109: The 7 Things I Learned Shooting A Wedding In Alaska

I just got back from shooting my first wedding in Alaska. I'm not
a destination wedding photographer so traveling with my gear did
not come naturally to me. I learned a lot about my photography
and shooting wedding during this trip. Today I share the 7 things
I learned while shooting a destination wedding in Alaska. 


The 7 Things I Learned While Photographing A Wedding In
Alaska


1: Scout Locations


When shooting destination weddings or shooting in a location you
are not familiar with, do your due diligence and scout locations.
Know where the couple will be getting married and how much time
you will have for photos as this will determine how far to look
for locations to shoot at. Use tools like google maps to
street-view a location or google "Location Name Wedding" to see
what other photographers have done when in your shoes. 


2: Don't Pack Everything You Own


Being in a new location offers several challenge for
photographers but the biggest is the fear of not being prepared.
So we will bring every piece of gear we have ever bought so that
we don't miss anything. This causes too much weight and stress.
Maybe you don't need the drone or film cameras. Pack just the
essentials and shoot within your limitations.


3: Get a Timeline and Addresses


Having a timeline will ensure you are prepared. Even if the
wedding day does not go according to plan you will still have one
less thing to worry about. Be sure to get address of where every
one will be getting ready as well! I've seen some timelines that
show a 15 mile distance between getting ready locations but only
5 mins of travel time budgeted.  Being able to foresee any
potential problems can save the day,


4: Find the Best Light


Getting the address is crucial to being able to find the best
light. Knowing that the reception was going to be in the
mountains I could find out that even thought the sunset is
officially at 9pm the light would pass over the mountian at 745
and I needed to be outside shooting by then if I want to capture
great images. You can use apps like "Golden Hour" Or "SOL" for
iOS


5: Rent A Car


This can be quite an expense. About $100/day for several days but
it will save you a world of headaches. Ive been to wedding where
everyone could get TO the first location but once you fill the
car with extras that need to be taken to the second location
there is no more room. So having your own transportation is
essential for a stress free wedding day when travilng.


6: The iPad Can't Replace A Computer, Yet.


Since my main editing rig is an iMac and not portable and I don't
have a laptop decided to try using an iPad and a wireless hard
drive to backup my photos. Its not like I had lofty ideas of
being able to edit the wedding by the time I was home but it
would have been nice to cull through some images. This was just
to painfully slow of a process to be effective. It took me 10x
longer (5 hours vs 30mins) to use an iPad vs doing the same task
on a computer. 


7: Don't Work Too Hard


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