Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Crafting Intimate Tales: The Fine Art of Small Wedding Photography
Do you ever wonder what magic stirs behind the lens at a small wedding? Seize the chance to uncover the secrets of capturing intimate nuptials with grace and creativity. In a heartfelt discussion, we traverse the subtle artistry of small wedding photography, revealing how every delicate detail plays a leading role in telling a couple's unique story. We'll guide you through the intricacies of capturing authentic moments that often go unnoticed in larger ceremonies, ensuring you can preserve the intimate atmosphere that makes these occasions so special.
This episode is a treasure trove of insights for photographers eager to refine their craft amidst the charm of smaller celebrations. From the dynamics of continuous shooting to navigating the personal space of guests, we tackle the challenges and advantages that come with the territory. No need for grand ballrooms or a cast of hundreds; we prove that the most captivating tales are often spun from the quietest corners, where every smile, tear, and tender touch is a narrative waiting to be framed. Join us and elevate your photography portfolio with the nuanced, emotive power of small wedding storytelling.
Hey there, welcome to OPG's Tips and Tricks. Here I'm going to share some quick tips and some tricks that I think you'll find very useful. Let's get right to it, alright. Hope your 2024 is going well. Or maybe it's 24-10-5 when you listen into this. Maybe it's 20-26. This tip and trick is for any time of year.
Speaker 1:The reason I wanted to do this podcast was this time of year is usually a time when we're shooting a lot of smaller weddings. They're a little bit more intimate affairs. I thought it was appropriate to make a quick podcast about a guide for photographers who need to shoot small weddings. I know this one may sound a little bit like well, what's the difference between a big wedding and a small wedding To me? Actually, I think there is a big difference. When a couple chooses to have a smaller wedding, it could be for a couple of reasons. One, maybe they just don't have the money to have a bigger wedding. Budget constraints keep them smaller. Or two, they just don't want to have a big wedding. Or three, maybe it's a combination of both of those things. Maybe they just want to craft something that's a little bit more meaningful and intimate and spend the same amount of money. I've shot lots of small weddings that they spent the same amount of money that they would spend on a big wedding, except they really, really focused on creating a great experience for everybody that was there because that's what they wanted to do.
Speaker 1:This kind of wedding can present a big challenge because they are putting a lot of responsibility on you to make sure that you really do a bang-out job. Listen, if we shoot tons and tons of weddings with that 150 people, they all blend into one another. Every wedding is unique, of course, but 150, 200 people I've shot hundreds of them. The ones that I remember are the small weddings in Mexico, or the small weddings in New York City on a rooftop, or just a Michelin chef dinner where the experience was the food itself, or maybe just a small Central Park wedding where they wanted to take an entire day shooting pictures. It could be any of those things. I wanted to talk about some tips that I've gained over the years that I think will help you in the art of shooting those small weddings. Mainly, this is an opportunity where they give you this unwavering confidence in you to unleash your creativity and bang out the most beautiful wedding pictures they've ever seen. They're hiring you for that. You know what. Maybe they're not spending a lot of money on it, they don't have the money to spend on a photographer, but they have spent the time looking for that person to curate this experience for them.
Speaker 1:Smaller weddings offer a unique and intimate atmosphere, and that's what sets them apart from larger celebrations. It's really, really important to embrace this closeness and dive into those personal, authentic connections, those emotions shared among the couple and their closest friends and family. A valuable trick I've learned is to maintain a continuous shooting rhythm. Initially, it may take a few minutes for the couple and their guests to acclimate to a photographer, but capturing every moment, especially in the more intimate settings, as they gradually let their guard down and become accustomed to the camera's presence, that's when the magic really unfolds. Treat this event as if you would any other wedding, but infuse the creativity into your shots to capture the essence of these special moments.
