Just back from two weeks on Hawaii (lucky me) and back on reading the threads. This one I like!

I have my fair share of experience with trying to shoot weddings, confirmations, birthdays etc. A few fair number of successes and a similar number of disasters. Coming from the old world of film, I am used to trying to think of the finished product at the time of releasing the shutter. There were clear limits to what I could do in my amateur darkroom. Normally it was using B&W as a more artistic expression, where I also had my strength in the darkroom. Today I see too many photographers rely on image volume rather than quality, because of all the post processing capabilities we now have and the fact that an extra image (or a hundred) cost nothing. Such an approach will never produce the product you or the bride&groom are hoping for.

I fully agree with those who have stated that you should not alter the physical appearance of (especially) the bride. I think Black_dog said it well. The main objective is to make the bride & groom and indeed the entire event, look their best. And for that we have some great post processing help. But we also have some really horrible ones. (Some of the Portrait SW adds I see turn beautiful and live women into porcelain doll replicas.) But the important thing is to make sure you have the image material to work with first. And that brings the challenge back to what you do prior to releasing the shutter.

When I have been happy with my work, I have always been well prepared. When I have failed, I have not, for all the right and wrong reasons. For an amateur this is probably more important than for a pro, because they are able to improvise based on their more extensive experience. What church, where´s the dinner & party, what season, what weather, event organization, number of people, available light ... If you don´t have most of that under control, it is very difficult to avoid being stressed when you are trying to make the bride&groom look their best.

And, as my old father always said, there is no substitute for practice. To me it has been very important to learn the camera and the pros and cons of my lenses properly, so I can spend my time focusing on what I´m shooting. And since I don´t have a new wedding event every weekend to improve my skills, I use every available family/friend occasion to practice.

Eldar