The ceremony

a.k.a.

"Sir! Drop the iPad!"

I'm joking! Kinda.

Ceremony coverage shows off two sides of the same coin; how a photographer can plan, and how they can improvise.

You need to form a lighting plan in your head prior to the wedding, as well as a backup. You need to prepare the buttons of your camera so it feels like driving a car you've had for years. You'll visualize the steps you'll take and the compositions you'll frame ahead of time.

But then the music starts, and you're on a timer. Instincts and practice help you find emotional glances, react to silly mishaps that you'll talk about for decades, and get creative now that the moment is really happening. All that, plus the people skills. Somebody does have to tell your uncle-in-law to stop filming on his iPad, and a little sterner the second time.

It's not drag racing or anything, but it's pretty fun. That timer pressure is not everyone's cup of tea though!

(click any of the photos below to open a slideshow)

And even if it sounds a little "extra"...

Yeah, you really are gonna want a second photographer. At the very least, you'll want one for the ceremony.

It's not just about having an angle on both your faces. "Second shooters" let our little team take artistic risks. One photographer can get the standard aisle photo of your first kiss, for instance, while the other photographer...