Customer Reviews

Wedding Photographer's Handbook: Fully Illustrated Guide

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!