Wedding photography tips on wedding shot lists, equipment recommendations, and more.

Wedding photos are only part of the equation.

They call it “The Big Day” for a reason. Weddings require a massive amount of planning. And those logistics don’t just apply to the ceremony, the cake, and the conga line.

“I respect the hell out of wedding photographers,” says editorial and portrait photographer Grace Rivera. She doesn’t normally do weddings, but shooting a recent destination wedding gave her a new perspective on the genre. “It’s really tough. You have to embody fashion, documentary, event, portrait — every field of photography — into one day where you have seven hours to create a huge body of work.”

With so much to juggle, from lengthy shot lists and multiple locations to wrangling a large wedding party, and a finite amount of time to get your photos, it’s a tall order for even the best wedding photographers. Putting together a strategy is essential, and that preparation can save you when the best-laid plans fall apart.

“If you want a really vintage look you should use old point-and-shoot box cameras predating the 1950s, or use expired film that is several or more decades old,” says Froula-Weber. “I’ve shot with film that’s 60–80 years old.” Shooting on film can be expensive, but when shots are limited, it can help a photographer be more deliberate about when they click the shutter — you’ll want to take more care setting up each shot. “Each click costs me money [with film]” says Mercer, “so it helps me be purposeful with my posing.”

You can develop your own film, but when you start with vintage photography, it’s beneficial to find a place that knows the technology and techniques. It’s good for a vintage photographer to maintain a solid relationship with a photo lab to help in their journey as they create old-looking images. “Definitely find a good film lab and keep good communication with them,” says Mercer. “Give them reference images to look after.”

On the big day, expect the unexpected.

The bride and groom probably have a plan for rain on their wedding day, and as the photographer at the event, you too need to be ready for moments no shot list can possibly foresee. While the couple is tying the knot, being observant and nimble can help you capture truly unique, memorable moments the wedding couple will never otherwise see.

“I try to think, ‘What would be special and meaningful?’” Plicanic says. “I want them to gasp when they look at their pictures. And often, what I hear is, ‘I had no idea this was happening! How did you get that?’”

No one can witness everything that happens at their own wedding and, often, a keen-eyed photographer chronicling candid moments can make a couple feel like they hired someone who went above and beyond.

“When I delivered the images, there were so many moments that weren’t on the list,” Rivera says. “But the bride was obsessed with them.”

How to capture these moments? Experience builds skill, but really, it comes down to looking for narratives within the day that tell stories the couple, with a thousand things to do, will surely miss in the moment.

“I watch out for people having a really good conversation and laughing,” Plicanic says. “It captures the experience from the guests’ perspective, too.”

And don’t forget to embrace the controlled chaos. Sometimes that frenetic wedding energy fuels great photos.

“Everything is so fast-paced throughout the day. Sometimes you don’t necessarily have time to compose the image perfectly,” wedding photographer Naba Zabih says. “But those photos can still be very impactful, sometimes because of the fact that it’s not totally following the rules.”

The costs and considerations of wedding photography.

Typically, a couple hires a photographer because they like the photographer’s existing work, but managing expectations is still important.

“They’re mostly looking to you to do your thing,” Plicanic says. “It’s more about educating them about what you do, how you do it, and how they can help you do your job.”

That education can establish realistic expectations. “You need to help them understand that a lot of reference images they pull are editorial wedding shoots where one shot took eight hours to produce,” Rivera says.

You may find yourself in a situation where a couple asks for something beyond what you’ve done in the past. To determine if that’s a request you can accommodate, break down the money and time considerations. This is a process that every photographer looking to shoot weddings professionally should go through.

1. Operational costs: From equipment costs to tax deductions, understanding what it costs to be a business will help you understand what you need to charge for your time. Don’t forget insurance, software, web hosting, and data storage in these calculations, including what you might need to pay an accountant. Will you need to hire a second photographer to help capture a larger wedding? Factor it in. Travel to and from the venue can add up, as well.

2. Delivery costs: If you’re offering physical products like photo albums or printed images, factor in those costs to your pricing.

3. Time costs: How much time are you spending at the wedding? What about consultation and preparation prior to the event? Make sure to also add in time spent processing and editing photos, plus time spent getting the final product or package to your client.

4. Opportunity costs: When considering your income over the course of a year, remember that wedding photography is a seasonal industry with most hiring opportunities hitting between late spring and early fall. You can only be in one place at a time — you can’t shoot two weddings on a single day — and most weddings fall on Saturdays, so booking a weekend means you’ll have to refuse other work on that date. Keep this in mind when building the pricing of your offerings. You may have to turn down a couple looking at a weekend you’ve already booked, so making sure you’re charging the right amount to meet your financial needs is incredibly important.

5. The cost of your expertise: Though it takes time to build the knowledge and skill of an experienced wedding photographer, seasoned pros can be invaluable in helping couples navigate day-of unknowns like bad weather, schedule shifts, challenging lighting, and difficult guests. When the question of, “Why does this cost X amount?” comes up, experienced photographers can explain it’s about their ability to handle these challenges with confidence during a hectic event. As your confidence and experience build, make sure to adjust the rates of your offerings accordingly.

There’s no industry standard for these costs; the size and type of wedding, as well as regional cost differences, make any universal pricing impossible. How wedding photographers handle these business decisions will be varied, but understanding your financial needs and what you need to shoot successful photography during the event should guide this process.

When you’ve got the business and pricing set up, you can be confident with your clients. And when you’re confident about these details, you can build confidence with them that you’re the right person to document their special day.