Photographing a wedding remains a complicated balance between catching the moment and capturing the atmosphere. While you want clear images, some moments need a sense of movement and motion to properly build the effect.

A flash can ruin the tone of the image by overexposing the surroundings and loosing the low-light romance of the moment. Utilizing the tricks of your camera with a skilled eye for ambient light you can encompass the overall romance of the moment while still securing beautiful images.

High ISO and the Noise Digital cameras use ISO to make the sensors more sensitive to light. This allows for small amounts of light to appear and lets you take photos in low light conditions. You do end up with extra “noise” in the photo because this makes the sensor subject to high sensitivity to other signals as well. This tends to make the photo look a little fuzzy. If you set the ISO just high enough, you can catch the ambient light with a tolerable amount of noise. Sometimes the noise adds to the effect of the image, giving it a sense of motion, this is a personal preference.

Take a few test shots to determine the lowest ISO you can use yet still work with the limited light. This gives you the best image. Also, when purchasing your camera, look for the largest sensor you can find. The larger the sensor the less noise the image will pick up even at high ISOs. Digital SLR cameras tend to have larger image sensors allowing you to work with higher ISOs more effectively.

Fast Lenses for Hand Held

Another issue when shooting weddings is the need to be mobile so you can get the best angle on the subjects. Hand held shots tend to be a problem when working with extended shutter speeds, as your hands are rarely steady enough to not cause blurriness in the photo.

Purchase fast lenses so you can hold the lens at a low shutter speed. This reduces any lens shake. A 50mm prime lens and a 70-200mm zoom tend to work well for these types of shots.

Using Pools of Light

Practice with utilizing pools of light. Even in a dark room, there tends to be areas where the light pools. By urging your subjects to such light centers you achieve a romantic effect without needing the flash. Your subject will illuminate in the pool of light, helping you catch the facial expressions without massive shadows while still offering the darkness of the surroundings. By using the light of the room you maintain the mood yet obtain the shot.

Beauty Dish

One overlooked solution for receptions is the beauty dish. These umbrella shaped flashes offer a softer light than a direct flash and are set to bounce off the ceiling or the wall. This keeps the subjects from being blinded, as it is likely the person won’t even know a flash went off. This trick allows you to get very clear dancing photos without the noise of high ISOs. While you will still want to take photos that highlight the mood of the room, getting some shots with the dish gives you a clear, precise image of the subject. You can set the dish to be on a remote timer with the camera as to have perfect timing when taking the photos.