Speaker 1:So what does that mean? Just speaking real here, what it means is what I always suggest, and this is my number one suggestion shoot a ton, just keep shooting. And the reason for it isn't necessarily to make sure you're not missing anything. The reason for it is that you want them to get used to you being there. If there's only 15 people there and you're one of them, you're only one of the 15 people there, so your presence is big and you want them to get used to you being there. So if you're only picking up your camera and going click, click, click, click, and then you're walking away and then something else has happened and you come back and you click, click, click, click, and then you keep doing that, what's going to happen is that they're just not going to get used to you being there and every time that you pull up the camera to your face, it's going to be like a deer in the headlights. They're going to be like, okay, oh, it's shooting again, so I got to put on my acting face. That's not what you want. What you want to do is to shoot so much that they're just like, oh, this guy's shooting everything right, and he gets used to you being there, so that it becomes much more natural to them, so that when they go to make sure that they have the rings in their pockets or really intimate moments where somebody's embracing a friend that walked in the door or this or that, or maybe they're just writing a note to, maybe they're writing notes to each other before the wedding ceremony and they're used to you being there, so it's going to be very, very intimate, it's going to be very relaxed and it's going to feel very real when you see the pictures. So that's my number.
Speaker 1:One tip in shooting an intimate wedding is, ironically, maybe you need to shoot more. You should never come back from a small wedding and saying, well, it was a small wedding, so I only shot 800 pictures. If that's what you normally do for a normal wedding, you should be coming back with 1200 pictures and I know that sounds crazy. So we're all away and most of them, but it's the act of them getting used to you being there. Next tip that I have is navigate preparations with precision.
Speaker 1:So, with a more intimate guest count, smaller weddings present an opportunity for pre-wedding preparations. Focus on the capturing candid moments during the getting ready process, highlighting the significance of documenting the anticipation, excitement, cherished personal rituals Remember I just mentioned about the hogs and writing notes to each other and just make sure that you're really capturing them with precision and, while it may seem initially repetitive, as your creative instinct kicks in, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the innovative shots that you can capture, even if they don't anticipate it, your dedicated efforts will be remembered, creating mutually rewarding outcome. It's a win-win. So by shooting more than you normally would for preparations because, let's face it, during a normal wedding you don't generally have as much time to shoot prep. So if they've hired you for a full day and it's not really a condensed day that they're shooting, that they're hiring you for. Number one tip If you don't feel like you have the time to do lots of prep stuff, I would ask them to consider hiring you for an extra hour to do that, because it really gives you the opportunity to get creative with those shots. So if you can make sure that you're spending the time on that, and if you are, I've seen all too often with associate shooters that I've had and many other photographers over the years, where they're just shooting a small wedding and there's a watch, there's a ring, there's some flowers, and they just kind of slough it off and they capture it, they document the day, you know, no big deal, but they're not really doing the job that they could, where they could spend An hour getting great detail shots and or an hour making sure that they're, you know, really capturing the what, what, what, what, what the environment, that they've decided to have this wedding day, that day, and along those same lines, I want you to really spotlight the significance of the details.
Speaker 1:You know dedicating ample time to detail shots is so important and, in many instances, place a heightened emphasis on carefully those carefully selected details that you uniquely reflect the couple styles. Consider the potential, increase investment in these details. It's crucial not only to capture the specifics but also do so with a high degree of creativity. Some of my most cherished detail shots have been emerged from these smaller weddings and your clients are really going to appreciate the extra effort that you put into them, that they can admire them. So a lot of times on a smaller wedding they have. Actually they have tons of time to really reflect and choose the details, whether it be the watch that the guys wear, the tie that they put on, cufflinks, shoes, flowers, the dress, all of those things Like maybe it's not an expensive wedding dress, maybe they picked it up at a secondhand store, but maybe they spent six months looking for this dress in a hundred different stores. That dress is going to be really important and it's a really great time for you to spend the extra time doing those detail shots and, you know, again, along along those lines, find those creative angles, get super creative with it.
