The following is an interview with Chayil Marie Branda. She is a photographer who has been shooting weddings on her own for about a year. She worked with another photographer previous to that for three years, and gained valuable experience. The interview is filled with helpful tips for people who are trying to break into the photography business, specifically weddings.Q: What got you into photographing weddings?
A: My mom was a photographer and I always enjoyed going to the studio to watch her develop film.
Q: What was the biggest challenge business wise when you first started out in photography?
A: Finances. It’s an expensive industry and in order to make money, you have to spend it.
Q: What are the three biggest challenges when photographing for a wedding?
A: 1. Time – you will always feel rushed. You have to learn to adapt.
2. “Uncle Joe’s” – close friend or family member who usually has nicer gear than me and is wanting to talk my ear off while I’m trying to work.
3. Prep time. Making sure you and all your gear is ready. There no second chances with a wedding, so you have to make sure it’s all ready before you begin.
Q: What are some tips to overcome these challenges?
A: Practice. With all of them. You’ll get better the more times you handle them.
Q: What would you say are the key pieces of equipment you need for successfully photographing a wedding?
A: Other than a camera? (: Depends on the type of photography you shoot. For me, I shoot very photo journalistically, so I need my camera, my lenses (50mm 1.4 and 70 – 200 2.8L are my most used) and a bottle of cherry coke.
Q: When photographing the reception do you set the shot up first or do you just shoot as it happens?
A: Both. I’ll set up a cake shot, then shoot during the actual “eating”. Bouquet/garter – I just let happen and shoot through.
Q: Do you have any tips for photographing during the actual ceremony?
A: Remember that as much as this is about the bride & groom, it’s also about the joining of two families. Look for the emotions from parents/ grandparents during the ceremony too. I always rapid fire the ceremony, so that I don’t miss “the money shot”.
Q: Could you describe your favorite posses that you have used in weddings?
A: I HATE to do “normal” posing. As I look through blogs, magazines, website… when I see a pose I like, I’ll sketch it out in my journal and then before a wedding, I’ll prep the wedding by looking through the journal for ideas.
Biggest goal for me here is to make the couple/bridal party look comfortable. Most people hate pictures, so getting them comfy is huge.
Q: Any tips or general information that you think would be useful to add?
A: The biggest thing that helps with wedding photography is practice. Second shoot with another photographer, until you are to the point where you would be ok, if that photographer called in sick. Also, see what’s going on in the wedding industry. Read blogs, look at websites, and be informed!
For more information on Chayil go to:
http://sv-se.facebook.com/pages/Palm-Harbor-FL/Chayil-Marie-Branda-Photography/15178503797
2 comments:
very helpful. the pictures look really cool too
thanks for this! I offered to shoot a friend's wedding in a couple of weeks since she can't afford a photographer and I've only done it twice before... so nice to read something with some useful advice!
I'd add another note: don't be shy about moving around to get the best angles and interesting shots, even if it can feel a bit awkward when you're in a Church...
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