Have you ever tried to photograph a wedding reception? I now have a greater appreciation for those photographers who do this for a living.
Yesterday I was blessed to be able to attend the joining in marriage of my 57 year old brother and his new bride. They met as teenagers at a summer camp more than 40 years ago and now their lives are joined together forever. The wedding was a joyous celebration of family and friends. The food was great and there was live music too.
However, the ceremony and the reception took place in a private club that appears to be used most often for live music. It was crowed and cluttered and it is an understatement to say that the lighting was variable. The bride, who is a big fan of my wildlife photography, asked me to take some photos of the wedding. I agreed, but only after ascertaining that there would be an “official photographer.”
The relatively dim lighting in the club meant that flash would be required for virtually all shots, and I did have an external flash with me, but I was using it for the first time. Throughout the reception, I ended up doing a lot of experimentation as I twisted and pointed the head in different directions to bounce the light.
As I was getting seated at my table, I decided to take some test shots of the little white bucket that served as my seating card. I was initially confused when I saw that all of my shots had a purple tinge to them. What was I doing wrong? One of my brothers helpfully pointed out that there was a purple light shining down on us from right behind where I was sitting.
I quickly learned that uncluttered backgrounds were almost impossible to get and that composing shots of moving people in confined spaces is near impossible (and it’s even harder to get shots with decent expressions on their faces). There was a live band and I managed to get some decent shots of some of the band members, who were relatively stationary, though the constantly changing lighting made it a challenge.
The groom has more than forty tattoos, including many of the characters of the Wizard of Oz, and the wedding cake featured numerous scenes from that wonderful movie.
I did eventually manage to get some candid shots of people during the reception, but I haven’t yet decided if I will share them on this blog—I’ll probably check with the bride and groom to see what they think.
What did I learn? Most of the “official” wedding shots probably need to be staged, preferably in an outdoor setting or a place where you can control lighting and background. The candid shots from the reception that look spontaneous and fun are really, really difficult to get and there are no guarantees that you will get good ones—you really do need a second shooter to increase the odds. Finally, it takes a lot of energy and stamina to take photos at a reception—I got a good workout doing all kinds of stretches and deep knee bends trying to get shots.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You did a great job. I had neighbors asking for family photo, cool, my spot had natural light, flash fill rest…I said come, the pitched an hour later, near dark…..whole new scenario. Hehe.
It must be tricky to be so involved in the celebration and yet be trying to take photographs to document it. There’s a reason most photographers are “outside” the wedding group. I believe it’s also a very different skill in the same way that an awesome landscape photographer would find sports photography challenging. I’m sure your candid shots will be a welcome addition to the more formal and staged photographs. That’s probably precisely what the bride and groom wished for, a different perspective being documented. When I got married, we were undergraduates and had to run the thing as a “penny wedding” with family contributing a skill as their gift to us. My uncle took the photographs and, while he did a competent job of documenting the ceremony, all of my wedding photos are essentially candid. I have no formal, staged wedding photos at all. I think, therefore, that a balance between the two is best.
It is tricky and barely rewarding work, Mike. My daughter has photographed a few weddings. She did a very nice job, each time, but it was hard work and I think lugging the equipment helped cause her to need neck surgery at an early age.
I could not do it, I’ll stick to the outdoors and subjects that don’t complain when a pic does not turn out. 🙂
Michael, great first time for wedding photography. You are right , it is hard work though based on my experience it gets a little easier each time out. When you are shooting a wedding you are involved in like you were things are little trickier. One thing I find helps on getting more candids is using a longer lens when you have the space. When people don’t know you are there they act a little more natural. The other benefit of a longer lens is you can reduce the clutter a good deal. The only downside to holding up a 70-200 2.8 for 6 hours is it does get heavy after a bit. Thanks for sharing your experience on your blog!