[Read Time - 8 Minutes]
Imagine you’ve been hired as the exclusive photographer for the National Championship game featuring your favorite college team. No other professional photographers allowed...just YOU.
You’ve been given premium access to the game and can shoot from anywhere you want...even on the field or court.
Question: Would you simply point the camera at the players during the first minute of the game, click one single wide shot and call it a day?
Of course, that’s a ridiculous question.
You and your camera have unrestricted access to the biggest game of the year, and YOU are the only professional allowed to be there!
This is what it feels like shooting the First Dance at a wedding.
Of course, this may not be the biggest game of the year for YOU, but it certainly IS for your bride and groom - and your responsibility is just as significant.
Let’s acknowledge a few of the major differences.
For starters, the scale and magnitude are a bit smaller, agreed.
Your access is actually better than shooting a football or basketball game, but you still don’t want to get too close to the players (there are still plenty of fans watching, and you have to respect their vantage point).
And the obvious difference is that you only get about 3 minutes to capture the entire event, compared to 3+ hours for your sporting event.
Not every game is the same, and not every First Dance is the same either.
You’ll encounter three main scenarios for the First Dance, so it’s best to be prepared for all three.
Scenario #1 - Your couple does NOT want to dance
This one is fairly UNcommon, but it is a challenge to be aware of.
Not every couple is Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling playing out their La La Land fantasies at their wedding.
Some don’t like to dance, but the good news is they understand that tradition trumps trepidation, and they’re willing to play ball...for a short time.
It’s best to chat about this before the wedding so you know what’s coming up, but if that nugget of nuance doesn’t come up, be prepared.
Now, what do I mean when I say “be prepared?”
I’m glad you asked. You should shoot this dance like you only have 45 seconds.
That may sound crazy, but if you spend the first 30 seconds carefully watching your couple and waiting for that perfect moment and then 15 seconds later they suddenly stop, smile and exit the dancefloor, leaving everyone, including the band, with an awkward “oh, we’re done” expression, you’re going to have to explain later why you only clicked the shutter three times.
You should shoot the First Dance like you only have 45 seconds.
Now it makes more sense, doesn’t it?
Come out of the gate firing.
Wide, medium, close-up, her face, his face, extra wide and extra close and once you’ve covered a comfortable collection of crucial clicks, you can now put your artist hat on and make some magic.
While it is nice to have a second shooter helping with this, it’s not mission-critical.
I’ve done both and will admit there’s comfort in having another camera with the 70-200mm, getting some great eye-contact shots, but again, not critical.
If you’re solo, you still need to get those close-up moments, but you might have to push in a little and add some cropping in post.
I prefer to shoot with the 24-70mm because I like getting those wider shots that look amazing as full-page spreads in the wedding album, as well as the medium shots that show the couple and the guests behind them.
I can live without the super close-ups.
Bottom Line: Start shooting right away in the event the couple bails out early. You can’t blame them for not getting enough photos just because they cut their first dance short...sorry.
Let’s move on to the next situation, which is more common.
Scenario #2: Just a normal one-song First Dance
This will be what you experience most of the time, but you still shouldn’t let your guard down.
Even if your couple says they’ll do a normal first dance and you confirmed with them during your pregame call the week of the wedding, I still recommend you get your core clicks in within the first 45 seconds.
Now you have about 2½ minutes to play with, which is when you can whip out your artist’s chapeau and go to town.
Here are some additional things to look for during the dance.
Reaction shots of the bride and groom’s parents
Super wide shots showing the full room
Getting unique angles, like low or up on stage
Shots of their hands on the neck or back
Little girls are watching this dance
Grandparents or siblings watching
Creative lighting, like logos on the floor
Selective focus of flowers on the table
A shot of the singer or musician with the couple in the shot
Better versions of your core photos with even better looks from your bride and groom
The list of creative angles and opportunities is pretty endless, and I highly recommend shooting as many as possible.
Bottom Line: Shoot fast and THEN get creative. This will be the only First Dance, so enjoy it, make it count.
This is a special moment that is pretty tough to reproduce, and for the couple, it is one they will always cherish.
Scenario #3 - A choreographed or heavily rehearsed dance
This is probably my least favorite, but it is increasingly popular thanks to social media.
This dance is practiced, so you’ll have more opportunity for some fancy and flourishing moves - that’s a nice plus.
Since it is rehearsed, the couple will be more in performance mode rather than in a natural slow-dance mode, so things may appear a bit stiff or calculated.
On the plus side, you’ll know in advance that this dance will happen because you will ask in your pregame call the week of the wedding.
“Will you be doing any special dance for your first dance?” is always a good way to ask.
If you get a yes, you can follow it up with other questions, like the song or if there’s going to be a big finish, like a dip at the end (this is very important to know).
As mentioned, this dance will be more “prepared,” so your couple might be counting steps or quietly talking through the next move.
This isn’t great for photos. You’d rather have them looking lovingly into each other’s eyes and basking in the glow of this special moment, not looking like they’re trying to remember the Jeopardy Final Question as they dance.
My first best tip is to focus on the cool moves to show off that they’ve been practicing so hard to master.
They might not dance like Fred and Ginger, but in a still photo, they can look smooth and stylish, and that’s your job – make ‘em look good!
My second-best tip is to be prepared for something unexpected. A minor misstep will bring out a genuine smile or laugh during this performance (usually).
A little goof might be the most real moment of the entire dance, so keep your eye on your camera and your finger on the shutter.
The end of this dance will usually end with a big finish. It’s usually a dip of some kind, so be prepared for something fun and don’t hold back with the clicks.
All that time and preparation has come down to this big finale, so expect to see plenty of exuberation and relief at this time.
Bottom Line: Focus on getting some great shots of their moves, and then focus on some great expressions.
Bonus Tips
Talk with the band leader or DJ about the first dance to get any inside info that can help you.
Knowing the song will help you gauge when it will end and where you’ll be facing at that moment.
There’s always a kiss and/or big hug after, so being in the “right” position is a HUGE bonus for getting an epic final shot.
If you’re in Scenario #1, you may suggest that your couple have a Final Dance at the end of the evening so you can get some nice shots of them arm-in-arm in a controlled setting.
Some people don’t like to dance AT ALL, so if there’s no First Dance, you need to work very hard to get any shots of them close during the night. Any slow dance with them on the dance floor becomes their de facto First Dance, so keep your eyes and ears open and shoot, shoot, shoot!
To be safe, apply most of these rules to the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dances that often follow the First Dance.
If you want more on the First Dance, you can read about it in Issue #30 here.
One final thing to think about. The wedding day is a long day, and the bride and groom spend a good chunk of it apart.
After a long morning of bride and groom preparation, the ceremony and group photos, the First Dance is your couple’s first chance to spend some quality time together before the party starts...and it’s your chance to capture it all.
Don’t forget to have fun during this part. That’s my advice to my associate photographers and my best advice to you. It’ll show in your work.
“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.”
Wayne Dyer
Shooting the First Dance is one of the little parts of the “inner game of wedding photography.”
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You've just described a wedding in one perfect sentence.
Family photos and senior photos get a little dul. Weddings are my idea of being an adrenaline junkie only with a camera.
This sounds like pressure .. but the fun kind!