Think of the worst mistake you’ve made during an event. Did you forget an extra battery pack? Mistake the bride’s mother for the groom’s mother?
When you made the mistake you instantly knew, and I’m sure you felt pretty embarrassed, right? Well, what if you didn’t know you were making a mistake? Oh yes, there are plenty of mistakes that you might not know you’re making! But no worries, we’ve rounded up a couple of common ones and have a few suggestions on how you can avoid them.
Mistake #1: Failure to Discuss Poses/Pictures
Brides and grooms naturally have an idea/perception of what their wedding day will look like and how they’ll look in photos. So when they get the pictures back, and it’s not what they’re expecting, it can make for some unhappy clients. The mistake you’re probably making in this situation is failing to ask the right questions during consultation.
Ask your clients to come prepared with photos/ideas of what they want their images to look like on their wedding day. That might be particular poses they want to avoid or the side of the face they are most comfortable facing the camera. Asking the right questions can help you capture the pictures your clients will love.
Mistake #2: Dreamy Turned Blurry
So your client wants a dreamy bridal portrait, but one of the biggest mistakes you can make is deciding to use a diffusion filter on your lense. Although they are packed full of promises, these dreamy filters only cause your subject to appear as if their picture was taken in the 1960s.
Mistake #3: Treating All Events the Same
You’re not going to be able to get the perfect picture on the first go. You’ll have to adjust the lighting, move people around, fix postures, or maybe change a function on your camera. But when it comes to someone’s wedding day, you don’t have hours on hours to make each shot perfect. They want to get back to the party and celebrate with family and friends. As an event photographer, a common mistake you might be making is assuming all clients, their pictures, and their events will be the same.
To avoid making this mistake, take the time to sit down with your client, and to plan where you want everyone to be in the family photo, how many pictures you want to be taken of the couple, their family, and their bridal party. Your clients want to know that you’ll capture all of the special moments that are unique to their event—without keeping them from the party for too long.
Mistake #4: No Candid Moments
Yes, posed and staged pictures are a beautiful keepsake for clients to have to remind them of their wedding day, but don’t forget about the candid moments. Maybe it’s a quick look that the bride and groom give each other during the day, or it’s how a bride’s father smiles proudly at his daughter. Capturing these little moments will take your photography service to the next level. But be sure to avoid the mistake of making candid moments appear too staged.
Mistake #5: Forgetting the Background
You might have captured an amazing portrait of your clients. The lighting was perfect, they had a sincere smile on their face, but then you spot their placement and the background. If they’re standing in front of trees, they might appear to have horns (branches) coming out of their head—and well, there goes that nice picture, right? Just as it’s important to make sure there is plenty of light on their face and that they’re posing the correct way; it’s also important to check the background.
Mistake #6: Where’s the Flash?
Sure, natural light is great in photos, but sometimes you’ve got to use the flash to really capture a good picture. One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a photographer is to be afraid to use it. The flash works wonders brightening up rooms, eliminating shadows, and imitating sunshine. Being afraid to use it can limit the number of viable pictures you take during the event.
Well photographers, how many common mistakes were you making? Do you have any to add to the list? Let us know in the comment section below or share it with us on our Facebook page.
