A Comprehensive Guide to DIY Wedding Photography: Capturing Your Big Day Yourself

Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another blog post infused with budget wedding tips and tricks here on Dreaming of Butterflies! 

On today’s agenda, we’re sharing our most important tips for how you can DIY photography for your own wedding like I did (and yes, I was the bride!). 

Related:

‍How to Plan the Perfect Themed Wedding on a Small Budget in 10 Steps

How to Plan Your Dream Wedding as a Budget Bride

A quick note before we start:

Yes, you can DIY the photography for your wedding, BUT you will need some help, so make sure to have someone you trust (if they have artistic inclinations that’s a big bonus) to be there aiding you when you are needed to be the bride/groom, and at least a normal sized tripod (a flash and a remote are optional but nice to have). 

And now, back to today’s story.

Why, oh, why would you want to do your own wedding photos? 

Let’s just say that maybe you’re on a super tight budget, or your wedding is a small one, or you’re a somewhat experienced artist photographer who knows what they want. Or maybe all of the above. And you just need an excuse to use your new camera for something special. No? Just me? Okay then. 

But maybe, you’re a DIY queen or king, with an artistic side, with a vision for how you want the story of your wedding day to be told in pictures and video, and there is simply no way someone else could do this for you. 

Or maybe you just want to save 2000$ and use that money for something else at your wedding, or after, like your honeymoon. 

Whatever reasoning might be behind your landing on this page today, welcome! We hope you can find the inspiration you needed.

P.S. You don’t need a super fancy camera to do this.

A third of our wedding photos were taken with a smartphone, and they turned out great. The others were with semi-pro Cannon and Nikon cameras (one of each). Can you tell which ones were taken with a camera and which ones were taken with a smartphone?

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

DIY Wedding Photography: How to Capture Magical Moments on a Budget

1. Research and Practice

This step is mandatory and CRUCIAL for the success of you DIYing your photos on your big day.

Learn about different photography techniques, such as composition, lighting, and posing, and practice them before the wedding day. Experiment with different settings and angles to get comfortable with your camera.

Start with free photography courses (there are plenty online), and focus on wedding and event-related photography. You’ll want to understand the basics of photography first,  then how to pose for the camera, how to find and frame the perfect setting and finally how to use camera accessories to shoot your photos.  

2. Involve Friends and Family

This one is vital, so listen up! Enlist the help of friends and family who are passionate about photography, or know their way around a camera (even if it’s a smartphone with a good camera). 

Assign them specific tasks, such as capturing behind-the-scenes moments or candid shots from different angles (see the shots lists!). This will ensure you have a variety of perspectives in your photo collection.

As you are one of the main characters on your wedding day, you will be involved in much more than just being there for a party, like the ceremony where you have to actually listen and speak, giving attention to and actually have conversations with all your guests at the party, and the staff helping at your wedding will inevitably need some assistance and guidance once in a while, so you will need another person there to watch for those great moments for you.

As long as these people have their shots list and know what to do and where to focus their cameras, your wedding photos will definitely be something to be proud of! 

3. Create a Shot List

In addition to making a list of shots you need, consider creating a shots list that includes specific poses, locations, and groupings. This will help you stay organised and ensure you capture all the important moments and people.

This was one of the first things I did when I decided to do my own wedding photos (yes, it was even before choosing a date). I created a few shots list:

• for myself (pre-wedding/ getting ready), 
• one for my brother-in-law to take of my now husband on his pre-wedding/getting ready morning, 
• one list for the saviour of my wedding day regarding photography, my “sister from another mister”, Christine (who is now officially a pro photographer!) 
• And another one for me for the party
• And one specific for bride and groom photos. 

Keeping a copy of this list with you will help you be organised on the day, and will help ensure that none of the important moments are missed. 

4. Scout the Venue

Visit the wedding venue ahead of time and familiarise yourself with the surroundings. Identify the best spots for photos, taking into account lighting conditions and backdrops. This way, you'll be prepared on the wedding day and know exactly where to take certain shots.

As we had a mediaeval-themed wedding in Oradea’s Fortress, we knew exactly where we wanted to get married and how the location looks, where we wanted the party to be and how that venue looks. 

I, as the photographer as well, looked for spots where I needed my designated photographers to be in, and let them go with the flow a bit. 

You could also take shots beforehand and have them as examples for the ones that are helping you, if you have something specific in mind, but make sure to add these to the shots list. 

5. Utilize Natural Light

Make the most of natural light by shooting outdoors or near windows. Pay attention to the direction and quality of light, and adjust your positioning and settings accordingly. Natural light can create beautiful, soft, and flattering photos.

This is great for day weddings, outdoor weddings, or TTD (trash the dress) sessions. But what do you do when your wedding is indoors, the lighting is a bit crazy or dim, or it’s night time?

In comes your new BFF, the external flash! Adjust your camera settings to fit a night time event, to avoid “noise” on your photos, and simply use an external flash. 

6. Capture Candid Moments

While posed shots are important, candid moments often hold the most genuine emotions. Be ready to capture spontaneous interactions, laughter, and tears. 

Ask your lovely photography helpers to keep an eye on your parents, grandparents and any other important people in your life while you are busy getting married to make sure you definitely have those emotional moments on.

During the party, keep your camera easily accessible and ready to shoot throughout the day, and just have fun with it! Your guests will definitely want to join in the photography process.

6. Edit and Enhance

After the wedding, take the time to edit and enhance your photos. Basic adjustments like cropping, exposure, and colour correction can greatly improve the final results. 

Consider using photo editing software or apps to refine your images, but keep in mind that they are not mandatory. All you really need is a basic knowledge of Canva, and you'll have beautiful photos ready to be shared on social media. 

Also, keep in mind that not every photo shot that day will be perfect. Collectively, we shot almost 1000 photos on my wedding day, but less than 350 got to see the light of day, and significantly fewer got on social media. And that's perfectly normal.

7. DIY Photo Booth

Set up a DIY photo booth area with props, backdrops, and a tripod. Guests can have fun taking their own photos throughout the event, providing a playful and interactive element to your wedding photography. 

We did a version of this for our guests but with a borrowed Instax camera from a friend. All we wanted was to take some photos with us and our guests for our guest book and have them all write some words of wisdom near their glued-in photos. 

But you can definitely take this to a whole other level with a nice improvised backdrop, or fun props like masks, wigs and hats. They are super popular at parties, and we can see why. 

9. Experiment with Perspectives

Don't be afraid to get creative with your angles and perspectives. Try shooting from high above, getting down low, or capturing reflections. Unique perspectives can add depth and visual interest to your photos.

Let your creativity shine through, make sure to always frame your subject nicely (don’t cut anyone’s foreheads off for example), enjoy the process and you will have a great collection by the end of the day.

10. Tell a Story

Aim to tell a story through your photos. It’s a big day in your life after all. 

Capture the details, emotions, and narrative of the day. Focus on the small moments that make the wedding special, like hugs, or the people dear to you dancing, and don’t forget about the surroundings such as decorations, table settings, and personal touches.

Aaaaaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed our top 10 tips and tricks to DIY wedding photography, and if you did, please make sure to share it, pin it, and tweet it! We will love you for it!