Wedding Photography Tips From NYIP...

Editor's note: This article was originally posted by NYIP in 2012

Some digital photography wedding tips from one of my favorite teaching sites the NYIP (New York Institute of Photography) Read more at New York Institute of Photography - Digital Wedding Photography | Wedding Photography Tips: http://www.nyip.com/ezine/people-and-pets/weddings2.html

"Why are we running separate Wedding Photography Tips for people using digital cameras? There are several reasons.

First and foremost, NYI Webmaster Sharon Gumerove recently attended a big wedding, and brought her digital point-and-shoot camera with her. The tips that follow are based on her experience at what turned out to be a great wedding and a giant reception. That means separate digital tips are in order, and those of you who take a digital camera to a wedding for the first time will get better results if you follow these wedding photography tips from an experienced photographer who discovered important differences between working in digital as opposed to film.

Second, there's a social implication as well. A while back, we heard Jason Schneider, long time Editor-in-Chief of Popular Photography, address a group of photography industry executives on the provocative subject "The future of film." His overall thesis was that film use will continue to decline and eventually yield its dominance to digital capture, but he predicted it will continue as a niche product for a decade or more.

More to the point, Schneider noted what he calls the "fun factor" of digital. He told the audience that he had attended two recent weddings, and here is what he observed: Among the guests there were loads of digital cameras, but no single-use film cameras or film-based point-and-shoot models. Several guests who were clearly serious photographers were using film-based SLRs, and the professionals who had been hired to photograph the weddings used film-based medium format cameras. However, the digital users were consistently showing their results on the LCD viewing screen on the back of the cameras to other guests and the bride and groom. Guests asked for copies of photos and promises were made to e-mail photos. E-mail addresses were exchanged. Cell phones with cameras open up even more possibilities.

At the wedding, the "fun factor" of digital includes instant results and the opportunity to share moments from an event while the event is still ongoing. So, without further ado, here are our Tips for Great Digital Wedding Photos.

Just like we mentioned in our companion piece, Seven Tips for Great Wedding Pictures, this wedding photography article is designed to help you, the wedding guest, capture great photos with your digital point-and-shoot camera. Our goal is not to turn you into a professional wedding photographer using traditional or digital camera equipment. Rather, we'll help you understand the issues you'll face when you try to take digital photos at any of the affairs you're likely to attend as a guest this wedding season.

Tip 1: Take lots of extra camera batteries and memory cards.This may seem like an obvious tip to many photographers, but it is even more important if you are using a digital camera rather than a traditional film-based model. The reasons for this are two-fold. Digital cameras, as anyone who uses them knows, require great amounts of power, particularly if you use the built-in LCD screens. So, taking an adequate number of batteries with you is common sense. However, because of issues with recycling time and shutter lag that are inherent in digital cameras, you're likely to be taking many more photos at the reception than you may think, since many of them may not come out. Consequently, you'll be draining your camera's batteries by not only taking the photos, but by reviewing them during the reception.

Which brings us to the second part of this tip: bringing as much memory with you as possible. The more memory cards you have with you, the less likely you'll be to miss the party as you sit in your chair trying to find space on your card for one more picture. You know... that all important one of your best friend getting hit in the head with the bridal bouquet. The one picture you can't possibly miss! So, plan ahead and bring more than you think you'll need in both memory cards and batteries.
Tip 2: Take advantage of your camera's ability to change ISO.

Many point-and-shoot cameras are set automatically so that they expose much like a traditional camera loaded with 100 ISO film. This is great for outdoor photos, but may be woefully inadequate inside a reception hall or church even with the flash turned on. However, unlike traditional film-based point-and-shoots, many digital cameras are more sophisticated and allow the photographer to set higher ISO ratings. If you find that the backgrounds of your photos are coming out dark, even with the flash on, try boosting the ISO setting on your digital camera to 200 or 400. While you may pay for this increase in gain with some graininess, color shifts, and artifacts, you'll find that the backgrounds will be much lighter and the on-camera flash will appear to work much better.
Tip 3: Don't expect too much from your flash.

This is true with any point-and-shoot camera. The on-camera flash tends to be woefully inadequate, but it's still better than nothing. Just remember that the flash is not likely to cover a lot of distance, leaving much of the background in your photos dark. To compensate, try adjusting the camera's ISO setting, and remember to place your subjects up close to fill as much of the frame as possible. Don't expect to get great group shots of people dancing, particularly in dimly lit reception halls. Also, remember that flash units take time to recharge, so you are not going to be able to snap one picture after another without waiting until the camera and flash are ready. Think ahead and plan which images are important to you so that you don't miss the action while waiting for the flash to recharge. Finally, don't expect red-eye reduction to work over long distances. It's great when you're taking static portraits (just remember to warn your subjects so that they don't move after the first flash) but it won't help if you're zooming in on your subjects from half way across the room.
Tip 4: Shutter lag.

It takes time for a digital camera to capture the image and then record that image on the camera's memory card. This is very different than traditional film cameras where there is little or no delay from the time you press the shutter until the image is recorded on film. While digital cameras are getting better and better, odds are you'll find this delay noticeable and annoying when taking pictures at a reception. If you are trying to take action photos, for instance, of people dancing, you may find that many of your pictures have people walking into the frame, or you'll have captured images of the backs of the dancers rather than their faces. For action shots, the only solution is to try to anticipate the action by pointing the camera where you think the action will be and pressing the shutter before your subjects actually move into the space. Even with static subjects, such as guests posing with the bride and groom, shutter lag can result in photos where your subjects' eyes are closed or they have weird expressions on their faces. You, and your subjects, will need to have patience while you take enough pictures to insure that you have captured some good ones. Trial and error, (as well as lots of memory cards and batteries), will result in your getting some good shots. And, with all that practice, you'll eventually develop a feel for how long your camera's time lag is, which should improve your digital wedding photography enormously".