pictures will you shoot? This is an important one. You should understand whether the photographer’s style is more formal or photojournalistic, and make sure it matches your own tastes. If you want mostly photojournalistic pictures, but also require a few formal portraits, make sure you clarify that up front, too. Read more about choosing your style.

Will you be the photographer who takes all the pictures? Sometimes, a larger studio may send a different person to shoot your wedding than the one you speak to. Other times, the main photographer will shoot the wedding, and leave an assistant to shoot your reception. Choose a solution you are comfortable with, and that fits your budget.

What happens if the you get sick on the day? You need to have a contingency plan. Can the studio provide a backup photographer in case of such an emergency?

How long will you stay? Do you just want the photographer there for the ceremony and a portrait session afterwards? Or do you want the photographer to spend the full day with the you, photographing preparations, ceremony, portraits and the reception? What you decide here will, of course, impact the budget.

What locations will you cover? Will your photographer come to the bride’s house, the church, a park for portraits, and the reception hall? Come to an agreement ahead of time. Again, your decision may impact the budget. Some photographers have packages that include a certain number of locations.

Can you make sure you take this picture? If there are any shots you really want, you need to let the photographer know about them ahead of time. Perhaps you want a picture with your best friend, or your grandma. Or perhaps you’ve always dreamed about a shot of your bridal gown draped over a chair. If you don’t communicate this, it might get missed. Provide the photographer with a written list of these must-have shots. You can use this wedding photography shot list to check off the shots you really want. Work with the photographer to make sure you are realistic about the number of shots you want, and the time available. Use sample shots as a common language for communicating ideas that you want to replicate.

What do we get in the end? How many shots does the photographer expect to take? Will you see proofs? How will they be provided? On the web? Via CD? How many final images will you get? Will you get digital images, or prints? Will prints they be put in an album, a photo book, or provided loose? Will the final photographs be retouched? All this is open to negotiation, and the photographer will usually have several packages to choose from with different options and price points. Understand what you’re getting.

When do we get it? How long will it take the photographer to provide proofs? How long you you have to make your final selections? How long after that will the final images be delivered?

What are your payment terms? When does the photographer expect to be paid? Usually, you are required to put down a deposit to hold your booking. Then, the photographer may expect another installment on the day of the wedding, and a final payment when images are delivered. Terms will vary. Make sure you understand them.

If you expect the photographer to shoot all day, and stay for the reception, you will also want to clarify whether you will provide a meal, or whether you will allow your photographer a sufficiently long break to go and get a meal. You must do one or the other! Photographers need to eat too!

© Peter Ainley

Sign a Contract

Wedding photography checklist item #5 deals with the contract. No wedding photography checklist would be complete without mention of a contract! You may think of contracts as formal, wordy and cumbersome, but they are absolutely essential! They protect both parties in case of disagreement.

A contract is actually a great way to make sure that communication takes place. Formalize your answers to the questions in wedding photography checklist item #4 above with a contract that lays out everything you’ve discussed. A professional photographer will have a contract to show you. Read the terms carefully. You can negotiate them.

Be Kind to Your Photographer!

Wedding photography checklist item #6 presents a few tips to help you see your wedding day from the photographer’s perspective. (Well, what did you expect? This wedding photography checklist is being written by a photographer, after all!)

Sole hired photographer. Your photographer will want to insert a clause in the contract to state that they are the sole hired photographer. This is to prevent the challenges that occur with two sets of flash bulbs going off during the shots, or people not knowing which camera to look at (it is very disturbing in the final image when people’s eyes are looking in different directions). Also, part of what you are paying for is your photographer’s creativity in setting up a shot. It is not fair to have them do that work, and then buy that image from a second photographer who is there shooting.

The clause in the contract is usually about a second hired photographer. However, you can also help a lot by keeping Uncle Bob from getting in the photographer’s way and causing the same kinds of problems. You’ve paid for a photographer. Let him do his job effectively. It will result in the best images.

People finder. It will help your photographer tremendously if you can ask someone at the wedding who knows the majority of the "key players" to assist. Their job will be to round up the people who are needed in upcoming shots. A lot of time is often wasted searching for Aunt Jane or the flower girl because they’re needed in a shot. Everyone (including you!) wants to get to cocktail hour, so don’t have your photographer waste valuable time searching for people he doesn’t know. This is the perfect job to keep that busybody aunt occupied!

No surprises. Of course unexpected things happen at weddings, and schedules almost always slip. However, don’t spring any last-minute surprises on your photographer if you can avoid it. We don’t want to hear on the day that the ceremony has been moved up an hour. Nor do we want to be handed a list of 20 "extra" must-have portraits at the last moment. Such things must be discussed ahead of time, as they will have a significant impact on the schedule.

Follow the plan. Your photographer will have a wedding photography checklist too. If your photographer comes up with a plan to group certain shots together for efficiency, try to stick to it. If you’ve discussed a plan to do certain shots at the ceremony location and some at the reception, try to stick to it. Stay on time as much as you can – it’s usually the photographer’s time that gets eaten into when schedules slip, and that will affect the number of pictures you can reasonably expect to get.

