Portrait Photography: Tips for better portraits

by John Eva

For anyone who is interested in becoming a portrait photographer it is important to know that a good portrait photograph has to capture the essence of who the subject is. To be able to achieve this, the photographer has to have the ability to get the correct exposure, accurately focus on the subjects face and also have the right equipment. Here are some things to keep in mind when doing portrait photography.

The first thing to give careful thought about is the equipment you will need to use to take portrait photographs. You can start off with a basic 35mm camera and there are many options to choose from on the market. Get one that you are comfortable with and that has the specification you desire. Many portrait photographers prefer those that use film over the digital cameras. Film it is said captures softer skin tones. Yet many other photographers prefer digital cameras because they can do more with the picture and these cameras can also take a vast amount of pictures. If you choose to have your own digital darkroom, be prepared to spend a tidy sum to have it done.

You will need lenses for the camera with focal length between 85mm to 135mm. These focal lengths give the portrait photographer the ability to get full frames when shooting from distance and they also lessen the occurrence of perspective distortion. Other equipment that you will need to do portrait photography include, studio lights, a reflector to bounce light rays, cable release to keep the camera from moving during the shoot, and an exposure meter to calculate exposure.

For professional looking photographs it is important that there not be too many things in the picture. This is also true when doing someone portrait. Therefore get rid of anything in the background or around the subject that may crowd the picture and that does not need to be there. The photograph must focus on the subjects face and not take away from it in any way. If you are unable to totally control the environment then you should move the subject to a position where there is little or no clutter. When taking the picture it is best to focus as best as you can on the subjects eyes. By focusing on the subjects eyes you will normally end up with a good picture. It manners little whether or not other things around is focused on, the eyes is where the portrait photographer should put his attention.

Experienced photographers who do portrait photography advise that it is best when taking the picture to blur the background. For those who use a point and shoot camera there may be a feature on it that can offer assistance with this all you will need to do is to put the camera in portrait mode. For those who have a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera it is best to employ a large aperture setting, and this also applies for those who take shots with their camera in manual or semi-manual mode.
These are a few of the things to keep in mind when doing portrait photography. They will help any portrait photographer to produce better and more inspired portraits.


Written on behalf of Mar Anderson Photography http://www.photoarte.co.uk
London Portrait Photographer

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Learning Photographic Lighting

by Dan Eitreim

The true test of good photography lies in making your subjects look their best. This is done with using the correct lighting for their faces. Fortunately though, learning photo lighting is pretty easy.

Obviously you won't want to be spending all your free time in Photoshop, it would kill your profit margins.

Let's talk about lighting. To avoid spending all your time in Photoshop trying to correct mistakes, you'll need some techniques to control light. Here's a few ideas...

Rather than just shooting away, you will need to know the basic lighting and shadow patterns.

1. Closed loop
2. Open loop
3. Butterfly
4. Renaissance
5. Split light
6. Narrow light
7. Broad light

The good news is...all this information can be had for FREE! Simply spend a few hours at your local library in the photo section. Look up what each of these patterns are and take plenty of notes. You'll need each pattern in your
arsenal since each one is the best pattern for certain faces or artistic effects.

Let's do some experimenting! For this, leave your camera in the bag.

Grab a couple of kids - use your own or bribe the neighbor's kids - and have them sitting on a chair in a darkened room. Now, with a flashlight as your only source of light, learn where the light has to be positioned - in relation to the face - to create each of the patterns. Draw diagrams and make notes in a notebook you can stick in your camera bag and always have with you.

At this point we are concerned with the angle of the light.

Once you know the what angle the light needs to be in - in order to create each of the lighting/shadow patterns - then start playing with the intensity. Move the light closer and further away. What affect does that have on the length and intensity of the shadows?

Try diffusing the light by covering it with a piece of tracing paper or some other transparent material. See what that does to the shadows? It's the same as a cloud moving between your subject and the sun.

Next, have one of the kids hold the flashlight in place - we'll call this the main light - and add a second flashlight at camera position. We'll call this one the fill
light. Now create one of the patterns. i.e. the closed loop - which is the same as Renaissance by the way. What happened to the shadows when you added the second light?

What happens if you move it to a different position? What does it do to the shadows to move closer? Further away?

What about the background? Move your model closer and further away from the wall. What happens to the background with one light? How about two? Do the shadows change?

A couple hours with a cooperative model and a couple flash lights should answer all your lighting and shadow issues. Make notes.

