Wedding Photographer's Handbook [Paperback]

Bill Hurter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Successful wedding photographers have to master all different types of coverage, perform under pressure, and work in an extremely limited time frame. Every step of the process is examined in-depth in this manual written for professionals by a professional—from selecting equipment, attracting clients, and framing shots, to the final creation of the wedding album and the revolutionary changes made possible by digital photography. All of the events of a wedding ceremony and reception are covered, with handy advice on getting the best shot for each one.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hurter, editor of Rangefinder magazine, helps photographers prepare for the key moments of a wedding ceremony." —www.BookNews.com

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bill Hurter is the editor of Rangefinder magazine, the former editor of Petersen's PhotoGraphic, and the author of The Best of Wedding Photography, Group Portrait Photography Handbook, The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing, and Portrait Photographer's Handbook. He lives in West Covina, California.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc. (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584281928
• ISBN-13: 978-1584281924
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Hurter has been involved in the photographic industry for the past 30 years. He is the former editor of Petersen's PhotoGraphic magazine and currently the editor of both AfterCapture and Rangefinder magazines. He has authored over 30 books on photography and hundreds of articles on photography and photographic technique. He is a graduate of American University and Brooks Institute of Photography, from which he holds a BFA and Honorary Masters of Science and Masters of Fine Art degrees. He is currently a member of the Brooks Board of Governors. Early in his career he covered Capital Hill during the Watergate Hearings and worked for three seasons as a stringer for the L.A. Dodgers. He is married and lives in West Covina, CA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for!, January 15, 2007

By 

Dave - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wedding Photographer's Handbook (Paperback)

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the first time, making a few notes as I go. This book is exactly what I was looking for. I'm a technically competent camera user. I've done dark room work in the past, and PhotoShop more currently. I'm an aging geek and amateur photographer and can handle the technology end just fine. I can recognize a good shot when I see one, but I've never done "People Photography" as other than casual shots or incidental to scenery.

This book gives great examples of the kinds of wedding photography currently popular. While it goes into some of the technical aspects of digital photograpy: work flow, RAW,color space, etc.; it covers "people techniques" such as appropriate camera height for portraiture, bust, and full body shots. It covers pose basics such as 7/8, and 3/4 head shots. Shoulders turned at an angle, head tilt differences for the bride verses the groom. Whether I make effective use of this book remains to be seen, but the information is just what I wanted.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Digital photographers will find this a 'must', December 13, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wedding Photographer's Handbook (Paperback)

Bill Hurter's WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER'S HANDBOOK, 2ND EDITION comes from the editor of Rangefinder and goes behind the scenes with some of the world's top wedding photographers to learn their secrets for success. Images, ideas, and keys to everything from planning a shoot to designing an album makes for a powerful survey of digital workflow techniques that incorporate the latest wedding photography trends and equipment. Digital photographers will find this a 'must'.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, inspirational photos but not much detail., March 29, 2009

By 

Deana Jirak (NYC, NY area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wedding Photographer's Handbook (Paperback)

I am a photographer with a passion and an eye, but not too much technical training and definitely far from what I would consider professional. I usually shoot in automatic mode because I'm not as comfortable in the other modes and the only lens I have is the one that came with my digital SLR. Still, I shot a few weddings years ago and was asked to shoot a friend's sister wedding this coming summer. I decided to use this as an excuse to brush up on my skills and expand my equipment. I wanted to be informed going into the wedding and was especially interested in learning about what sort of equipment I should be considering. I decided to buy this book and the Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories. The books arrived in the same shipment and as I flipped through the books, I immediately could tell that if I had seen both of these in bookstores before I purchased them, I would have probably just purchased the other book, "Digital Wedding Photography:..." . It is significantly longer and almost looks like a text book with clearly outlined content. I prepared myself with post-its to mark up important things to refer to as I read the books to reference later.

I read this book by Hunter first and fairly quickly. It's a lot shorter and while their photos are far superior, offers a more top-level, general introduction to the world of wedding photography. I only placed 3 post-its in this book.

Then I read the other book by Glen Johnson and discovered that my first impression was spot-on: it was much more detailed. The actual photography in the Johnson book was not as creative as the photos in the Hunter book so I ended up being glad that I got both, although I value the information I received in the Johnson book over the inspiration I received from the Hunter book since I could probably find similar inspiration by looking at images online.

Overall, I would recommend you buy Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories instead if you're looking for detailed information. If you just want general information and are more interested in inspirational shots, then go with this book instead.