The of the first wedding photography lenses actually covers your whole wedding: How much can you comfortably afford to spend?  Once you’ve figured that out, then drawing up the amounts become reduced to simple percentages.

Normally, you expect to set aside 10-15% of your whole budget for a photographer’s services. Once you’ve computed that amount, that’s the time to go shopping for a photographer.

Craigslist is a good resource for local photographers, plus you can view their portfolios and asking prices as well. Get acquainted with the ones whose work you’re attracted to so you can get an inkling of whether you can work with them or not. Ask if they can email you a copy of their standard contract and study it well.

One of the wedding photography tips that people usually don’t try is haggling. A lot of photographers will normally give you a discount if you present the idea nicely and ask for a reasonable price. It’s a good thing to try if their work is a little bit out of your budget and they’re the people you want.

But what if your photography budget is way below professional fees? There are also hobbyists you can find over the net that might be interested to take your photos for a lower fee. Or, another of the wedding photography tips is to source your own family. You’re bound to have a relative or two that love photography. Maybe they would be willing to photograph you as a gift?

So, you have quite a few choices here. There are many ways to fit this important part of the wedding into your budget, but you should be flexible about the decisions you have to make.

After you’ve established your budget and computed around 10% for photography expenses, shop around for photographers. Be sure to give enough lead time for this, really terrific photogs are booked months in advance!

One thing you have to remember is to find out if the photographer is comfortable working in a gay environment. That’s one of the wedding photography tips – you should ask first-off and if the answer is no, keep shopping. There are many out there that will say yes to what you want. Word of mouth recommendations are your best leads.

Choose a professional that has had experience in photographing gay weddings. If they’re more familiar with the ceremony, you’ll get more interesting pictures and unusual shots.

Once you find a few photographers that you like, take the time out to get to meet them, if possible, to look at their portfolios. You may find a certain style that you like that can be used to document the ceremonies.

This is the time to look over the contract. This is the most important of the wedding photography tips. Everything that you want to have happen should be in black and white – the costs, the amount of time the photographer will spend with you on your wedding day, the number of pictures that should be taken and delivered, downpayments, and cancellation clauses. Take the time to read through the fine print and don’t be afraid to speak up over something you don’t agree with. If possible, have the contract customized to suit you.

Once you’v found the right professional to help you out, then you’re on your way to the most perfect wedding day ever!

Weddings are perfect occasions to take pictures, however it is not just about clicking the camera to capture images. The pictures and poses need to look naturally stunning.  Here are some tips for wedding photography.

• Assuming you are a busy person with many clients to handle, and not just one client’s wedding. For that, you need to come up with the list of poses intended for a specific client because you cannot afford to commit mistakes. Set up an appointment in advance with your client and discuss the poses they wish to do and for you to take. If one bride needs her picture taken with all her little nephews, write it down so you will not forget.
• It is not easy to take wedding pictures that are amazing especially when you cannot seem to understand what your client needs. Make sure you have discussed these matters with them, whether they want formal family portraits, wacky bride and groom poses, or whatever. You may be good at your job but if you take spontaneous pictures of the bride who likes formal poses, then the photography will be pointless.
• As much as you want a lively and vibrant bride and groom pictures, you should not force your clients to have a smile on their faces. Forcing a smile may make the picture look unnatural. Keep things natural as pictures are more beautiful that way.
• If kids are involved in the picture, take their photo first. Kids tend to be impatient, and you might not want to let them wait, because if you do, you’ll have grumpy and long faces captured in film.
• As a wedding photographer, it is important that you will be ready at all times. Sometimes, pictures are perfect when the poses are not choreographed. Get your camera ready to take candid, emotional shots.
• Make sure you carry your gear, don’t forget your wedding photography lenses.

These are just some of the few tips for wedding photography to help you take great pictures at wedding celebrations. If you need to make a living out of it, you need to master all techniques and consulting the help from many wedding photography books available can be one way to perfect the job.

Wedding photography books provide excellent ideas on how to pose your subjects and when not to let them pose.

Many of the wedding photography books are written by professional photographers, and you might need one that is reputable to help you sharpen your wedding photography skills.

This post has been contributed by Nick Smith

1.       On-Camera Flash: Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography by Neil van Niekerk.

This book provides a guide on how to capture beautiful images with or without the use of a camera flash. You need the perfect lighting especially if doing wedding or portrait photography. This book will show you how to choose the right camera to use, when to use and when not to use flash and which flash mode to work with, and how to balance the background and subject so they appear natural. They are just few of the many tips the book can provide. This will help you avoid the post production editing so you will save time on producing quality images.
2.       Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories by Glen Johnson.

In this book, you will understand that there is a big difference between a good photographer and a good wedding photographer. Make someone’s big day extra special when you learn techniques that can help you photograph a picture perfect wedding. If wedding photography is your niche get this free ebook on wedding photography tips.

3.       Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride by Jose Villa and Jeff Kent.

Some weddings have modern brides especially in today’s modern world. If you wish to take wedding photographs with a modern twist, then this book is for you. It is filled with photographs that display modern techniques to capture or choose correct wedding photography lenses for the perfect image of a modern bride with proper lighting, wedding poses, composition and design.
4.       Master Posing Guide for Wedding Photographers by Bill Hurter.

Great wedding photographs require poses that look stunning yet natural. This gives a good guide on how to work with the subject to come up with a very striking pose, making each part of the body very attractive on pictures.
5.       Fashion Flair for Portrait and Wedding Photography, 1^st Edition by Lindsay Adler.

This book is excellent for those who are totally new to the idea of wedding, fashion, and portrait photography. Information on the proper lighting, Photoshop retouching and how to choose the right equipment are written in this book. While the other books mentioned above are more advanced, this one is great for beginners.

This post has been contributed by Nick Smith.