Weddings pose a very challenging feat for most photographers, even for those who consider themselves professionals in this field. Such occasions involve so much emotion, and couples and their parties rely solely on the photographer to capture the moment for them. A wedding photographer will never get another chance to cover this event with the same couple or with the same people, so it is imperative that he or she make the necessary preparations well before the wedding day. The importance of good preparation prior to the wedding can be summarized by the following:
Avoid missing or faulty equipment.
It has happened on many occasions when missing lenses, broken cameras and malfunctioning lighting equipment have put the pictorials to a halt and for an extended time. Just imagine the irritation of the bridegroom and the guests for ruining the occasion for them- not to mention not getting any more photos for the rest of the wedding!
Never run out of battery power.
Preparing your equipment and recharging all the batteries full the day before will let you take continuous shots all throughout the day. No need to run around looking for a spot to recharge your batteries during the ceremony or the reception and missing out on the action. With prior experience, you will be able to estimate the number of batteries you will need. However, for first timers, bring along as much extra batteries as you can afford to buy and recharge each battery you use up even while you still have a couple more batteries in your bag. This way, you don’t run out on power to last you for the entire event.
Take all shots without worrying about memory capacity.
Just as you don’t want to run out of battery power, you also don’t want to run out of memory to take photographs of the entire occasion. Bring as many memory cards as you can to the wedding to ensure that you don’t have to delete precious photos taken earlier to make way for the cutting of the cake and the first dance later.
Never lose images.
Proper preparation of your equipment and accessories also lets you organize them in your bag and plan on how to use them properly without losing them when changing batteries and memory cards. It is very important that you take care that the cards have proper backups and that they don’t get lost.
Set a good reputation.
When you plan ahead, your clients will notice how efficient and organized you are on the job and they will definitely take note of those qualities. This will let you set a good reputation and happy clients will gladly recommend you to their friends.