Wedding photography is one of the most common and most lucrative forms of professional photography.

While demographics and social trends may fluctuate over time, the need for preserving the memories from weddings is a universal concept that knows no borders.

As a celebration of love and family, wedding photography can provide fun, exciting, and rewarding opportunities to exercise your technical and creative abilities. However, since weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime event, the experience can also be stressful and difficult, especially without the right knowledge, experience and preparation.  The goal for this guide is to go beyond a haphazard list of wedding photography tips and give you a full guide for concept mastery.

Wedding Photography Workflow Outline

1. Wedding Photography Cameras, Lenses And Equipment

2. Tips for Planning For Wedding Photography

3. Groom Photography Tips

4. Bride Photography Tips

5. How To Photograph Groomsmen

6. How To Photograph Bridesmaids

7. Tips For Wedding Photojournalism

8. Learn Symmetrical Group Posing

9. Tips For Editorial Wedding Party Posing

10. How To Capture The First Look

11. Photographing Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception Details

12. Tips For Flash Photography For Small Rooms

13. Tips For Flash Photography For Large Rooms

14. Natural Light Wedding Photography Tips In Harsh Sunlight

15. Tips For Photographing The Ceremony

16. Learn Night Time Couples Photography

17. Wedding Reception Tips

18. Wedding Sparkler Exit Tips

Wedding photographers should start with purchasing just what they need and upgrade along the way with more experience and income.

Wedding Photography Cameras – The ideal camera for wedding photography is a full frame camera with great low light performance, such as a Canon 5D Mark IV, Nikon D850, or Sony A7R.  If you can’t afford one of these bodies, consider purchasing used or the previous generation of these bodies.

Wedding Photography Lenses – The ideal lenses for wedding photography are “fast lenses,” i.e., lenses that drop down to a low aperture number.  Most wedding photographers have a 24-70mm F/2.8 lens, a 70-200mm F/2.8 lens and a prime lens or two. For more information, see our 6 must have lenses for wedding photography.

Wedding Photography Equipment – Besides cameras and lenses, you’ll need a set of bags, flashes, flash stands, flash modifiers, a reflector, and a tripod.  For more information, see our Wedding Photography Gear Guide.

Proper planning and communication prior to showing up at a wedding can prevent issues and help create a positive client experience.  Here are some wedding photography planning tips.

The Moodboard – A wedding mood board is a Pinterest board or other visual document that displays images that the clients like and appreciate.  Mood boards are not “shot lists,” but rather a visual representation of style and preferences.

Timeline Review – Understand, backwards and forwards, the entire Wedding Photography Timeline.  As a wedding photographer, you’re responsible for ensuring that the day doesn’t run behind.  Not staying on time can result in issues with the wedding coordinator, shortened timeframes to execute critical shots, and unhappy clients.

Scout the Location – Scouting the location with the timeline in hand is critical for a successful shoot.  Since lighting is so important in photography, understanding what areas of the wedding venue the best light at every part of the day has can ensure that you are using the right locations and the right times.  Use an app like Sun Seeker to track the sun’s movement.

See more wedding planning tips here.

While many photographers focus primarily on the bride,

Make sure you give yourself enough time and creative energy to tell the groom’s side of the wedding day story.  Focus on the following photos for the groom:

Wedding Groom Details – Try to budget enough time to capture the details of the groom’s outfit and other wedding items before they go on his body.

Photojournalism of the Groom – As the groom and his groomsmen get ready, capture different angles of the moments. For a stronger sense of storytelling, ensure that you’re getting a good mix of wide, medium and tight shots.

Classic and Creative Portraits of the Groom – Get a variety of poses for the groom, from classic smiles into the camera to sitting poses with no smiles. Most hotel rooms will have great window light, so most of the time, just keep it simple with available light. After you have a nice set of classic portraits of the groom, try your hand at a few creative portraits. Look for silhouettes, reflections, and creative off-camera flash opportunities.

For more information, read our article on How to Crush Groom Prep.