Wedding photography: How to capture the mood of the celebration

A wedding is a big event. For people in many cultures, it’s one of the biggest and most important events of their lives.

It’s customary to hire a photographer to take photos of the couple, the best man and woman, the family. Often lined up. Many photographers do some “classic” setups of the couple, and some creative, using the location to best advantage.

But, when this is done, the photographer usually goes home and it’s up to the guests (that means you!) to document the rest of the celebration. In this article I aim to offer some advice on how to take interesting photos of a wedding.

The wedding shoes

I’m married. For my wife Hanne and me, this was a huge event. We invited a great many of our family and friends. And we wanted lots of photos, so we bought disposable cameras, put them out on the tables and asked our guests to use them during the celebration.

Lesson 1: Disposable cameras are wasted.
Scarce light + unskilled photographers + poor quality cameras = mostly junk (even vulgar) photos!

We also asked those of our guests who brought their own cameras to kindly send us their photos when they returned home.

Lesson 2: Most guests shoot lots of frames of the wedded couple, and little else. And as we’d already hired a professional, we had enough photos of us. (And besides; we spent quite some time getting everyone to send us the photos.)

So, is all this rambling leading anywhere, or am I just high on exposing my private life?

It leads up to this core question:

How to take better wedding photos?

Most photos from a wedding are of the couple. What you often don’t get are photos that catch the atmosphere of the celebration. All the small, but important, details that contribute to the success of the event.

Weddings are, of course, very much about people. But also about details. Lots of details. All of which play their part in creating the atmosphere of the celebration. In remembering the wedding, thinking back, many of those details disappear. And with them, a part of the atmosphere.

As photographers, we can capture those details. And often, they make for nice subjects!

This is all about using your awareness. As you walk around, you must try and put aside your role as a guest and focus on mood and details. Close-up photography is key to capturing lots of details. Get close to small details, and use bokeh actively.

If you’re going to shoot guests, try doing it candid. Leave most of the posed shooting to the hired pro. Posed shots can be nice, of course, but we’re aiming for mood, remember?

If you can, try adding a humorous touch to some of the shots. The above photo of the wedding shoes is a great example. That specific photo is guaranteed to trigger a memory!

Prepare! If possible, visit the location on beforehand. You’ll probably get several ideas you can work on when the day has come.

Do you have other tips? Or maybe you have wedding photos that may inspire others? Please share, we’d love to see!

All photos featured in this article are shot by Astrid Tvedt. Check out her photostream on Flickr. The wedding photos have their own set.
A big thank you to Astrid for letting me use her photos!