Event Photography: Wedding

I shot my first wedding a couple weeks ago. Not for fun, but for real. Not "for real," like I was the principal photographer (no way, that's too much stress), but as a second photographer for candids. I learned a lot doing this, and made a ton of mistakes too. Wanted to share some lessons learned, and also picked out a couple shots that made it into my final set and why I chose them.

Lessons learned
• Get a fast lens, preferably one with a substantial zoom. I used my 50mm f/1.4 and borrowed a 70-200mm f/2.8 for this event. Glad I did that. Lighting conditions in churches are often fantastically bad, and to get the shot I wanted, I needed a lens that could do event/indoor shots in sub-optimal lighting conditions.
• I opted for no flash. Partially because I haven't experimented with it and don't feel so good about it. But also because I didn't want to distract those who were attending nor the main players (bride, groom, officiant, etc.). I figured, I would be taking shots of the critical moments. The last thing they want is to see a flash bulb and blue light filling the moment.
• Think through the shots you want before the event. It'll help you get to the right places so you're not scrambling and tripping over stuff during that important moment. I kicked myself after the actual event because there were a couple good shots that I didn't think through, and consequently didn't get. Total bummer. Jenny reminded me that a picture of the hands (especially as the older people are praying a prayer of blessing and protection for the bride) can communicate really powerfully.

Couple as part of the larger context, but in the background.

Laughter is one of those things that when you catch it, people simply understand it. It's a different quality than saying, "Everyone look here: 1, 2, 3..."

It's just funny seeing how happy the bride is here, in this symbolic gesture of binding the other person to herself. My one regret is not getting closer and framing the shot tighter.

I like it that Pastor Ed Kang is there in the background, clearly smiling, very happy for the new couple, taking their first steps together.