Wedding photography is not easy by any means. Sure the event is incredibly special. If you’re lucky enough, you might get to shoot in a spectacular location that will make for an excellent backdrop. However, the truth is that unlike other types of photography, you have very little control over the entire setting.
Moreover, even the kind of pictures and themes used are often dictated by the client. So it is safe to say that you cannot fully exercise your creativity at all times. However, wedding photography is also incredibly rewarding. Be prepared for a river of tears when you deliver that final album and watch the couple relive those happy moments all over again. If your wedding photography experience has gone well, chances are you will be recommended by your clients to their friends and family as well. This way, you can slowly but surely increase your client base.
However, depending on your level of skills and the type of camera and equipment you use, wedding photography can either be like a walk in the park or like a bed of nails. If you’ve been struggling with capturing wedding shoots with your Canon 60d camera, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve put together a list of tips that will help you shoot weddings exquisitely!
Use Good Lighting
Lighting is vital if you’re a photographer, especially for wedding photography. Playing around with lighting and trying to select the right amount is crucial for getting a good picture. With outdoor wedding photography, you will have to work around with natural lighting, which, of course, isn’t available all day.
This is why you must let the wedding planners know that they can’t delay the event more than a certain period; otherwise, they will miss all the good lighting. Shooting portraits at noon or at the golden hour will give you the absolute best results.
You also have to ensure that the place you’re taking pictures from is relatively shaded to not compromise the photographs. It is also imperative that you come early and well prepared to know exactly what the weather situation and overall availability of light are like at the venue.
Shooting indoors is a whole other ball game and not an easy one. Indoor weddings generally have less light. So you will have to improvise in such cases at times. You can get extra lighting or use flash. It is not recommended to do so in small intimate affairs as it may disrupt the wedding.
Luckily, if you’re using the Canon 60d, you don’t have to worry about the lighting whatsoever! This camera is well adapted to shoot in low light situations. It can produce excellent, bright photographs even if the lighting is less than ideal. The metering mode on this camera allows users to meter the light for different settings. This results in excellent portraits and pictures that are sure to win everyone’s heart.
Maintain A Low Presence
As a photographer, your job is a lot more than taking pictures of the scene and the couple. It is also your responsibility to capture those easy to miss moments that must be immortalized. Whether it is a tender look shared between the bride and the groom, a father’s kiss, or the bride having a moment with her friend, it is these tear-jerking moments that matter the most in a wedding album.
It is also true that people tend to put up a different front when they are with the company, and especially if they’re in front of the camera. It is up to you as a photographer to capture everything as silently as you can. This is easy to do with Canon’s 60d thanks to its silent shooting mode.
With this mode, the operating noise is reduced to almost nil. Allowing you to silently capture all the heartfelt moments at the wedding. The camera has 2 silent shooting modes that you can alternate between according to the environment. In silent mode 1, the camera’s operating noise is much lower than usual, although not completely silent.
However, photographers can shoot continuous high-speed shots in this mode as well. Although the speed will have reduced to about 5 frames per second, it is still more than enough to capture essential wedding moments.
Silent mode 2 is nearly completely silent. But, you can only take a single shot at one time with this mode. Choose the most suitable mode for capturing moments, depending on the environment you’re in.
Backup Your Files
Every photographer’s worst nightmare is to lose all their work at a moment’s notice. Considering how unreliable technology can be, this fear is not entirely unfounded either. No matter how great the pictures you’ve taken are, you must create a good back up that you will not lose until you have transferred all of your raw, unedited photos and secured them.
There have been numerous instances of photographers losing their images in a camera’s internal storage due to a technical glitch. At times, back up files on laptops also become corrupt and cannot be read. In such cases, not only will you have lost your work, but probably your valuable customers as well.
This is why you must take precautionary measures to prevent this from ever happening. The best way to back up your camera is by using an SD card and transferring your pictures onto it as you shoot. Canon 60d is compatible with various memory cards that include SD, SDHC, and SDXC.
These memory cards will allow you to safely shoot as much as you want and keep all your data safe. Even when you’ve transferred everything to the laptop, we highly recommend not clearing out your memory card until the whole album is printed and the dealing is done. At times, families ask for raw, unedited pictures as well that you might have already edited or deleted from your camera. This is why keeping images on your SD card until the very end is important.
Frame Shots Correctly
There are numerous things to keep in mind while capturing an image. Anyone can take a picture with a good camera, but how you stand out as an artist and professional photographer is entirely up to you. By using different styling techniques, aesthetics, and compositions, you can make your photo pop.
One such important element of composition that is vital for photographers to master is framing. Framing a photograph is an art. After all, you want your pictures to capture the eye and tell a visual story. Framing and proper composition are crucial if you want to blow away your customers, and every photographer knows this well. There are specific basic rules that you must follow, such as the rule of thirds that will always help you capture a visually appealing photograph.
The Canon 60d can help you implement this rule of thirds correctly. The camera has a grid in the viewfinder that you can use to this effect. All you have to do is place your subject at the “third line” on the viewfinder to capture a visually stunning picture.
Another way to improve your framing technique is by following natural lines in the setting. This will draw the viewer’s eye towards your subject. You can even use nature or the decor to create natural frames for your photograph.
We recommend scouting the area in advance, so you know the setting well and can use the scenery to frame your pictures in the best way possible.
Know Your Camera Well
It is simply impossible to capture good photographs until you know all your camera’s ins and outs. Of course, there are a few basics that you are taught in your photography course that apply to all cameras.
However, sticking to only the basics will render good, but not great, photographs. To be able to take artistic liberties and exercise your creative side in photography, you have to know what your camera has to offer.
No two cameras shoot the same way. Especially if you’ve gotten used to a particular camera, switching to a new one can be slightly daunting. This is why you must take your camera for numerous test runs before the actual day of the shoot. This is especially true for wedding photographers because you only get one chance to prove your skills.
If you have the Canon 60d, then you’re in luck. This camera is relatively simple and lightweight but can outperform any other camera in the same category. However, even with a simple camera like this, you will have to do a few test shots to explore the numerous features. You can play around with light, exposure, and multiple other settings to create an out-of-this-world shoot that will leave everyone in awe!
The Canon 60d camera has clear and concise instructions and a user-friendly interface. It is one of the easiest cameras to use, so you can go all out and play around with pictures and composition as much as you want!
