5 Tips To Achieve Perfect Wedding Photos Without A Photographer
5 Tips To Achieve Perfect Wedding Photos Without A Photographer
Planning a wedding is perhaps one of the most exciting journeys in one’s life. The joy of sharing such a milestone with the person you want to spend the rest of your days with is quite an experience you wish to intimately remember in more ways than one. However, a wedding is also a bed of roses that consists of challenges you need to overcome as a couple.
Among these challenges would be the financial burden that a wedding can painstakingly take its toll on you. Even if you want the best for your special day, the budget can restrict you from having the best and the most expensive things. But of course, there’s no way you’re letting the burden get the best of you. Instead, you have to think of ways to achieve the wedding of your dreams on a budget.
Wedding Photography 101: Sans The Photographer
Naturally, your instinct would be to make a list of wedding preps and effects that you can downgrade or possibly get rid of so you can save more money. For sure, not hiring a professional photographer has crossed your mind, especially after knowing the typical rates of such services nowadays. Capturing wedding photos without a photographer is sure to save a chunk of money!
Personally as a professional photographer myself, I’d always advise against foregoing such an expense, as the photography you receive as a result of your wedding often represents the only memories you will retain going forward with your life. However I am also realistic with the notion that photographs are not always the most important items on people’s checklists. Hence this blog post! This may also help you realise how valuable having someone who has the experience is!
If you’re wondering if you could make it work, here are some tips you can try to achieve the perfect wedding photos without a photographer:
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Invest In A Good Camera
You may think that this isn’t a practical tip since you still have to shell out money to purchase your first camera. However, if you think about it, investing in a good one won’t only mean having the ability to take beautiful and high-quality photos for your big day. Even when the day is over, the camera stays with you, and you can use it for other special memories you want to capture as you embark on your married life.
Moreover, there are several digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras in the market that you can consider based on your budget. They’re fairly easy to use and won’t even require professional skills to operate them. Alternatively, you can consider buying a second-hand camera that can serve the same purpose.
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Know What Accessories You Need
To make sure your camera will work as expected, you might want to consider purchasing additional gear and accessories for an ultimate setup. A tripod, for one, can greatly help in stabilizing the camera. Hence, you won’t need to worry about blurry or out-of-focus shots.
Having a tripod also makes it possible to get photos of you and your spouse together, mainly if no one else knows how to use the gear. Group shots are also achievable because of this incredible accessory.
Just make sure you learn how to assemble and attach the timer so you won’t have a hard time navigating it when the day of the wedding comes. Also, find out how to set the camera’s timer, which will be greatly useful when you’re taking group and couple shots.
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Make Use Of Beautiful And Natural Backdrops
If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you won’t run out of beautiful and creative ideas for a backdrop. Trees and flowering plants will suffice if you want to capture candid and romantic photos of yourself and your partner. If you can’t find such options, you can also take pictures in the venue with a stunning view or setting.
If you know you won’t have enough natural backdrops to utilize, you can prepare a dedicated corner in the venue where you can set up a photo booth of some sort. You can then adorn it with artificial or fresh flowers, depending on your budget.
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Ask Your Guests And Friends
Although you can try, it’s nearly impossible to do all the picture taking yourself. There’ll be times when you need to entertain your wedding guests, so it’s also a good idea to ask your friends if they can hold the camera for a few minutes and start snapping away when you’re too occupied to do it.
If you have friends who are good with cameras, try to ask for their help. Just be sure not to burden them entirely because, of course, they also want to enjoy the day as much as everyone else does.
You could also host a bit of a ‘photo hunt‘ with your guests using a QR code based photo collection app like Selfbooth. This gives your guests a bit of a gamified reason to head out and take photos for you during your day, and with everyone with a smart phoone on them these days should result in a lot of photos.
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Seize The Lighting
If you don’t know it yet, certain times of the day are considered the best times to take amazing photos. The golden hour, for example, is when the sunlight is less squinting and can look naturally beautiful when taken at a good angle. To achieve perfect wedding photos, it’s recommended you start your pictorial at least an hour before sunset.
You can use the camera’s flash to avoid getting annoying shadows on faces, especially if you’re doing the shoot outdoors. Additionally, pay extra attention to everything around your image. Eyesores can easily get captured in your photos, such as garbage cans or a tree branch obscuring your face.
Final Thoughts
Wedding photos don’t have to be expensively taken for them to be beautiful. Sometimes, all it takes is a good eye and enough preparation on your end. If you want to save chunks of money on your wedding day, consider taking your own photos. Just be sure to consider some of the tips above so you can have perfect photos.
I’m not going to lie, being your own photographer and shooting wedding photos without a photographer is going to be tricky, but it probably can be done!