Once we are comfortable with the patterns and how to create them, all we have to do is make them on location.

If your vision calls for using one light, use the sun. Position your subject so that the sun is at the right angle to create the pattern you are after. You may have to adjust the time of day you select in order to get the angles, intensity and color of light you are after.

If your vision calls for a single diffused light, put something between the sun and your subject. Remember our tracing paper experiment? You'll need some type of diffusion blocking the sunlight.

You could use a large piece of translucent nylon, a white sheet or you could buy a professional diffusion screen. If you are feeling really high tech, you could wait for a cloud to float by or use the shadow of the nearest tree.

If the look you want calls for two lights - a main and a fill - use the sun as your main and your on camera flash as the fill light. If diffusion is called for, use the above methods to diffuse the sun and you can diffuse the flash by
taping on a piece of tracing paper. Need more diffusion? Use two layers of paper. Translucent plastic diffusers are also available for most flashes.

Lighting can be quickly and easily learned and the results are worth the effort.

Feel free to reprint and publish this article at will as long as it remains unchanged and intact, including the author bio.


Dan Eitreim is a professional photographer in southern California with a customer base of over 6000 clients. He says ANYONE can learn to sell their OWN photography and be making money in as little as 2 weeks. For more information and a free ebook, go to: http://www.PartTimePhotography.com
or http://www.FreelancePromo.com

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Photographing The Human Face - Minimizing Wrinkles!

by Dan Eitreim

This is the first in a series of articles designed to improve your photography.

Your job as a photographer (whether you're an amateur or professional) is simple. You have to make your subjects look as good as they've EVER looked without your tricks and techniques being obvious. That's a task easier said than done.

A number of repairs and improvements can be done in Photoshop, but unless you are a true master at retouching, it's hard to do too much without ruining the portrait. The more problems that you fix "in the camera" the better off
you will be and the easier it will be to get seamless retouches.

Today let's talk about wrinkles and acne.

You won't have to do many portrait studies to realize your models all have a few traits in common. Your older subjects want to look younger, even if they don't say they do, and younger subjects want to minimize their acne.

Let's face it, as we get older our wrinkles become more pronounced and actually deeper. Wrinkles are the first photographic signs of our age but they're a problem that is actually fairly easy to fix.

What defines a wrinkle? It's the shadows filling in the crevices. As we get older and those crevices get deeper, the shadows become darker and darker. How to get rid of wrinkles and take years off your photographic model?

Lessen the shadows.

If you have light that is glancing across the face from above or to the side of the subject, the deepest part of the wrinkle crevices are not getting any light and appear darker. This makes our model look older. Depending on the
directionality and intensity of the light, this can add a lot of "visual" years to our subject.

To make your model look younger, have your light shining directly into their face. This way the light is able to get into the "bottom" of the wrinkle. The wrinkles are filled with light which lessens their shadow effect and the years
drop off dramatically. The time spent in Photoshop does too!

Acne? Use the same cure. Acne scars, pimples and other facial blemishes are at least partially defined by the shadows they cast on the face. Again, light skimming the face from the side will cast longer and harder shadows thus
making the acne scars more pronounced and pimples appear larger. Shine your light directly into the face and they will be minimized or disappear altogether.

Use a reflector of some sort or even your on camera flash in addition to the sun to fill in the shadows. Your smooth faced teens and wrinkle free adults will thank you.

Feel free to reprint and publish this article at will as long as it remains unchanged and intact, including the author bio.


Dan Eitreim is a professional photographer in southern California with a customer base of over 6000 clients. He says ANYONE can learn to sell their OWN photography and be making money in as little as 2 weeks. For more information and a free ebook, go to: http://www.PartTimePhotography.com
or http://www.FreelancePromo.com

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How Professional Photographers Can Maximize Their Profits

by Martha J. Dameron

Professional photographers are in an extremely competitive business. With the demands of clients and limited resources, photographers can sometimes feel overwhelmed, particularly in busy seasons such as the summer when weddings are prevalent. Although the busyness is often welcomed because of the money that can be generated, having to turn down clients due to lack of time, can be critical in months down the road when business slows. The following paragraphs will address how professional photographers can maximize profits.

First, think of outsourcing or using other professional companies that can assist you in aspects of your business. Although some people believe that it would minimize profits, this is quite the contrary as outsourcing would allow you to take on additional clients that you would not be able to service on your own during busy times.

