Wedding Planning ...

I've been reading up on photography planning for a Wedding so that I am 100% prepared for my meeting with my Uncle and his fiancé on April 12th to discuss what they want from me as a photographer on their Wedding day.

Research
Approach:
What I've read so far is that a wedding will have a set agenda of photographs that are usually always required. Despite the size and culture of each Wedding I may photograph will be varied, there is always only one bride and groom (obviously sometimes the same sex in the case of civil partnerships) and these are going to be the main focus of my photographs. I've found that, what is true for one wedding might not be for another, even if the Wedding itself is very similar. This is down to the people I will be working with. Family dynamics vary greatly, I will need to establish if people are intimidated by the camera and accommodate to make them feel comfortable. Using perfect lighting and perfect direction will not always create the best photographs, if people look awkward, it will be my job to move them to a more flattering position, therefore I need to be able to judge people's body language very carefully.

Camera equipment: 
The camera body needs to be able to handle the intensity of the day, I've found that a lot of photographers state that amateur camera bodies have the capability to handle a wedding just not quite with as much speed and fine-tuning. So I may borrow something like the Nikon D700 from the stores for this date and maybe the Nikon D200 as a back up body (if the stores will allow me, or I will use my Nikon D90, which is more of a basic camera however with the correct lenses it should just about be able to do the job)

In terms of lenses  I've read, Lenses with a large maximum aperture of f/2.8 or larger are extremely valuable for weddings. The option to use available light, even in dark churches or dimly lit reception halls, is a strong tool for the wedding photographer. Even more important is the option not to use a flash, as few people would describe the light cast by an on-camera flash as romantic. Furthermore, some locations have restrictions on flash photography during the ceremony itself, or a bride might specifically request that a flash not be used. The extra two stops of shutter speed between a f/2.8 lens and a cheaper f/4-5.6 kit lens can make the difference in getting the desired photograph. I have considered using a wide-angle zoom len. This lens makes it possible to photograph in confined spaces, such as the bride's dressing room or a packed dance floor. The wide angle perspective creates a sense of expansiveness and grandeur by showing the entire church or ceremony location. Wide images are easier to create with a full-frame sensor camera, as there are no f/2.8 lenses in the 10-22 range that gives and equivalent field of view with a small-sensor camera. Another lens that I will probably take to the wedding is a 70-200mm  telephoto zoom, fas this will be important for ceremony images. Very few wedding parties want the photographer in the way during the ceremony. Most likely, you will be photographing down the aisle from the back of the church. 200mm is long enough to be able to take 3/4 length images of the bride and groom without creeping too far forward down the aisle and 70mm is wide enough to take in the bridesmaids or groomsmen as a group without switching lenses. In my Uncle's wedding I probably won't need a zoom of this capacity as it is a small affair at a registry office. 

Lighting:
I have found that I will need a dedicated flashgun. This is because on very bright days or when the subject is strongly backlit, fill-in flash will be essential to avoid shadows on faces.
Continuous light can be considered in particularly dark corners of venues or if there are a lot of people to photograph inside, when I look at the venue I will judge if I want to take continuous light with me or not on the day.

Other Equipment:

• Reflectors and diffusers will be essential to manipulate light as they are extremely portable.
• Tripod
• Camera bag
• SD cards and back up SD cards
• Extra batteries
• Gaffer tape (to tape down cables if there are any)

Stage Managing:

Something new I've found whilst reading about planning for a wedding as a photographer is, stage managing. This is the art in which careful composition allows the photographer to stage natural looking shots without posing the subjects. This involves careful planning of the location, finding somewhere to frame the subjects with something clean and neutral, with good light. The trick is to pre-empt what you are going to do and quickly arrange the subjects, the shots will look natural because the subjects haven't lost interest. The difference between this and 'grab shots' where people gather together and say, 'can we have a quick photograph?'. Is that people are unlikely to think about the composition and will often block shorter people out of the shot etc. If you were to approach every photograph in this way you are VERY unlikely to achieve the clean lines and strong graphic images that the couple will expect.

Sequence:

I've read its very important to know exactly what is happening and when, where the bride is getting ready, what venues they are using etc. By knowing this information I will have a better understanding of the time we have available and I will be able to plan efficiently, this should hopefully help me keep in control of the day and therefore keep me calm! 

