Wedding Photography Quiz

A first look is a planned moment, separate from the ceremony, where the couple sees each other privately for the first time on their wedding day. It allows intimate portraits without time pressure, and lets the couple process the emotion before proceeding to the ceremony.

A wedding cannot be re-shot. If a card fails mid-ceremony, all images recorded to that point are potentially lost. Writing simultaneously to two cards ensures that every frame has an immediate redundant copy, giving a level of insurance appropriate to an unrepeatable event.

Family groupings involve coordinating multiple people and can consume large amounts of time if not organized in advance. A shot list confirmed with the couple beforehand ensures every requested combination is captured efficiently, with no family group overlooked.

Many officiants and venues forbid flash during the ceremony because it distracts the couple, the guests and the person leading it. Photographers usually work with available light, fast lenses and higher ISO instead. Checking the rules with the officiant beforehand is standard practice.

Dragging the shutter means using a slow shutter speed with flash. The flash freezes the dancers sharply, while the long exposure records moving lights and ambient glow as trails and streaks. The result shows both a sharp subject and a sense of movement.

Pointing the flash at a ceiling or wall turns that surface into a large light source. A larger source casts softer shadows and gives more even, flattering light than a bare flash aimed straight at someone. Bouncing actually loses light, so it is not brighter.

Golden hour light is most flattering for portraits and lasts only a short window around sunset. Scheduling formal couple portraits during a dinner break, when other guests are occupied and the light is at its best, makes efficient use of the one reliable opportunity for ideal outdoor portrait light.

A 70 to 200mm lens reaches tight framing of the couple from the back or side of the aisle. That avoids distracting guests or the officiant while still getting close-ups of faces and the exchange of rings. It is a heavy lens, and it is too long to fit a whole wedding party at close range.

Macro lenses focus very close, so they are used for small details such as rings, invitations, flowers and table settings. A ring shot often needs 1:1 magnification or near it. For people moments like the kiss, a standard or telephoto lens is the usual choice.

Culling is the editorial step of going through all captured frames and selecting the strongest ones while rejecting duplicates, technically flawed images, and weaker variations. It precedes editing and determines which images receive processing attention.