Outsourcing may involve utilizing a company that specializes in wedding photo albums or wedding photography coffee table books. By researching an organization such as this and finding out specifically the products they use when creating wedding photo albums as well as the range of services that they offer, you may be able to provide that company with digital images and have them put together designer wedding albums that can later be sold at a higher rate to your clients, thus easing your workload and providing your couples with a product they can be proud of for years to come.

Online digital photo printing and finishing is another popular service that some professional photographers like to outsource because it allows them to save time that they would be using to print the wedding photos themselves. Additionally, it saves money maintaining or fixing expensive printing equipment that can get worn down or need repairs over time. By relying on a professional online photo printing and finishing company, a photographer is able to maximize profits and spend their time doing the work that they truly have a passion for-taking pictures and capturing memories.

Another way that a professional photographer can maximize profits is by hiring an apprentice, intern, or an eager photographer interested in starting his/her own business. These are people typically very willing to learn and have a basic skill level that can be used from the on-set to conduct mundane or routine tasks at inexpensive rates. Over time, these people can be taught additional skills that will further ease your workload. By hiring someone of this skill level you will have additional time to focus on more skill-demanding tasks such as meeting with clients, selling packages, and capturing the moments of special events.

The final way that professional photographers can increase profits is by expanding their service offerings. Photographers are no longer limited to taking formal posed pictures for inclusion in a traditional photo album. Rather, professional photographers can now supply their clients with custom designed cards to celebrate special occasions such as weddings, holidays, baby announcements, and even thank you cards. Custom holiday photo cards, photo greeting cards, and photo wedding thank you cards are always appreciated as they allow people to keep connected that are miles away in a unique and professional way that can be cherished for years down the road. By looking outside the box and expanding your service offering, you will set your photography business apart from others and your clients will rely on you for multiple occasions throughout the year rather than the once in a lifetime event.

As the photography business is evolving and potential clients are becoming more selective, it is imperative to set your business apart from the rest. By relying on the advice above, you can maximize profits, save time, and think of other ways that will keep clients coming back and referring your services to friends and family.


Candid2000.com is a wedding album manufacturer that allows the professional photographer to create a customized wedding album for their clients on multiple-image pages, complete with text and special effects. In addition, Candid2000.com specializes in online photo printing and finishing as well as a variety of specialty services. For more information, please visit www.candid2000.com.

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Landscape Photography Tips

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Steve_Grant]Steve Grant

Landscape photography is essentially all about one's ability to see. No matter what camera you might have, unless the photographer has the ability to see the essence of a landscape, he or she will never end up with any images out of the ordinary. This ability to see, distinguish, and isolate the extraordinary from the ordinary, and then have the technical knowledge to be able to capture it photographically, is what separates the best photographers from the crowd. Too many people get obsessed with the equipment, and it tends to distract them away from what photography is really all about, which is seeing.

Subject matter, location, lighting and timing are also very important aspects in any type of photographic work, but particularly so in landscape photography. You must do your homework, learn about the location and what are its main features. You also need to find out what season, and what time of day is the best to capture the location at its aesthetically best. You then need to have the patience and preparation to capture that magic moment in time when the lighting is just right, and when captured, you end up with an image that will be appreciated by all who see it.

Emotion is another feature that plays a part in landscape photography. Keep in mind that if a location doesn't affect you emotionally in some way, it is probably not going to be a great image either. Also be aware of the fact that emotion is very different from one person to another, and what might affect you deeply, might not have any affect on some other people who will see you images, but who were not present at the time of capture. So don't be disappointed if others don't share your emotional attachment to an image. If it is important to you, then that is all that matters.

The choice of photographic equipment is very important. You must select the camera, lenses, and tripod that suit your style of travelling and general lifestyle. There is no point in being burdened down with a mass of equipment if it negatively affects your traveling and ability to actually capture images. Learn how to use your camera, to the point its functions are all second nature. That way you can concentrate on image capture and not the mechanics.

Steve Grant is webmaster to http://www.geoffrossphotography.com. Geoff Ross is an acclaimed Australian landscape photographer, specializing in stunning landscape and wildlife photography. For more stunning landscape photography and related distinct articles feel free to visit [http://www.geoffrossphotography.com]Geoff Ross or write to webmaster: [mailto:webmastergrant@gmail.com]webmastergrant@gmail.com Yours comments and suggestions will be highly appreciated.

