Rain
Use studio lights indoors in case of rain, but the time constraints and logistics involved make their use in wedding photography a serious disadvantage unless you have plenty of time, space, and an army of helpers. Flashguns are good in this situation; one should have a slave attached. A slave is a flash which is triggered automatically by another flash.
Take umbrellas for the bride and groom and plastic sheets, clean linen sheets etc. for sitting and standing the bride on as well as cloths to dry and clean your camera gear.
Use the rain to your advantage!!!
• Can you capture nice reflections in puddles?
• Can you slow the shutter down to make it look like a waterfall in the background?
• Can you capture moody shots of the bride and groom looking out the window at the rain?
• Umbrellas can make stunning props.
• Can you capture some of the bridal parties facial expressions – what do they think about the rain?
• Don’t let the bride get wet in case her make-up runs and her hairstyle falls apart.
• If she’s already soaked to the bone – go with it. Get some arty shots of her in the rain and of people bringing her towels and blankets to warm up and dry off; hopefully laughing and enjoying herself.
Priorities when raining:
• Set up smaller groups to keep things running quickly.
• Use uncluttered backgrounds.
• Get vital groups done first. Bulk out the photography with plenty of candid photos.
Sun
Shooting in bright sun often leads to the subjects squinting. The solution is to shoot into the sun to let the sun backlight the subjects. This is also particularly flattering for the veil and dress. A lens hood will help to stop stray light from flaring into the lens, the effect is easily missed and much easier to spot if you momentarily close the aperture right down and depress the depth of field preview button while you look through the viewfinder.
When you do shoot into the sun, however, you have to make sure that the subjects’ faces are not too dark. It can help to have a reflective board to bounce light back up at them. Get one of the bridal party members to hold it for you if you do not have an assistant. Even a big piece of white cardboard, car windscreen reflector or foam core can work well. Alternatively you may need to use a flash even in broad daylight.
