This week I had the opportunity to be a San Diego Wedding Photographer. A friend of mine Ronalyn Concepcion invited me to be a second shooter for her at a wedding, in San Diego. Actually the area is called Balboa Park, which is probably the worst area to go, due to its popularity. Key note: go early so you can find parking. Here are some additional tips.
One of the reasons, I enjoy shooting with Ronalyn, is because she is very thorough and we usually do a walk-through of the entire event beforehand. This allows us to familiarize ourselves with the event as well and brainstorm on different locations to shoot from. She is also good with the couple and is sincere in capturing them at their best. She is easy going and after you work with someone a couple of times, you understand what he or her is looking for and can capture a shot, before being ask to.
Usually, there is a shot list, which is simply a list of shots that need to be taken. For instance, in a wedding; obviously one should get the bride and groom kissing, after being pronounced husband and wife. Sometimes people wish to have certain shots taken of a particular person. In one instance, I had a wedding party ask me to take as many pictures of the bride’s father. So, out of the 300+ wedding pictures, dad was in at least 50 of them if not more.
Another one of my more favorite motto’s, as you all know is Be Prepared and the reason is, you never know what will go wrong. On this shoot my good old Nikon 70-200mm had an autofocus issue and at a crucial time. The bride and groom were saying their vows and I needed to get the shot. So, I grabbed my Nikon D90 with my trusty 18-200mm lens and voila. I could go to F2.8, but I did get the shot.
Work with the wedding planner, they are your friend. The wedding planner will know exactly what is going on and when. He or she will get you in the perfect spot for the best shot. So treat this person with respect, because you never know, if and when you will run into them again.
I hope I have not bored you too much. I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.
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