Speaker 1:I really suggest look around on Pinterest, look at your friends, look at photographers pages, see if you can come up with some inspirations. Maybe grab some screenshots, put them on your phone, emulate, don't steal, and put your own flair to these shots. And you know again, you're the pro. Take the time to prep for a wedding before you get there, consider proposing different angles of shooting styles that align with the couple's personality, grabbing that you know, that overall vibe that they're going to want for their wedding album. Suggest experimenting with different kinds of candid shots. Black and white photography, of course, is unconventional compositions and you know, work with the couple to really understand what they're looking for that day. And you know, in some cases maybe they're hiring you and they say just be you. And that's when it's really important to just be you, because they're hiring you for that. So make sure that you're going to. You know, get the same shots that they see on your website, stuff they saw, they saw on your wedding album and things like that.
Speaker 1:Another thing that and this one is a little bit more difficult, but if you can do it when you can do it, do it. Craft a narrative slideshow for really timeless memories. So smaller weddings may have fewer attendees, and so the cherished moments, don't you know? They're not undiminished. They're super-duper important, just as much as any other wedding. Consider taking 10 to 15 shots from the wedding day, and you need to pre-plan for something like this. So don't do this willy-nilly. You want, you're going to need to practice it a few times, but what I suggest is maybe just take one part of the day, maybe it's just a ceremony, so you're shooting, shooting, shooting for the ceremony. You switch to a different card. After the ceremony you take, you switch to another card again so that you have your laptop with you. You're just downloading the ceremony shots and you're putting together a quick slideshow Again 10 to 15 shots that you're putting together and maybe towards the end of the day, when there's a little bit of lull, you grab your laptop, you open it up and you put it on the brides and grooms or the couples table and you just wow them with a really fun slideshow.
Speaker 1:Hey, I know it's towards the end of the wedding. I just wanted to show you some quick shots. Here you go, come, take a look at these shots. It will literally take maybe a minute and a half for them to look at it. They will love you for it. They're gonna remember that. And one thing that's really important with that those 10 to 15 shots make sure they wind up in your final edit, but it's a really, really fun thing to do to really just create a personal touch for them. If at any point you're doing this, it cannot take away from your wedding day thing. So this is gonna be done when you're taking that 15 minutes to eat your meal or stopping for a quick break. It cannot take away from the rest of the day. So I cannot stress that enough. This needs to be something that you do very, very quickly. No post-processing, just straight out shots. Maybe you bring them into Lightroom, you clean them up real quick and you go and, like I said, if it's only seven shots, so be it, but it's really important doing that.
Speaker 1:Also, smaller weddings frequently offer couples the flexibility to infuse adventurous elements into their celebration. Having being a New York City guy, I shot tons and tons of small weddings where people come in from different parts of the world, and I often collaborated with them to do. They looked at me, as I was the expert of New York City and that was always my thing. So finding unique locations that they would never normally do, like, hey, we wanna do our pictures in Times Square, we think that'll be really awesome. And then I would explain to them hey, listen, for the time that you have me, let's do this location, this location and this location, as opposed to doing Times Square, which, with all the people and the traffic that we'll have to deal with in getting to that spot, we'll eat up a lot of time. We'll only have one location. So your choice is three really unique locations versus one location. So consider getting outside the box for the location and get adventurous with it and don't be afraid to let them they're entrusting you, be their guy, and that's super, super, duper important and that's where I've always gotten my best shots.
Speaker 1:I built my business on that and it was really important, okay, one crucial aspect to keep in mind during these events is that your present holds more significance. As I mentioned before, you need to strike the right balance between knowing when to engage and, more importantly, when to step back. And while it may be enjoyable to sit at a table maybe I've had so many times where they sat me at the table as a guest and that's really really nice, because maybe there only was one table and they invited you to eat with them. Don't eat with them. What I suggest is take your plate and go someplace else. Let them enjoy being there. Your presence is not their present. Your presence is there to be. Your presence is there to work and to make sure that you're doing so. Just say listen, I really appreciate it. I'll join you for dessert, but I'm going to take my meal. I want to keep working here, so I'm going to shove this food in my mouth and I don't want to be rude. That's what I would usually say. It emphasizes your dedication at working hard with them. Okay Now, I love if they have a bridal party.
