If your are asked to photograph a friend's wedding

Month after month I see this question on various social networks: "Help: I have been asked to take the pictures for my (friend, relative etc)'s wedding. Please give me some advice."

My immediate reaction is to advise them don't do it! Not if need to get this sort of help on Facebook or MyLot, or even on betterphoto.com.

Of course, that's not what I do say; I just offer some tips about wedding photography and a list of essential shots. I often suggest they read extensively on the subject and include my Intel at Qassia.com in the reading list - if you really want to do the job, there is good advice there, and in lots of other blogs around the web.

The thing is, weddings are not something you can go back and reshoot if you get it wrong: while it might be a great learning experience for you, it isn't one that you friends can really afford for you to mess up on.

It is easy to say ‘yes’, but if you don't have a clear idea of what you are doing, and a great deal of self-confidence, then as the wedding day approaches you may start to wish you hadn’t!

Lack of experience as a wedding photographer is not a reason to say "no" of course: everyone starts out without experience and there was a first time for every Wedding Master. So my advice for those willing to have a go, but NOT willing to risk losing the couple as friends, is:

1. Read all you can, starting with the Qassia link above
2. Practice! There is usually plenty of time between being asked and the wedding day; use it to shoot lots of portrait and journalistic-style photos
   
3. Do what any wedding photographer would do: sit down with your clients and plan the shoot with them
4. Go to the rehearsal and use it for what it is: a practice session. Not just for the Bridal Party, but for you.
5. If you are not already comfortable with PhotoShop or PaintShopPro, learn to use the program properly; take lessons or at least buy a book or DVD course and practice
6. Go to a few presentation nights and parties: the lighting at most Receptions is dreadful, so taking photographs in similar conditions is good preparation
7. If you don't have a Digital SLR or a film based camera, look into hiring one; and if you decide to do that, hire it for another day so you are really familiar with it before the day: but do not shoot the wedding on a digital compact camera unless it is a top model! Only one or two can handle the lighting range and produce files big enough for wedding enlargements. Maybe a Canon G10 or similar, but otherwise, low light conditions are beyond them. (that reception again, and the church)

And finally, remember that it is light that makes the picture: use it to best advantage.