Drawar

Not a photo expect, all I can say is have a second and third backup plan in case something goes wrong with your equipment, transportation, etc. While you may have other photo gigs, they (hopefully) will not have another marriage... no stress or anything right?

Good luck.

I'm not a photographer, but I can say that I love the idea of this approach. Candid photos, especially the sweet and tender moments between bride and groom and their family & wedding party, will probably be some of the most treasured, even more so than the formally posed shots. Try and catch the couple in intimate moments, like when they're looking each other in the eyes lovingly, talking about whether to feed each other cake politely or shove it in, having their first dance, etc. That's what I would love to see if it were my wedding.

I don't have any experience in this, but I guess the basic rules of lighting and positioning apply.

Also...do not forget to remove the lens cap on the camera. :P

My only suggestion is to bring enough memory/film. I shot a wedding once and brought what I thought would be plenty of memory cards. I ended up shooting pretty much for 9 hours solid. Luckily I had a laptop and an assistant to load photos off and reuse cards.

I also read this article a while back that seemed to stick in my mind. Zen and the Art of the Wedding Photojournalist

Capture the bride and groom when they are looking 'nervous'. Get creative angles. Browse other photographers sites to get some inspiration.

Capture as much of the pure, unbridaled (hah!) happiness as you can! The spontaneous and unplanned moments are the best ones to look back on, also.

Take a look at the Wedding Bee so see what they say about wedding photographers and likes/dislikes. Not so much of a technical help, but it will give you a good cross-section of the audience.

Wedding Bee

I'd say try to get a shot of the other photographer taking the picture while everyone is formally composed, sort of a "behind the scenes" shot.

I followed a professional photographer around when a friend of mine got married. Wherever he was, shooting posed photos, I was right there a few feet behind him, or to the side of him, shooting the same poses. It was a great learning lesson in lighting, etc.

I have done that several times, since, and learned so much more each time.

Just live it up as much as you can while it lasts lol. KIDDING KIDDING! Id be sure he doesnt waste all the photo on the guests because thats pretty much happened at my uncles wedding. He took a picture of me and my brothers throwing rocks like 12million times!!!!what a waste. but at least i was in the photo!

Here's an article on wedding photography that might help.

http://www.johninjapan.com/photography/articles/professional-wedding-photography.html

I'm not a photographer but photos of weddings is important to me. I think it's important to remember always what the goal of the day is ( a celebration of a relationship) and the audiance that is paying for and will want to see the pictures. Remember that some of the elderly relatives there may not be around in the future and your photo captures them permanently.

I've done some PJ-style shooting at a couple of family weddings. Here are my tips:

1. Let there be light. Make sure you'll be able to operate your camera at sufficiently high shutter speeds. Blurry wedding photos are a big let-down. (If you don't already have one, it would be a good idea to invest in a proper hot-shoe flash. )

2. Wait for the moment. Avoid rapid-fire shooting.

3. Get close. I usually shoot with a 50mm prime, for example. Don't hover in the background, zooming around with a 300mm. Be brave! Get in their face!

4. Smile. A happy photographer makes for happy subjects.

5. Feel the pulse. If you're not paying attention, you could totally miss key elements (cutting the cake, etc.).

Hope this helps :-)