Wedding Photographer's Handbook: Fully Illustrated Guide [Paperback]

Robert Hurth (Author), Sheila Hurth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

"Wedding Photographers Handbook; the complete guide." This is an instructional photography book for beginning or advanced wedding photograhers; it teaches one the "ins" and "outs" of successful wedding photography, from beginning to end.Among other things, the book includes sample wedding photos, diagrams; information about posing, lighting,equipment requirements, film choices, film exposure, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this practical, thorough guide to building a successful career as a wedding photographer, the authors draw upon many years of experience as they discuss various kinds of wedding photography as well as cameras, lenses, lighting, and other equipment needed in this highly specialized area. The book then takes readers through the various "phases" of typical wedding ceremonies, with many excellent tips on how to make effective photographs in each situation. The book is illustrated with a number of first-rate color and black-and-white photographs that effectively reinforce the authors' advice. Wedding photography can be quite lucrative, but it's also a risky business. This book can be very helpful to anyone contemplating a career in this challenging field. Recommended for public libraries and other libraries where there is interest in photography books for advanced amateurs and professionals.?Raymond Bial, Parkland Coll. Lib., Champaign, Ill.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Wedding Photographer's Handbook is a complete guide, literally everything needed to get started and to succeed in the exciting and profitable world of wedding photography. The business of wedding photography is also covered in a comprehensive, straightforward chapter featuring advertising tips, how to build a clientele, booking the wedding, building our portfolio, handling proofs, and more! Wedding Photographer's Handbook shows how formal and casual portraits can boost profits and what to do if you miss an important shot, as well as practical, helpful information throughout the entire handbook. This step-by-step guide is packed with over a hundred photos demonstrating the techniques that will save time, increase quality, and maximize profits. Equipment lists, photo lists, and the do's and don'ts are provided for each part of a wedding covered by the photographer. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media; illustrated edition edition (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936262443
• ISBN-13: 978-0936262444
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,656,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Anecdotes and Hints, But Photos Could Be Better, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

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

I write as an intermediate amateur photographer (with no intention of turning professional) who is about to photograph my first wedding. The Hurth and Hurth book has over 100 photos of weddings, many of them classy, but I think the photos have two problems. First, many are too small to show important details. Second, less than a third of the photos are in color, and the color is not reproduced very vividly. On the other hand, I liked the extensive text, especially the grey "Shooter's Log"s with anecdotes about things that go wrong at weddings, and the grey "Reader's Note"s in the sidebars with helpful hints.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for Starting Out, February 24, 2003

By 

Therese M. Woolley (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I was asked by my sister to photograph her upcoming wedding. I had been "fooling around" with photography for a number of years and at one point considered becoming a professional photographer. Well, life has a way of altering our plans and I have remained an amateur photographer. But I wanted to do a good job for my sister and produce solid photographs.

I looked at dozens of books and finally stumbled across "Wedding Photographer's Handbook, The Complete Guide". I will admit, the book could use an update, but the basic information is all there.

The first thing I liked is that the authors put all the really important information right up front. They discuss the "Four Photographic Categories" a photographer should address at a wedding such as "Command Photographs" and "Must Get Photographs". The authors also provide the reader with a "Wedding Candid Checklist", which can be used when sitting down with the bridal couple to identify which photographs they would like taken.

The book also discusses how a wedding photographer should conduct themselves during the job and even offers suggestions for how a wedding photographer should dress when attending the wedding. And all of this information is in the first chapter!

Chapter two goes on to discuss the equipment that will be needed. They discuss types of flash units and what types of filters will be needed. There is a wonderful section on the "Five Lighting Choices", which includes easy to understand instructions for correctly lighting your subjects.

The next six chapters of the book divide the wedding into events such as the "Wedding Ceremony", "Back to the Altar" and the "Cocktail Hour and Reception" to name just a few. Each chapter outlines the activities associated with each event and how to ensure you capture these activities photographically. The chapters end with a summary of the photographs that should be taken for the event discussed in that chapter.

The final chapter outlines the "Business of Wedding Photography" and gives the reader advice on building a portfolio, how to let the world know you're a weddding photographer, booking a wedding, preparing the wedding proof book and, most importantly, getting paid.

This book has a wealth of information. There are other more current books out there, but none of them, from what I've seen, provide the level of information you'll find in "Wedding Photographer's Handbook, The Complete Guide".

I would have given this book five stars, but as I said previously, it could use some updating but don't let that stop you from purchasing this book. Take my advice, I've looked a just about every book out there on this subject and this is the book that has it all.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but dated., July 4, 1999

By A Customer

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

This was informative for the aspiring wedding photographer. It was however a bit dated in both its style and the included photographs. The author needs to write an updated version and include photographs from this decade!