What To Photograph Within a Single Wedding Moment | Wedding Week

What is the difference between covering an engagement and a wedding ceremony in terms of angles, positions, and other areas? Within each scene during a single-subject (or couple) engagement/portrait session, there are approximately four to five angles to be covered at any given time.

Here is a basic breakdown of storytelling angles for engagement/portrait sessions:

1. Wide (Scene)
2. Medium (Expressions)
3. Tight (Details)

During a wedding, specifically, the storytelling angles remain the same (wide, medium, tight), but there are more elements to consider, and therefore more actual angles from which to shoot. Here is a breakdown of elements, specifically, to be captured within a wedding moment:

1. The couple (together, him, her)
2. The wedding party (together, his, hers)
3. The parents/VIPs (his, hers)
4. The ceremony (guests, scene)

When positioning team members to cover the angles, ensure that each position is non-invasive in terms of blocking guests’ views or disrupting the ceremony. It’s important to have a strong team in order to shoot these angles efficiently and effectively. Some moments, such as pouring sand into a vase, work best with close-ups; in other words, it would be ineffective for a team member to take an ultra wide shot at that moment, and then miss important details/expressions/etc. It’s more about timing, knowing when to capture each moment/angle, rather than trying to capture all angles at once.

Here is a look at the possible subjects to be captured within a single moment of a wedding ceremony:

1. Him
2. Her
3. His details
4. Her details
5. Their details
6. Couple close
7. Couple wide
8. Entire wedding party
9. Groomsmen
10. Groomsmen details
11. Bridesmaids
12. Bridesmaids details
13. His parents
14. His family
15. His VIPs
16. Her parents
17. Her family
18. Her VIPs
19. Ceremony guests
20. Ceremony details
21. Ceremony wides
22. Ultra wides