iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Weddings

Weddings dominate special event photography, not to mention being the primary income source for a huge percentage of professional photographers.

If you can shoot an entire wedding, then you’re prepared for any other event that comes your way. For example, graduations are just weddings without the reception. Birthday parties are just weddings without the ceremony.

If you’re a guest, one critical element of successful photography at a wedding is not interfering with the hired photographer’s posed shots. Introduce yourself to the photographer and ask if it’s OK to take a couple of shots right after the pro has finished each setup. You’ll generally receive permission—and the opportunity to capture the highlights of the day.

Tip

As a digital photographer, you can bring a new dimension to the celebration that most pros don’t even offer: immediacy. If you like, you can hook up your camera to a TV to play the pictures back while the reception is still going on. Or, thanks to iPhoto, you can have shots on the Web before the pro even gets his film to the lab. Put your favorites together and add a little music; suddenly you have a QuickTime movie for downloading.

Shots to Look For

In part, your success at shooting a wedding depends on your ability to anticipate the action. If you’ve been to any weddings recently, you probably know that you can expect classic photo ops like these:

• Before the wedding. Bride making final dress adjustments, alone in dress, with mother, with maid of honor, with ...