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Marketing Ideas - Wedding Photography Business 2.0

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=James_Stickel]James Stickel

"My wedding photography business is failing!"

That was what I was thinking just over a year ago. I was stuck in a rut, doing the same old marketing techniques that I had been doing for years. The same ones that almost every other wedding photographer in my area was doing.

The problem was that my prospects were becoming numb to the same tricks over and over. On top of that, I was getting older, and engaged couples were moving further away from my age demographic, making it more difficult to relate to them.

It was time for a change in my marketing plan. I had to find a way to get back into touch with my niche.

In order to be successful I would need to concentrate on a few things.

Focus - Narrow down prospects into groups of exactly who you want to do business with. Know who your perfect client is. Are they first time couples or people getting married for a second or third time?

Design Great Material - Design compelling marketing material that speaks to that group of people. Create something of value that you can give away, something with staying power. Personally, I use a free e-book and advertise it with a leaflet. This helps promote my website, and gets me their name and email address (which is required at download).

Gather Leads - You can accomplish this two ways: by telephone, or by email. I suppose you could use snail mail, but this is wedding photography business 2.0, remember? As you read in number two, I use a form on my web page that requires that the user input their name and email in order to receive their free download. I require that they opt-in to avoid spam issues. The other method is to include a recorded telephone message with free information in exchange for their name and phone number.

Harvest - Now, it's as simple as staying in touch with these prospects until they require your services! Send out a monthly newsletter, or provide them with valuable information through email. Any way you slice it, they asked for you to contact them, so DO IT! These are hungry prospects asking for exactly what you're selling.

By implementing this formula into my business, I've seen noticeable gains in purchase rate, all while lowering my time overhead in maintaining relationships with prospects.

To learn more about how I make money with photography, please visit:

The Money Cam Blog at http://MoneyCam.blogspot.com today!

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Shoot Stunning Sunsets With a Digital Camera - Digital Photography Tips Complementary Guide

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Yvonne_Grubb]Yvonne Grubb

What draws us to a beautiful sunset? What makes you want to capture that scene? Perhaps the warm colours and tones ... and then there are so many variations of sunsets, which adds that extra excitement, so let's take a look at these digital photography tips on how best to capture a glowing sunset with your digital camera ...

Timing and Composure

Get set up before the sunset starts, at least half an hour beforehand. A couple of things to consider: the exact time the sun sets, which is the moment the sun drops below the horizon. Note this could be affected bearing in mind your landscape, that is, if there are any mountains which could block the sun, before it has chance to reach the horizon. So it's worth finding the right location where you have an uninterrupted view of the sun, perhaps from a beach, edge of a lake or cliff edge ... anywhere with an uncluttered view. This will greatly emphasise the sun and the sky for a stunning sunset shot

You must also consider as the sun approaches the horizon, this is the time to start shooting, as you should see some dynamic scenes before the sun disappears. Take a couple of shots every few minutes to capture the changing light from the sun's rays once the sun nears the horizon. If you have a tripod, this will help compose your shot by keeping everything steady for your framing.

VIP

Be careful when preparing your shot not to look directly at the sun, either through your viewfinder or with a naked eye, to avoid damaging your eyes. Your digital camera will have an LCD panel, so use this to frame your shot for safety. It will help you with more accurate framing.

Can Dust Particles affect my shot ... True or False?

True ... Dust particles and humidity from clouds can have a great effect on how the light from the sun's rays will give you that dynamic sunset. When the sun is near the horizon the light has to travel its longest wavelengths. The light travels though dust particles and water vapour from the clouds, and so helps create that dramatic sky, giving those deep rich warm tones of red, orange and yellow. If you happen to be close to a town, city or desert on a humid evening, sand dust particles is perfect for scattering light - you'll be in luck to get that 'stunning' sunset.

Set the Scene for that Creative Sunset

Now you're ready to start shooting you'll need to frame your sunset. There is a rule of thirds, and to use it, make sure to keep the horizon level low (bottom third of your framed scene) filling the above two-thirds of your frame with the sky. Be creative by keeping some darker foreground in your shot as this highlights the sky, adding more appeal. You may wish to add other objects, for example trees, figures, overhanging ferns (if on a beach), birds etc, which should give you an attractive silhouette, against your glowing sky. If there happens to be low clouds around, then this will add even more dynamism to your shot - you can imagine the scene right now!

Be patient, be creative, I hope you find these digital photography tips useful, but most of all ... have fun!

