Why you should do street photography to become a better wedding photographer

At the first sight, wedding and street photography have nothing in common. But when you take a closer look, they actually do. In fact, doing street photography can help you become a better wedding photographer, and in this video, John Branch will tell you how.

If you shoot weddings, you know that there are plenty of important moments you just can’t miss. This especially holds true if you shoot documentary-style wedding photography. Those fleeting moments also happen in the street, and capturing them is essential for making an interesting shot. See where I’m going with this?

Just like a wedding, the street is also a fast-paced environment. When you go out with your camera, you need to be aware of what’s happening around you at all times so you can react and capture the perfect moment. But even more, you need to be able to predict the moment before it happens.

A perfect or decisive moment lasts… well, a moment. It’s gone fast, so you have to capture it because it will not happen again. This goes for both street and weddings, and this is why it’s good to practice in the street before you get paid to shoot someone’s wedding.

Other than learning to observe the surroundings and act fast, you need to get used to your camera and be perfectly familiar with it. You have to know it inside and out so you don’t fiddle with settings and miss important moments as they happen. And this probably goes without saying, but you need to know the exposure triangle like the back of your hand as well.

I honestly never connected street and wedding photography, but John’s video changed my perspective a bit. Indeed, both streets and weddings are fast-paced, filled with moments you have to capture. So, I believe that hitting the streets with your camera can be a good practice before you shoot a wedding. What do you think?

[How Street Photography Can Improve Your Wedding Photography via FStoppers]