The confetti throw is a fast paced action packed twenty seconds, and its your responsibility as the wedding photographer to co-ordinate and execute it flawlessly. There are a few handy things to know that I’ll cover in this post, as although it’s only a short period of time, guests get annoyed quickly if you dither and take too long.
Hopefully these tips will help you speed through it and take excellent photographs.
Before the wedding – yes, I plan my confetti that far in advance.
Ask the couple what route they will take to exit the ceremony.
In an ideal world, they would walk back up the aisle and then hide in a separate room, or around a corner, hidden from the view of the guests. The guests can then make their way outside being led by you or someone else to where you want them to be set up for confetti.
If guests can get to them, they they will all want to hug and kiss and congratulate (which is lovely), but this will slow you down. They can do all the hugging at the reception.
So, with the bride and groom hidden, the wedding guests are easy to move as they’re not distracted by greeting the couple or trying to take their own photographs.
If there’s a wedding co-ordinator or appointed MC on hand then they can help with the organising.
In my experience, it’s easier to just shout (politely), and ask everyone to make two lines, but I used to be a teacher, so I’ve got my ‘shouting at large groups of people voice’, down.
Get them in two lines. Once all the guests are ready and primed with confetti, you can then go and retrieve the couple who can then appear at the top of your lines, ready to go.
Shutter speed – fast or slow? – what are you trying to convey?
As the photographer you have creative freedom on how to shoot the confetti throw. If you want to convey the frantic nature and action, then you might want to use a slow shutter speed, something around 1/60. This will give you a feeling of movement and action in your pictures, but it won’t ‘freeze’ the action.
If you want a super sharp image that freezes the moment then you’ll want a fast shutter speed, 1/250 or faster. This will stop any movement from being captured and really zero in on the funny moments that can occur
If you want to freeze the action
Use a high(fast) shutter speed: The confetti throw is action packed, it doesn’t matter how you instruct wedding guests to throw it, there will always be a few guests who absolutely launch it into the faces of the couple. You’ve got to be prepared for this.
Things to look out for:
Someone with a bucket or basket of confetti who will throw the whole lot at the couple. It’s usually whoever has handed out all of the confetti, they have what’s left over so decide to throw it all.
Keep an eye out for ‘the naughty gang’, this is usually the groom’s best friends. They often huddle together and aim for the face. You should anticipate it going in his mouth, and the hilarity that will ensue.
Use a wide aperture
A wide aperture will allow more light into the camera and create a shallow depth of field. This will blur the background and draw attention to the couple and their reactions. It’s best to set your camera to AI Servo mode as this will continue to refocus in between each shot.
Using a shallow depth of field whilst shooting something that’s moving towards you takes practice. So practice at home with a willing participant, shoot wildlife (or your pets), or even your children. Anything that is always moving will give you the practice you need to nail focus each time.
Don’t forget, you’ll be walking backwards too, so pay attention to what’s behind you. In the UK, it’s often the church stairs!
Choose the right lens
It’s often cramped shooting the confetti throwing, lots of people on a narrow path. Add a videographer into the mix and it can be quite challenging. I recommend using a lens of between 20-28mm if you want to get close and shoot the action.
If you prefer the look of longer lenses and the dreamy out of focus backgrounds you can get because of the compressed perspective, then 100mm or more will do the trick.
My go to lens is a 24mm @ f/2, with this i try to get a full length shot and then let the couple walk closer to me until they are only a few feet away and then start walking backwards, cropping the at the waist in the viewfinder.
I have used 50mm at f/1.4 if I want to get a full length shot, this does work really well, but I use this when it fits with the context of the wedding. Despite shooting in a documentary style, on some wedding days you turn up and get a feeling that it would lend itself to being more on the romantic and beautiful side, rather than on the gritty side of photography. That’s when I deploy the 50mm.
Choose the right angle
Consider the angle at which you will be shooting from. If you want to take the ultimate gamble, then you can stand in the line with the guests and take your shots from there. You can’t move and if the moment doesn’t happen for you, well, you’re stuck with whatever you got.
If I have a second photographer this is what I get them to do, it means I’ve got the safe shot and they can go for the hero. Admittedly I’ve never taken that risk when I’m on my own.
The pictures look amazing when shot from this angle, but it’s a huge risk, in my opinion not one worth taking. All the client wants is a picture of it.
The safest angle is in front of the couple, walking backwards as they make their way down the line.
Shoot in continuous mode
Timing your shots here is difficult, so why make life harder? I’m not saying just mindlessly spray and hope for the best, you still have to be laser focussed on what you’re doing, but given memory cards are so cheap, just keep shooting through the moment, you can always delete them.
Beware of the focus point you choose: many modern cameras have face tracking focus. This can be brilliant, but for confetti I’ve found it a bit risky. It happens so quickly and there are so many faces on offer, letting the camera choose the face makes me wary, so choose one focus point and keep one of the couples faces on that point the entire time.
Plan your route
confetti involves walking backward. Make sure you’ve looked at what you’re looking into before you give the thumbs up that you’re ready. You don’t want to be walking into a fountain, or down a set of stairs and risk injury.
Hope this helps!
As always, DMs on Instagram and Twitter are open if you want to reach out and say Hi, always happy to answer any questions. Happy shooting!