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5
Editing and delivering
Every wedding photographer will agree a different timeframe for delivering their final images, just
as each one will have a different workflow. Personally, I’ve always used Adobe Bridge and Camera
Raw over Lightroom, but neither approach is better! With so many images to sort through, I started by
rejecting the images that I knew were no good. I then created a Preset in Camera Raw [1] for the images from
all the different lighting situations throughout the day: those taken inside and outside the church, at the
beach, at the reception, and for the speeches. I could apply this Preset in batches to the rest of the images,
then selectively edit a few in more detail.
Once the images were edited, I wanted a way for my couple to view, download and share them easily [2],
so I used an online gallery called Pixieset (www.pixieset.com). The basic service, which has limited storage,
is free, but there are nifty features such as a mobile app, multiple languages and password protection.3
Camera settings
To focus on the events of the
day (and let my camera adapt
to changing light conditions) I mainly shot
with Aperture Priority mode, also setting
my ISO manually. A lot of the time I was
shooting with my Canon L-series lenses
wide open, both to let in plenty of light –
think dark church interior and marquee –
and to capture some beautiful bokeh in
the foreground and backgrounds. The
lenses were set to Automatic focus mode
when I was short on time; but when I had
time to, I experimented with different
focal points in Manual mode, too.4
Fill your kit bag
and energy levels
A wedding can encompass many different
genres: family, fashion, portrait, documentary. For this
reason, it’s important to have a range of lenses with
you. I mainly shot with the Canon 85mm f/1.2, 50mm
f/1.2 and 20mm f/2.8 lenses (a wide aperture is perfect
for dark churches and evening shots), hiring out the
first two from Hire a Camera. If you hire or borrow kit,
make sure you thoroughly test it out before using it on
the big day. I found having two camera bodies handy –
the Canon 5D Mark III and Mark IV– with different
lenses attached to cover
different focal lengths.
Stock up on spare batteries
and memory cards, too.
Gear aside, shooting a
wedding day can require
plenty of energy, so make
sure you take snacks, and
find out if you’re included
in the meal plans. I always
keep a stash of Nakd bars
in my camera bag.12