Wedding photography is one of the biggest aspects of the photography industry due to the importance of the milestone in so many people’s lives. The desire to capture this special day can be one of the most integral parts of a wedding, and through photos, that special day can be remembered forever. Often, successful wedding photographers end up earning a very comfortable living. That being said, it usually takes a photographer years of hard work and dedication to get to that point. The photographer needs to understand and be prepared for many artistic and logistic facets of a wedding, as well as the individualized specificities of each wedding. So, let’s delve into some of the key components of becoming a successful wedding photographer. 

Photos Courtesy of Alita Swanson.

Communication

The importance of communication in a wedding photographer’s role is pivotal, and this begins long before the first photographs are taken on the big day. Communicating with whoever reaches out to hire you starts right away. Compiling a list of essential questions to ask the couple is a must to make sure you’re meeting all the client’s needs. A good starting question is: what combinations of people do you want to be photographed? Clients sometimes want specific photos of their whole wedding party but also different shots broken down into more individualized groups. Knowing those groups and their relations saves time, avoids the risk of missing moments the client wants and helps prepare you for posing ideas.

Another question to pose would be what the client considers top priority shots. This could range from just photos of the wedding party or pictures of the ceremony, but it could also include detailed or documentary-style photos of the whole event, from the guests to the venue. Communication is also crucial on the wedding day, both for the sake of logistics and establishing a rapport with the wedding party to enhance the experience for everyone. 

Photos Courtesy of Alita Swanson and Andrew Kearney.

Walk through the venue

Visiting the venue before the wedding day is super important for a few reasons. You get a good idea of where to take the wedding party photos, plan out good spots to catch important shots and get a feel for the lighting situation. Lighting is a huge factor in capturing the best images. Is the venue inside in low light? You will most likely need some external light, whether a flash or a continuous light. However, life happens, and you’ll need to be prepared for any last-minute changes. Weather can play a role in the location of the wedding — it can also change at the last minute, so it’s always good to have a backup plan with you in case of an emergency. 

Photos Courtesy of Alita Swanson and Andrew Kearney.

Second Photographers

A wedding is an extensive process comprised of many elements that are all happening at the same time. For example, the groomsmen and bridesmaids getting ready for the big day. Many couples will want to capture intimate moments like getting ready with their friends. However, being in two places at once is impossible, and you never want to miss out on capturing a meaningful moment. The solution? Work with a second photographer so you can capture more.

Photos Courtesy of Alita Swanson.

Gear

Everyone shoots with different gear, but some equipment should take priority in your inventory. For starters, a camera body (or even two) with fully charged batteries as well as backup batteries and charger. Multiple lenses are ideal, which is why wedding photographers work with two respective camera bodies. This allows the photographer to keep shooting without changing lenses — they can just rely on grabbing another ready-to-shoot body. Another valuable tool to have is a reliable camera strap. Finding one that fits your needs is important as well. There are ones with quick-release mechanisms that allow for easy detachment if you need it or one that screws into the bottom of the camera allowing for it to hang by your side while you’re using a different body. We can’t stress this enough: lighting is super important. It depends on the location but is subject to change at any point. External flashes, strobes or continuous lights could be very beneficial. Lighting modifiers such as reflectors can also be great for outdoor lighting.  

Photos Courtesy of Andrew Kearney.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to wedding photography, so it’s up to you to decide how you want to capture that special day. These tips can make the process easier, but gaining experience is the most important thing you can do to improve your craft. Starting as a second photographer for a wedding is a great way to familiarize yourself with the business without the pressure of being the only person in charge of capturing all of the photos. The head photographer often delegates the second photographer with more detail-oriented shots, allowing room for you to observe and learn. So get out there and marry your skills to your vision!

Gerry Cranham, who has died aged 94, was a pioneer of modern sports photography and one of its leading exponents. He was as adept at seeing the beauty in an anonymous fell runner jumping a drystone wall in Cumbria as capturing the greats of the 1960s and 70s, such as Muhammad Ali, Olga Korbut, Billie-Jean King, Lester Piggott, Bobby Moore and Arnold Palmer. He was an innovator whose work transcended the sports pages by revealing, through his composition and framing, human endeavour, and the poetry of motion.

His talent could not be contained by the back pages. His first page-one picture in the Observer came in 1962, depicting well-to-do diners in the middle of a velodrome in Antwerp, as cyclists hurtle by. He produced magazine features and was published in Sports Illustrated, the Times and many others. His work was recognised in 1971 with a solo exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was only the second time a photographer had been honoured that way: the first was Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Cranham was an early adopter of colour film (he was one of only three photographers to shoot colour at the 1966 World Cup final), and he experimented with zoom burst techniques, underwater photography and new technology to make his images stand out. But these practices, all of which are now considered the norm, served only to embellish his innate ability.