Guide line for sequence and key shots that are likely to be required:

•  Bride getting ready: Bride portraits when she's looking her best, informal candid shots (e.g. dad putting on his tie, bridesmaids helping the bride etc) Home details (something borrowed, something blue. love letters to the bride, makeup, flowers etc.)

• Bride in her dress: details of her dress, the lace etc. pick a room with good lighting in advance.
• Bridesmaids and bride's mother: If they are already ready aim to get some group shots and portraits if you have time. 
• The groom: (with best man and ushers)
• Guests arriving: shots of them entering the venue.
• Bride arriving at the ceremony: detailed shots, fine vantage point with good lighting, spontaneous moments that capture a story
• The brides entrance/start of service: Detailed shots of the service, grooms reaction to bride, key ceremonial shots, people crying etc. 
• Signing the register: emotional shots, try and capture this moment without interrupting, however stage the shots of signing too, to make sure you have everything. 
• Candid shots & confetti after ceremony
•  Before the guests seated for the reception: Venue shots, table dressings, cake etc. Informal shots of guests arriving. 
• Group shots: Planned group shots, give lots of warning to the party
• Couple shots: Get them alone, close in shots and long shots, plan the scenery and lighting. be polite to the wedding party and try to avoid people following the couple so that they don't distract.
• Speeches/ cake cutting: Detailed shots 
• The first dance
• Evening candids

Preliminary Plan & Final Plan:
On my meeting with any couple I need to discuss,

• venues, time structures
• important people, parents of the groom, parents of the bride, bridesmaids etc. 
• Fees 
• Types of imagery they are after, style, specific shots etc.

Once the preliminary plan has been made on the meeting, make sure you have created an updated FINAL plan before the wedding and print extra copies, so that you know EXACTLY what your doing and when.

Key things for the final plan: 

• Names of all the important people (this will help me stay professional and allow me to address everyone by name)
• Reminders for must have shots (ones that have been specifically asked for)
• Notes for parking, routes to each venue and key staff members at each venue
• Sensitive family issues -Write down if there are any family issues, e.g. divorced parents of the bridge or groom, estranged children, deceased parents (discuss these issues with the bridge and groom before the wedding so that you know what the boundaries are)

Venues:

Before the wedding I will need to check out each venue, not only to pick out key photography spots but also to time between locations, check for parking and to considerer a plan B in case of bad weather. 

Couple shots:

I've learnt many tricks from researching about wedding photography. The most important is how to keep the bridge and groom calm and get natural beautiful shots. I've found that many of the sources I've looked at have expressed taking them away from the party, to a more quiet secluded part of the venue or if the couple want, to take them somewhere local that you've found to photograph them, e.g. a beautiful field, a beach etc. This will prevent people from the party following and distracting you or the couple and allow you to get more beautiful shots. I've also found that many photographers express a desire to use a long lens or wide angle lens and to shoot from a far, this will allow the couple to be more relaxed and feel alone and hopefully be more natural. It is also important to take close up couple shots too. 

Group shots:

The group shots are probably going to be the most stressful. It is important to stick to the schedule and not feel pressured by other members of wedding party wanting their picture taken. Kindly express that you will do them if there is time and the couple have scheduled specific photographs. Tony Cobley also warned me about being pressured by other family members as it will ruin the schedule and I may struggle to keep on track with getting the more important shots. 

After the wedding post production:

As soon as the wedding is over back up the photographs in a couple of places so there is no chance of you loosing them. 

Editing will be difficult for the first wedding as I don't think I will understand exactly what people are looking for, so I think I will just get rid of obvious bad shots, blinking people etc. I might mess around with filters to add effect just to give the couple something more to consider. I will also touch up the skin slightly in the portraits of the bride and groom but I don't want to get into extreme editing as I want the couple to look natural and they will obviously look beautiful anyway, its there wedding day! 

Meeting the couple after post production:

Before meeting I think I will create a low resolution watermarked CD of all the edited final selection images and send it to the couple so that they have chance to look at the photographs and decide what they want to do with them before the meeting. During the meeting I will run a slideshow on my laptop so they can see the images whilst we discuss what they want in terms of outputs. These could be prints, wedding albums, final CD. I will need to have a rough idea of prices and create an order form.