There’s a popular saying: failing to prepare is preparing to fail. And this is true.
I have my own take on it which goes: have you seen 127 Hours?! Do you realise that failing to prepare could mean the loss of your freaking arm?!
Ok, hopefully nothing that drastic will happen to a wedding photographer! But then again, screw up someone’s wedding photos and they might want to tear more than just an arm from you – without the use of knives!
So here, for your health, are 5 essential preparations for any wedding day:
1: The run sheet: this is so important it starts with a “The”! The run sheet tells you where you have to be at what time and all the little nuances of the day. Without it you’re working blind.
Ideally you should have a first draft a few weeks before the wedding so you can familiarise yourself with the day and plan your driving routes, timings, and equipment requirements. Some of this you may have already covered off if you’ve been diligent and performed a location scout.
There will be tweaks leading up to the day which the couple should keep you abreast of but the first draft will allow you to map out 95% of the day.
On the day don’t take any chances; be savvy and have a printed copy in your pocket and a backup sitting in Dropbox so you can access it on your iPhone in case of emergency.
2: Batteries: goes without saying but it’s easy to put this simple task off until you realise you don’t have time to charge them all! Camera batteries are crucial and you should have a spare for each body you’re using plus ideally a charger for each body to reduce charging time. I use two bodies and have two chargers but with 4 batteries to charge that means I still need a few hours to top them up!
And if you’re using speedlites then the batteries and spares for those will also need to be charged.
3: Memory cards: firstly have enough! I shoot around 1,700 to 2,000 frames in a 12 hour day and most of those will be in full size RAW so I have maximum range when I edit. With 16GB cards as my preference, that means I fit around 450 images to a card and therefore need 6 cards to be safe.
Before you set off you need to make sure that:
a) all the images on the cards have been transferred to your computer and back up drives
b) the cards are formatted to make them clean for a fresh shoot
If you forget to format the cards (as I have on occasion) you’ll know soon enough when your card says it’s full after you’ve only taken 50 shots. Then you’ll have the stress and trauma of rapidly deleting the old images while trying not to miss a crucial shot and praying that the images you’re deleting have been transferred!
4: Clock syncing: this is a point that’s often overlooked, but if you shoot with two cameras then it’s essential for saving a whole load of headaches later! Quite simply this just means syncing the clocks on the cameras with the clock on your computer so both bodies have the same time. This way, when the photos are uploaded later they will all appear in the order that they were taken! Simple huh?!
But it’s important to remember that once is not enough. After just one wedding each camera will be giving you a different time so they will need to be synced again before the next event.
5: Hygiene and health: last but not least, look after yourself! A wedding is a long day (often 12-14 hours for me) and during that time you’re always on your feet carrying heavy gear. That means you burn a lot of calories and can get pretty dehydrated and sweaty!
Couples are normally advised at some point during the planning process that they should provide a meal for the photographer if they are staying for the reception, and that’s great (as the food is usually awesome!). But that’s a long wait for chow time if you start at 8am! So pack water and snacks that are easy and quick to eat while you’re on the go. I always make sure I have a few muesli bars in my camera bag as well as a pack of mints because you’re in front of clients and potential clients all day long!
It’s also good practice to pack a can of deodorant in your bag. During the day you may be shooting outdoors in the sun but whatever the weather you’re carrying a lot of gear. And sometimes it’s not until you enter the confines of an elegant reception room that you realise how much you’ve been perspiring! So a quick spray of deodorant will not only make you feel fresh, but it will also be a more pleasant experience for the clients you’re in proximity to!
There will always be other things to prepare such as cleaning lenses, checking the traffic conditions and the weather (do you need an umbrella?). Making sure there’s a nice glass of wine waiting for me when I return is also on my checklist! But these are 5 essential ways to avoid a massive fail.
If you have any tips for being as prepared as a boy scout I’d love to hear them, so please share in the comments!
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I’m a born and bred Londoner who decided to give up the rat race, move halfway round the world to Australia and live by beautiful Bondi Beach.
But that’s not all. I also bought loads of cool camera gear to play with then realised I could use it to make a living, and now I run a successful wedding and baby photography business.
My background in media and marketing has been invaluable in quickly establishing myself, particularly through social networking, and I’m keen to help others do the same. I also strongly believe in giving back to the community, so look out for my blog posts where I’ll be sharing thoughts, insights, and tips about life as an emerging wedding photographer.
Great article with lots of great points!