Shadowing a paid photographer at a wedding

I have been asked by my wife's coworker to take candids at her wedding in about three

weeks. The couple has arranged for a professional wedding photographer to take formal

shots- my understanding is that he will be there for only a few hours. I see this as a great

opportunity to observe an experienced photographer and hopefully learn some basics of

formal wedding photography. What I don't want is to be a nuisance to the paid photographer.

Does anyone have any advice on how to make the most of this experience? I have wanted to

get into wedding photography for some time now but am a little intimidated by the whole

process. Thanks for your advice.

my advice is to NOT bring your camera with you to the formal photography session. if the photographer let's you watch, great, but watch as if you are disinterested. don't ask any questions. don't bother them. don't snap behind their back.

 

if I were you, I would consider approaching the photographer (or another wedding photog.) after the wedding and offering your services to assist for a few gigs.

 

Conrad

Introduce yourself to the photographer and jump in when he/she is out of the venue.

 

Hugh

Get permission to talk to the pro from your wife's co-worker, then talk to the pro in advance.

What is there to learn?

 

Logistics : how to organize the gear and the people

 

Crowd control: keeping the flow of people orderly and non-chaotic

 

Directing, posing and styling the sitters, especially in groups: getting the best

expressions, looking out for problems and solving them

solve before they become problems like reflections in eyeglasses, people hiding in

shadows of other people, eye blinks, bad hair, bra straps, people slouching, etc,

If it is your desire to shadow, I'd HIGHLY recommend contacting the pro ahead of time. Be open and honest of your intentions. The pro may even allow you to use your camera during formals for your portfolio. Better to clear it first. Ultimately, observing the wishes of the pro is in the best interest of the B&G.

Carlo,

Looking over a photographer's shoulder is not a proven method of learning to photograph weddings. Contact local studios ( use web sites to look over their work) slect the studio & photographer who's work & style of shooting you like and contact them. There is no way to learn wedding photography without working with an experienced wedding photographer and they must want to teach you also. Before contacting a photographer make sure you have the proper equipment to work with I don't know many photographers who will loan you equipment. There is alot more than taking photos going on at a wedding as a primary shooter at these events you must also manage large groups of people and move with the event and not fall behind. Weddings move very fast, it is very easy to miss something you must have the tools(both photographic & people) to handle all kinds of out side distractions and still get the job done. I have trained many wedding photographers over the years in this business you have to be right there is no second chance!

Don't follow the photographer around while he is taking candids, you will just attract attention to him. You can just as easily observe his technique from your table or pew.

 

When it comes time for the formals you should have already asked him if you can sit in the back and watch. I would pick a seat or somewhere out of the way to stand and stay put. You do not want to be a distraction to him or the bridal party. Take one or two photos of his lighting setup in relation to the subjects and the room. Then stop, look and listen. Don't photograph when he is. Observe how he directs people to stand or pose and how he says it. Take notes if you want.

 

After the wedding, buy some prints from him of the wedding. Study these and look at your notes on his lighting and posing technique. This should provide you with a wealth of information to absorb. If his photos come out crappy, figure out what he did wrong. Most photographers make mistakes so try to find his. I highly recomend buying at least one of his prints, it doenst need to be bigger than 4x6. You will need time to study his work and figure out why he did the things that he did.

I would suggest that you introduce yourself to the photographer, tell him you are interested in learning/watching him work and then take your cues from there. If it were me, I'd be more than happy to let you in on some stuff and get some shots for yourself. You can learn alot just watching a pro work if you are attentive....watching with an "I can do that" attitude will cut down on what you learn/observe considerably. If the pro is a bit of a poop, or insecure and not very accomidating, then back off and give him his space. Keep your camera handy. I've had several Uncle Als at weddings that were interested in photography and we generally can have a few interesting disscussions through the day. You could even establish a friendship or networking relationship.

 

Don't get your expectations up very high tho....if this is a hi-volume day and the photographer is only covering for a few hours at the church, most studios will simply send over their 3rd or 4th string photographers and the better shooters will be busy covering the full day affairs.

This is almost exactly what I did this weekend. The couple hired a photog from a studio to do the candids and she left 45 minutes into the reception. She basically did formals and covered the ceremony, limo, and cake cutting. I was hired after she was just for the photojournalist style that I am trying to specialize in.

 

Before the wedding I asked if I could speak to her directly. Her response was "there is no need to speak to me, just stay out of my way." When I introduced myself to her at the church she said "don't shoot while I'm shooting, don't go in front of my lens or lights, don't talk to the bride and groom." I respected all of her wishes, and she did give me one or two tips along the day. The main photog was all business, she did excellent work with the formals, but the couple wanted more coverage than that.

