Online Class: Digital Wedding Photography 101

Think back to the posed bride and groom, her upright and clutching her bouquet with the "cheesey" smile, and him also upright and leaning in toward his new bride. Can you picture it? In this early style everything was orchestrated toward classical posing techniques. Today's weddings are meant to be a joyous occasion filled with spontaneity and fun.

• Are you technophobic and overly anxious by technology?
• Are you content to stay in your comfort zone?
• Do you view film as your safety net and distrust digital images?
• Do you fear change?
• Do you fear being proactive with competitors?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, perhaps portrait photography would be your calling. Above all, you want to capture your client's trust. Simply put, a wedding photographer needs to trust that their digital camera will perform. A client needs to trust their photographer will perform.

People want to look as good as can be on the wedding photos. When film is used, eventually people will notice the imperfections, fine lines, oily skin or the hotel kitchen in the background. If you cannot eliminate these flaws, your work will become less marketable and your hands are tied. By going digital, you can open all the doors to become a successful wedding photographer.

Take the digital journey offered in this course. You cannot become an authoritative leader within your industry by staying in the dark ages.

The Evolution of the Digital Camera

By now, you have probably accepted that owning a digital camera is empowering for both your business and personal life. The advantages to going digital give you more creative control, lowers your processing and proof expenses and offers a more refined and flawless result.

As you move away from film you may notice the increased time and effort in being a totally digital operation. Today, fresh concepts and new workflows for image editing continue to evolve. New software and hardware are helping to simplify the process.

Adobe Photoshop has played an active role in the modern changes of wedding photography. No longer must the photographer develop prints in a darkroom. Now, the comfort of home or office is within reach of all photographers. Take the bold step. Rather than copy the works and ideas of successful photographers, try to forge new and creative ground of your own and continue to grow technically and artistically. Work toward making your work innovative, fresh, clear and insightful.

Just as the art and technology of photography helps you develop a positive wedding environment, you must also decide if you will remain proactive or reactive. Proactive photographers are open to change, think beyond the comfort zone and perfect the use of digital technology. Proactive photographers believe that capturing the motion of the moment is the important aspect. The reactive approach is a kind of knee-jerk reaction to what is happening during the ceremony and reception and posing the individuals in the usual way. Many photographers still prefer to use a combination of posed and digital photos. This has a number of advantages for the wedding photographer who prefers a more modified approach of taking photos, however, still wants to capture the emotion and emulate the style of photography that is seen in modern-day bridal magazines. 

The Digital Wedding Today

Today's wedding photographer must consider the wishes of the bride and groom while tactfully making credible suggestions. If a bride is getting dressed in poor light, the photographer may say, "Can you sit by the window to capture the light?" These are the moments the photographer should anticipate. This happens with experience.

The move away from film to digital photos continues to be the most popular form of picture taking, aside from the increased time and effort in a completely digital environment. New techniques, software and hardware are becoming more sophisticated. Photographers spend more time perfecting each image whether group portraits or focusing on the bride, groom and wedding party.