Being asked to be the photographer for a wedding is a big responsibility.If you’ve been approached to do it as a friend, or maybe asked to do it as a professional, here are 5 great tips to do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned pro, or if you are an amateur, by following these tips, you won’t second guess yourself.  You will be fully prepared for whatever may come.

Our first tip is a simple thing you can do and that is to have the couple and the families go and make a shot list.With a day that can be as hectic and chaotic as a wedding day, doing this will help when you are trying to organize all the group and family shots later on in the day.Imagine how wonderful it will be to just go down your list and know that you aren’t leaving anything out.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Great as they are, they might tempt you to delete a shot they may like that you don’t since it is so easy to do.  Don’t even look at the previews.  What makes a great shot in your mind could differ widely that what makes a great shot in the couples minds.You know what, they might like all those un “professional” shots you take.

The third tip to make sure you do is taking candid shots.A good photographer isn’t one who just takes the standard basic shots, like family shots, typical wedding shots, or whatever is the usual.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It may include the things that go wrong also, like a flower girl making a wrong turn or the ring bearer not wanting to walk down the aisle.Every photo matters.

The fourth piece of advice is make sure you have back up equipment.  Do you even want to imagine having a camera stop working halfway through the day.  Plan for anything that could go wrong.Being prepared with more equipment will ensure that you avoid that awkward moment of not being able to finish the rest of the day because of a broken camera.

Finally, you have to be prepared for the lighting and you do that by practicing. Don’t get thrown a curveball by the different lighting conditions whether inside the church or outside, practice and you will be prepared. Go see the locations and scout it out for the big day, by finding the best places to shoot as well as studying the lighting needs.

Following these 5 great tips will help you greatly on that special day.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.