 

I kept myself busy by looking for candid moments, while her camera never came off of her tripod. Once she left, I was in charge. The couple LOVED how I worked.

 

Exactly what others have suggested: talk to the photog first, and ask them if you can follow/shadow and learn a thing or two. Some will be great to work with, some not.

 

~Aaron

Thanks to everyone for the advice. The concensus seems to be I should speak to the

wedding photographer before hand if possible, be totally up front with my intentions, and

above all not get in his way- firm but sound advice. I will see if I can talk to the

photographer before hand and *feel* the situation out. If he is comfortable with me taking

some shots in between or sharing sage advice, great- if not, I can respect that and I'll

maintain a non-distracting distance.

 

Since I have been asked to shoot candids, I'm not particularly anxious to *steal* his formal

shots. I am more interested in observing how he sets up the group and his equipment, his

organization, if he takes notes, how he gets the group to co-operate, his mannerisms as a

professional etc..- all those intangible things that I can't read about in books. Thanks

again for the advice.

Speaking to the paid photographer up front is a good idea, but don't expect a warm reception to the "shadowing" idea unless arrangements are made well in advance of the wedding. There are two reasons - lost sales and distraction from the job at hand. The last is by far the most important.

 

Shooting a wedding requires people skills, organization, adaptability and alertness to situations as they develop. Technical skills and proper equipment are important, but just a beginning - expected but not sufficient. As much as I might share ideas with a newcomer, I can't let it get in the way of what I'm paid to do. I do talk to other photographers, but listen with only one ear. If something develops, I'm off in mid-sentence. That's reality, not intentional rudeness. Shooting formals, I have to be in charge and keep things moving. There's no way I can wait for a wannabee or aunt Millie to get the shot. If someone is determined, I ask them to wait for my flash so that the wedding party doesn't blink for my shot. As a last resort, I'll ask my contact to intervene (that's never happened, but I'm ready).

 

If you want to learn the business, I suggest you put a portfolio together and speak to an established studio or wedding photographer.

I wouldn't say a word, and stay out of their way.

 

You might pick up some posing ideas, but you won't learn the technical stuff.

I always take a camera at friends and family weddings. However, i never shoot beside or behind the professional photographer. Since they're family and friends i tend to have the extra advantage of knowing who they want pictures of.

 

Usually i tend to stay on the opposite side of the building to the pro. Basically as far away from him/her as possible. Sometimes i do get to places before the pro gets there and do get shots that they didn't have time to get. But once he comes over i stop shooting and move far away.

 

However, like others have said you really need to talk to the pro first. Some are more accomodating than others. They can give you lots of tips. Basically my family has hired this one pro for quite a few weddings and he's been a reliable guy although more traditional. However, i did learn quite a bit from him just by asking him stuff. When he's shooting i observe him and when he has a quiet moment i ask questions.

Sounds like sort of a cool thing Carlo.

 

I shot at three weddings this summer. All had hired "pros".

 

Cutting through the miles of diatribe in here I can say it s best to introduce yourself, explain your relationship to the B&G, and assure him you have no intention of stepping on his toes.

 

I noticed the pros who were the most agreeable had the best work.

well i tell you this.. i once travelled to canada on holiday. off to take some flower photo on

this beautiful public park. it turns out there's a formal outdoor wedding shoot.. then i

think to myself hey this must be a great shot of my holiday photo. i use a 70-200 f2.8

with a 2x converter.. it's soo far that i wouldn't think i'll be bothering the photoshoot. but

still i was visible to the sitter. then one of the sitter start to laugh and pointing at me as

telling to everyone there's a paparazzi with a long lens it's taking a photo of them.. then i

notice the photographer reaction to this is a little bit distracted..for that i just left the park.

i'm a wedding / event photographer my self in my country. and it never bothered me if a

family member or if eventually the bride/groom parent assign another photographer for

their own liking. i guess the rule is different....

When I do wedding assignments, I do not like it when others try to steal my poses. I am not hard to get along with, but someone who is taking pictures over my shoulder can be very distracting to whoever I am trying to photograph. If distraction causes the subject to look off in the wrong direction, that photo may end up on the reject pile. No sale-no money.

 

If a novice photographer really wants to learn the business, he can look through books or videos on the subject. The wedding location is no place to be schooled.

"If a novice photographer really wants to learn the business, he can look through books or videos on the subject. The wedding location is no place to be schooled."

I tend to disagree with you Carl in this reguard. Once books have been read and videos watched, what is studied must then be put into practice. The best way to learn is to do, so unless one is independatly wealthy and can setup mock weddings the real ones will have to be the final learning platform.