My approach to photographing a ceremony

Photographing a ceremony is done in different ways by different photographers.

The ceremony photography is among the most important of the day in my view. So I’m perplexed when I see wedding photographers sit with the guests during the ceremony and not take any photos. This has happened on more than one occasion. These photographers may get certain photos, like the bride walking down the aisle and maybe the first kiss. However, I have seen photographers who don’t take photos during the ceremony.

That is completely unlike me. Here is my approach to photographing a ceremony. During the ceremony you will find me walking around the ceremony venue taking photos. This doesn’t mean I’m up front and center for everyone to see. I realize that a wedding ceremony is sacred and special and no one wants a photographer to be distracting people away from the focus of the event.

I will mostly stay in the back of the church or whatever venue I’m in to not attract attention. I often will walk partially up the sides of the church to photograph the ceremony from another angle. But I stay back as far as possible and leave the area immediately after the photo is taken.

Photographing the entire ceremony

I believe in getting as many photographs of the ceremony as possible. Can’t miss photos include the wedding party and bride walking into the church or other venue, photos of the couple standing in front of the officiant, the first kiss, and walking out of the venue. There are a lot of other photos I take in between.

When possible if it’s not too distracting and I can get into the right spot, I like to take photos of the parents of the bride and groom as they watch the ceremony.

Outdoor weddings

When I’m at an outdoor wedding, I find there is more flexibility in moving around to take photos. If the couple is ok with it, I will move around much more to get photos from different angles.

This article is part of a blog series on how I approach a wedding photography assignment. Other articles are on: what do I do when I first get to a wedding? How do I photograph wedding details? How do I approach family formals? What do I do in between the ceremony and reception? How do I photograph a reception? And how do I complete the job once the wedding is over?