• Preparation
• Be Professional
• Communication
• Contract
• Planning and Organization
• Everyone, Relax! When Things Go Wrong
© Johnlekan
Preparation
Wedding photography checklist item #1 is preparation. As Benjamin Franklin said, "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
Visit the location ahead of time. If you are not yet a confident photographer, try to visit the location ahead of time, preferably in the same lighting conditions as you will experience on the wedding day. On the other hand, if you have been shooting for a long time, and are able to quickly assess lighting and locations, then just make sure you arrive fifteen minutes to half an hour ahead of time to allow yourself a little scouting time.
Know your gear inside out. If something stops working, you need to understand it well enough to be able to troubleshoot. You may be called upon to improvise if something fails.
Check your gear before you head out the door. Double check that your camera and flash are all working well. Make sure your sensor and lenses are clean. You should have several spare batteries, all fully charged. Don't forget a stockpile of memory cards and a portable storage device for backup.
Have backup gear. You need to have a complete set of backup gear available at the shoot. Charged batteries do die, and sync cords do fail! Lenses get dropped, and cameras can be damaged when tripods tip over. Be prepared!
Take your cheat sheets along. Don't forget to take your cheat sheets and your own wedding photography checklist with you on the day. They're no good sitting on your desk at home!
Verify all times and locations with the bride and groom a few days prior to the wedding. Plans do change, and it may slip a couple's mind to let you know.