Yvonne owns Digital Photo Tutorial which offers people information on [http://www.digital-photo-tutorial.com]digital photography tips

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Digital Photography Tips On Positive And Negative Spaces

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Claude_Fullinfaw]Claude Fullinfaw

Every now and again you come across something that attracts your attention which may have significant importance to what you seem to be doing. In the world of art and painting there is such a word and it's called 'negative and positive space'. Well you probably not heard of it and that does not matter as this information is going to make all the difference to your digital photography skills.

Everyday you will have to deal with shutter speed, the lighting effects, aperture and focus details with your photography. There is so much to manage and focus on at the same time. Well! You probably not aware but you have to deal with an unknown factor and that is 'space'. If you want to become a good digital photographer then you have to get your head around this right now.

Digital Photography Composition Tips

Negative space is the empty space around the main image or subject that you are focusing on. Though this area or space may appear not important, it certainly adds to the overall importance of the image composition.

Positive space is the main area of focus or focal point that the artist wants you to look at in the image. It is the primary attention in the painting or art and not the background noises that we see often in ordinary looking pictures.

So with that in mind can we start looking at this information to help us in our world of digital photography in a practical way. To begin if we have too much negative space around our primary image or focal point then we could potentially ruin a good photograph.

So when taking a picture look around and see if you have too much space around the main image. Reduce it to give you more definition. Instead concentrate on the sharpness of the eyes, the focal point, and the fine lines that reach out to it. This will give you definition and a better picture than trying to crowd too much of the background in.

By paying close attention to what you intend to capture you could add or leave out small details which could make a huge difference to the final picture quality.

For more information visit [http://www.digitalphotographyforbeginners.com/digitalphotographyclasses.htm]Digital-Photography-For-Beginners

Claude Fullinfaw, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2008 Claude Fullinfaw. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

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Earn Money With Modern Photography

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Weis_Ow]Weis Ow

Photography used to be a very expensive hobby. Camera equipment aside, the cost of films and developing them can be phenomenal. But nowadays, the equipment is quite affordable. You can even earn money with modern photography!

With the advancement in various imaging technologies, photography today is much more affordable than ever before. Many modern digital cameras can equal the quality of much more expensive film-based cameras.

But purists insist that film is still the way to go. At the high end of the spectrum, that is true. However, digital photography has progressed to such a stage that even high end fashion magazines have started to incorporate digital photography.

Traditional photography has become more of an art form rather than a commercial tool. Almost anything that can be done on film, can be achieved using modern digital imaging techniques. In fact, digital photographs are much more flexible when it comes to practical applications. Almost everybody earn money with modern photography nowadays!

For example, if you want to have a beautiful backdrop for your subject, you will have to have the actual backdrop ready for a traditional photo shoot. But with digital photography, you can shoot your subject, then shoot the backdrop and merge them easily.

Such photographic magic can also be done using traditional film methods, but the process is much more tedious and cannot be repeated. In the digital world, you could play around with countless backdrops and see their impact on the overall picture composition before making a choice. With powerful imaging software, this complicated task can even be accomplished with a simple mouse click.

The only requirement for great photography that has not changed is the skill and the artistic eye of the camera man. The creativity of the lens-man is the deciding factor in today's world of high tech photography. Picture composition, playing with lights and such artistic talents are still the core skills that technology cannot completely replace without creating artificial pictures.

Majority of the professional photographers earn money with modern photography. Digital cameras used to be techno-toys shunned by traditional photographers. The real photographers. But not anymore.

Weis is a media developer, keen to explore things from all walks of life, thus penning them down into articles. She like to do research on a lot of different topics and currently, she's exploring on how to get make money doing simple photography! For more information on the researches, visit http://www.earncameradollars.com

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Depth of Field - Capturing Near And Far In Focus

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=H._Veronika_Gaia]H. Veronika Gaia

Scenic nature photography can be a challenge as nature landscape photography needs to have an image with good depth of field. Digital photography provides spontaneous feedback with a digital SLR camera and LCD screen. So, challenge yourself to take your camera off the automatic mode and try the below techniques for achieving a new level of nature photography art.

• If you want true depth of field, use a tripod. Place your camera in manual mode and set your aperture to F16. Depending on the light, you might have a slow shutter speed. If you increase the aperture (F stop), the shutter speed will automatically decrease. Photograph your nature scene at different apertures and notice the change in depth of field. If you have this feature on your camera, become familiar with the depth of field preview button. Notice what is sharp near and far in your photographic composition when you use a higher aperture.