Speaker 1:These people are really hand-selected. They're super-duper important with them. Make sure you're getting really great shots with them and you're doing really, really fun bridal party shots, capturing those emotions, capturing single shots of them. And I used to always say, if you don't go home dirty, you didn't work today. So, if you're not on the ground shooting at some point, you didn't work, and I got that from a very good friend of mine. Again, exchange of vows is really important. And again at this point during the day, you have shot so much for them, they've gotten used to it.
Speaker 1:So if you decide at the wedding, if you're just kind of willy-nilly and only shooting when you need to and really are worrying about how many shots that you're taking, then all of a sudden the ceremony happens and you're like ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. They're going to be like what the F? They're going to be like why is this person going nuts at our ceremony? That's all they're going to remember. But if you've been shooting your brains out all the way leading up to it, they're going to be like oh, is this guy shooting normally the way he does? And then one thing that doesn't normally happen at a lot of weddings is quite often they'll have to sign their marriage document at some point during the wedding day. If they just have a justice to the peace or they've hired somebody to do the ceremony, they need to get those docs signed.
Speaker 1:I've had the honor of being in such small ceremonies that I had to be one of the witnesses. It was a great honor and we've had a lot of fun with it, where I handed the camera to somebody else and said please shoot me signing the document and I keep those in my. I hung them up in my studio and they were always fun to look at pictures of that and clients would always get a kick out of it. But experiment with lots of different angles. It's a great opportunity to get something unique that you don't get at every other day as well.
Speaker 1:Lastly, family photos, again, small wedding everyone that's there has been chosen very carefully. Family photos are going to be really, really important. So I really want you to concentrate on getting amazing shots of those families, getting creative with them. Instead of just doing one angle for a family shot, maybe do two. One shot of them standing, then maybe get some chairs and have them sit down to pick a different background. Just get very unique with them. If they will give afford you the opportunity to do so, do it.
Speaker 1:And if there's older, older people, then obviously you can't do a ton, but you can still have fun with it. And again, those older people are really important too. Make sure you're getting great shots of them. Little tip on that sometimes those older people can be a little honoring. Don't want to get their picture taken Again if they are used to you being there and they're used to you taking lots of pictures, chances are they're going to afford you a little bit more leeway. And don't be afraid to whisper and then say you are such an important part of this wedding day. I want to make sure that they have great shots to remember this day and you being one of their guests there. And you know what every now and again, an old guy will be like just get the f out of here, just leave me alone, and that's nothing you can do about that. But sometimes the bride will be like dad, stop yelling at the photographer. He wants to get great shots of you.
Speaker 1:And sometimes it's just a matter of that getting put in place, complete change of attitude, and I've gotten some wonderful shots of that. Sometimes they're in their own heads and they're overwhelmed by everything that's going on. Remember those things. When you're shooting people, it's really, really, really important that sometimes it's not that they're just ornery, it's just sometimes that they're so uncomfortable. Maybe they haven't worn a suit in 50 years. If you put a suit on or a dress on, that you haven't. I remember putting a suit on after the pandemic and not wearing anything nice. I mean, when I spent pants for two years. It was really uncomfortable. So think about those things, about why they might be ornery and maybe just try and get them out of that. Try and psych them out of that, that getting them out of that moment. Sometimes it's really just about that, so I hope that's helpful.
Speaker 1:This time of year, as I said I mentioned before, is a time when we go out and shoot usually smaller parties, smaller events, smaller weddings and I hope this will inspire you to go kick some butt. All right, everyone. That's this episode of Tip and Tricks. We'll see you on the next one. Hey, do you have a tip or trick you wanna share with us? Please email me jgroupatorionphotogruppcom. I would love to hear your tips or tricks and we'll even send you a nice little award for doing so. Until then, thank you.
