Wedding Photography How To

According to Shutterbug reader Rico Leffanta, the Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a very popular site for wedding photographers because they can capture backgrounds that include “beautiful blue ocean waves or Magic Island [a man-made peninsula].” While Leffanta, who turned 78 in April, has seen a lot of weddings at the park, this one is rather memorable due to an uninvited guest.

The following is something people tell me when I suggest using a plug-in or specialized software for enhancing or retouching portraits: “But you can do that in Photoshop!” That’s because when it comes to software for wedding, portrait, and boudoir photographs, everyone has an opinion—sometimes a strong one—even if they’re wrong.

We teamed up with veteran wedding photographer Denis Reggie for our new Experience the Power of Canon site to learn his tips on an often tricky subject: how to capture formal group portraits at a wedding.

Photo enthusiasts tend to have a love-hate relationship with camera settings when viewing an epic photo. Some are more concerned with the backstory and artistic details of a shot, while others seem obsessed with the arcane minutiae of every camera setting used to make the image.

The late Mr. Newton was certainly onto something. I believe the overwhelming desire of most portrait photographers is to please the client, with seduction, amusement, and entertainment far from their minds. Let me submit this idea: shoot what the client says they want and then shoot something challenging their assumptions. Most wedding clients tend to be traditional but even introducing black and white or infrared images can increase sales and show clients you’re thinking outside the veil.

Canadians Cici and Clement were not only serious about each other, but they were so serious about their wedding photos that they hired Life Studios, Inc. of Vancouver to join them in Iceland to document the nuptials. And the resulting images are breathtaking.

R. J. Kern is the owner and photographer of Kern-Photo, a Minneapolis-based wedding photography business. He started the company eight years ago after spending five years with the National Geographic Society. His wedding photography locations range from backyards to destinations around the world. He also teaches photography workshops and has won many awards, including making the “50 Top US Wedding Photographers”.