It’s understood that some flexibility is required on the photographer’s part. Where you can, though, stick to the plan!

You may want to view the wedding photography pose list.

Photographers may want to review the wedding photography checklist designed for them.

 

© Peter Ainley

 

Remember, there won’t be time to take all of these pictures! The bride and groom should work on the wedding photography pose list with the photographer to determine priorities that will fit within the available time.

Events before the wedding

• Engagement
• Shower
• Bachelor Party
• Rehearsal Dinner

 

Preparation on the Wedding Day

The Bride:

• Bride and bridesmaids getting hair done
• Bride having makeup applied
• Bridal gown hanging or draped over chair
• Bride in front of mirror
• Bride looking out window
• Bridesmaids fastening the dress
• Bride embracing parent(s)
• Bride adjusting mother’s corsage
• Close-up of necklace, or other detail of bridal attire
• Bride’s shoes peeking out from under dress
• Close-up of bridal bouquet
• Bride putting on garter

 

The Groom:

• Groom and groomsmen getting ready
• Groom relaxing with the groomsman
• Groom adjusting father’s boutonniere
• Parent or Best Man adjusting groom’s tie
• Groom embracing parent(s)

 

Wedding Ceremony

• Exterior of the ceremony location
• Guests entering
• Parents being seated
• Grandparents being seated
• Congregation of guest shot from the groom’s perspective
• Officiant
• Musicians
• Altar
• Pew decorations
• Groom waiting at the altar
• Groom with Best Man at the altar
• Groom with Best Man and groomsmen at the altar
• Flower girl walking down aisle
• Ring bearer walking down aisle
• Maid of Honor walking down aisle
• Bridesmaids walking down aisle
• Bride being escorted down aisle – from front
• Bride being escorted down aisle – from behind
• Parent embracing bride at the end of the aisle
• Parent lifting bride’s veil at the end of the aisle
• Officiant speaking to bride and groom
• Exchange of vows
• Exchange of rings
• Unity ceremony
• Kiss
• Details of any special cultural ceremony
• Signing of register
• Announcement of bride and groom
• Bride and groom walking back up the aisle together
• Bride and groom exiting ceremony site
• Throwing of rice, confetti or blowing of bubbles at bride and groom
• Bride and groom being greeted by guests
• Group shot of all guests (on stairs, if possible)
• Bride and groom getting into car to leave ceremony
• Bride and groom’s car driving away

 

Family and Bridal Party Portraits

• Bride: full length
• Bride from the back, to highlight gown
• Bride and groom
• Bride and groom with bridal party
• Bride and groom with flower girl and ring bearer
• Bride with groomsmen
• Groom with bridesmaids
• Bride and groom with bride’s family
• Bride and groom with groom’s family
• Bride with her parents
• Groom with his parents
• Bride and groom with all parents
• Bride and groom with combined family

 

Reception

• Overall picture of reception hall
• A specific aspect of the decorations (specify)
• Entrance of the bride and groom
• A table centerpiece
• A place setting
• A dinner serving
• Head table
• Speeches and toasts
• Kiss between bride and groom
• Musicians or DJ
• First dance
• Father-daughter dance
• Mother-son dance
• The cake
• Cake cutting
• Bride and groom feeding cake to each other
• Bouquet toss
• Garter toss
• Bride with college friends
• Groom with college friends
• Getaway car
• Bride and groom leaving in getaway car

Feel free to customize this wedding photography shot list to suit your needs, adding notes on locations or photography styles, as appropriate.

You may want to review my wedding photography checklist for the photographer.

You may want to review my wedding photography checklist for the bride and groom.

• Home
• Tips for Taking Digital Photography
• What is a histogram?

What is a histogram? Understanding Histograms is essential for the digital photographer. Learn more about these tools, how to interpret them, and how they can benefit your photography.

The Histogram

Don’t be intimidated by histograms! Understanding histograms is very easy, and they are a great tool for giving you, the photographer, useful information about your image.

A histogram is simply a graph. It’s actually a bar chart, which plots distributions. Each bar represents a category, and the height of the bar represents how many items fall into that category.

The example below shows a histogram describing the population of NY county. Each bar represents an age range, and the height of the bar represents how many people fall into that age range.

Population histogram

 

Image Histogram

What is a histogram in photography terms? An image histogram is similar to a population histogram. This time, the bars in the graph show where all the brightness levels contained in the image are found, from the darkest to the brightest.

Image histogram “categories”

Bars on the left represent very dark pixels in the image, with bars all the way to the left representing pure black pixels (0). Bars at the right represent very light pixels, with bars all the way to the right representing pure white pixels (255). Bars in the middle represent mid-tones. The height of the bars represents the total number of pixels at that brightness level. An image histograms, therefore, shows an image’s overall exposure.

Example image histogram
Image source: dpreview.com

In the next section, I explain how to interpret the digital photography histogram to find out what different shaped graphs mean about your image, and what you need to do to correct your image if your histogram indicates a problem.

Next, you may want to visit another digital photo tips page to learn how to interpret the digital photography histogram.