His passion for his craft and his desire to break new ground was not without its perils. In January 1964, as he lay in the dirt behind the goal at White Hart Lane being pelted with peanuts by supporters, he had a right to feel despondent. He had just returned from the US; the Observer had not published his photos from JFK’s funeral, and he was racked with self-doubt.

Operating the new long cable which he had bought back from America, and which allowed him to trigger the camera’s shutter remotely, he captured the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper John Hollowbread jumping to keep warm during an FA Cup tie against Chelsea. Published in the Observer the following day (and later acquired by the V&A), it was Cranham’s favourite photograph: a match-report illustration that showed neither ball nor bulging net, just a solitary silhouette suspended in fog. He was reinvigorated.

Later that year, he chose to use a new waterproof camera to document an Olympic hopeful, the swimmer Bobby McGregor, training in Glasgow. As a former athlete Cranham thought he possessed strong lungs, so he put weights in his pockets and jumped in the deep end. After a while McGregor’s father, thinking the photographer was drowning, panicked, and pulled him out by the hair, but Cranham had already got the shot, and the image of McGregor’s feet is sublime.

Born in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, Gerry was one of three children of George Cranham, an upholsterer, and Elizabeth (nee James). He went to Salesian college in Farnborough, where he excelled at athletics, but left aged 15 to become an apprentice draughtsman at Miles Aircraft.

In his spare time, he concentrated on middle-distance running and, after being crowned the English Southern Counties junior half-mile champion, was chosen to run a leg with the Olympic torch in the “Relay for Peace” in 1948. That year he joined the British Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and continued to compete, winning the Inter-Services half-mile race, until, in 1953, a foot injury cut short his running career.

When demobbed he took a job as a draughtsman and, in the evenings, became a coach at Herne Hill Harriers athletics club. In 1957, way ahead of his time, he decided to use technology to enhance performance: he bought his first camera to analyse and correct his pupils’ running styles. The runners bought his pictures and his photographic career had begun. “It started everything off,” he said, “within two years I was totally occupied with a newfound profession.”

Cranham set up a darkroom at home and learned his trade through trial and error. Within a year Athletics Weekly and the South London Press were publishing his track photography. Encouraged by his wife, Nancy (nee Payn), whom he had married in 1952, he gave up his job and, in 1959, became a full-time photographer. As a freelancer he struggled to gain access to major events, but this was a blessing in disguise. Shooting from the crowd or from unusual places taught him the value of the periphery: the spectators, the architecture, the landscape and the mud.

He was accepted into the Fox Photos agency and, in 1961, had his first pictures published in both the Observer and Sports Illustrated. Cranham developed close working relationships with their writers Hugh McIlvanney and John Lovesey respectively, which led to some of Cranham’s most famous images: those of Muhammad Ali. In London in 1963, before the then Cassius Clay’s clash with Henry Cooper, the boxer held up one hand and screamed, “five, five, five”, indicating the round he was going to knock out Cooper. Cranham got the shot and Clay kept his promise, stopping his man in the fifth.

Cranham photographed Ali in Ghana and Las Vegas and they struck up a friendship. Summoned by Ali to tea in London, the Greatest would ask Gerry how to hold his cup correctly.

Continually searching for new angles, Cranham was the first photographer to place a remote camera under the jumps at Cheltenham racecourse: “I had to do it discreetly, hide the camera and collect it later. They would have kicked me off the course if they saw me.” But Cranham’s need to stay one step ahead of the competition was not just professional pride, it was necessity: “I had to do something different because I had five kids to feed at home.”

He was in demand, and he worked tirelessly, taking on advertising work and travelling the globe to cover tennis tournaments, World Cups, motor racing, horse racing and Olympic Games. But despite the recognition, he would modestly do the rounds of Fleet Street every Sunday, hawking his work from the previous day.

In 1977 he was named Sports Photographer of the Year and, from the 80s, he focused on his other great passion: horseracing, breeding and all things equine. He contributed photographs to several books on the sport of kings and, in 2008, he received the lifetime achievement award for his services to racing photography at the Horserace Writers and Photographers Derby awards.

Having hung up his cameras in 2013, he had his trailblazing work recognised at the 2019 exhibition Simply the Best in the Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, and in 2021 a collection of his work, This Sporting Life, was published.

He is survived by Nancy, their children, Nigel, Yvonne, Paul, Valerie and Mark, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.