• If you do not have a tripod, try these techniques as different assignments to learn the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and depth of field.

Set your camera on Aperture priority mode. Start with F16 and see what shutter speed appears with this combination of aperture and light. Since you are hand-holding your camera, make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/30 second or higher. If not, lower your aperture. If needed, change your ISO setting to a higher number. Have a good shoulder-width apart foot stance for stability or brace yourself using a building or tree for balance.

Set your camera on Shutter priority mode. Start with a shutter speed of 1/30 of a second and see what aperture appears with this combination of speed and light. Photograph a series of nature landscape photography scenes while increasing your shutter speed to higher speeds. You will notice that your aperture decreases as you do so. Check for depth of field with these combinations. Keep yourself balanced for stability as you photograph.

Many novice photographers leave their cameras in automatic mode and are fearful to attempt other features on their cameras. However, when exploring these features, even beginners will notice a dynamic change with their photographic results. This assignment will take little time. It will help you to understand the concept of depth of field in nature photography and it will enable you to use more of the features of your camera effectively.

H. Veronika Gaia is a teacher, writer and nature photographer. She believes that every person can make a difference in our world and that http://www.PeacemakersArt.com provides opportunities for you to make your contribution by purchasing with a purpose. Veronika sells inspirational nature photography art as greeting cards, motivational posters and fine art prints with peaceful intentions for self awareness, human potential and community service. Please visit her website at http://www.PeacemakersArt.com/

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Wedding Photography Tips - From A Nantucket Photographer

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mark_Pommett]Mark Pommett

As someone who grew up as a Nantucket photographer, I've been asked numerous times for wedding photography tips, here are a few suggestions.

Create A List Of Shots Request or suggest to the couple to provide you with a list of shots they would like for their wedding. This makes things easy to remember and you can check them off as you click away. very helpful for family and group shots. It would be a real bummer to find out when you get the photos back that you missed Uncle Joe.

Use An Assistant Shooting the famliy portraits can be frustrating when you have people missing and they are not organized. People are just having too much fun and are wondering about - not really thinking about photography. I recommend to bring an assistant (preferably female) to nominate a family member to gather everyone for the portraits. They can round everyone up and make the shoot go so much faster so everyone can go back to celebrating.

Stay Prepared So much can go wrong on the day - so you need to be well prepared. Have a backup plan (in case of bad weather), have batteries charged, memory cards blank, think about routes and time to get to places and get an itinerary of the full day so you know what's happening next. If you can, attend the rehearsal of the ceremony where you'll gather a lot of great information about possible positions to shoot from, the lighting, the order of the ceremony etc.

Discuss Expectations With Your Bride. Show them your albums and samples of your work. Find out the style they want to achieve, how many pictures, key moments they want photographed, format of the shots ( digital, film), and more. Make sure to go over the price so they know exactly what they are paying for.

Minimize Your Camera Noise. Camera clicks and beeps during the vows and toasts can be distracting. Switch off sound before hand and keep it off.

Shoot With Two Cameras. It's too easy for one camera to go down during a shoot leaving stranded with out anyways to finish your work and destroying your reputation. Buy, borrow, or rent an extra camera for the day and set it up with a different lens. I try to shoot with one wide angle lens for candid shots and tight spaces and one longer lens (it can be handy to have something as large as 200mm if you can get your hands on one - I use a 70-200mm).

Capture The Details. Take pictures of the rings, details in the dress, eyes, lips, table settings, interior etc - these help give the end album an extra dimension. Pick up a wedding magazine at your local news stand for a little inspiration.

Bring A Second Shooter. Having a second backup photographer can greatly facilitate the day and improve your coverage. It means less running around during ceremony and speeches, and allows for your or your second to capture the formal shots while the other covers something else. Most importantly, it takes a little pressure off you being 'the one' to have to get every shot!

Don't Be Shy. Being shy won't get you 'the shot'. Sometimes you need to step to the front of the line to capture a moment. However, timing is everything and planning ahead to get in the right spot for key moments are important so you don't disrupt the event. During the ceremony I try to move around at least 4-5 times but try to time this to coincide with songs, prayers or longer readings. During the portrait session take charge, know what you want, and ask for it from the couple.

Mark Pommett is an accomplished [http://www.pommettphotography.com ]Nantucket photographer serving Massachusetts.

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