Top 10 Wedding Photography Books

5 min read

Last updated:

books for learning wedding photography

Wedding photography can be a difficult genre to jump into. Many photographers prefer not to shoot weddings because wedding days can be long and sometimes stressful.

But we put together this list of wedding photography books to help you feel more excited and inspired to shoot your next wedding session.

Photographing weddings can be tricky, but this list will help you discover new tips and tricks for this genre.

list of best wedding photography books.
fine art styling book for brides.

1. Fine Art Wedding Photography: How To Capture Images With Style For The Modern Bride: Jose Villa

First up is Author Jose Villa has written many books and was named as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world! His book is timeless and full of wedding photographs to inspire you and learn what camera settings to use.

Lastly, get to know photography techniques that teach you how to shoot in an “artsy” style to attract brides who want more of a modern look to their wedding photos. Readers rave about all the photo examples in the book that you can revisit to find new inspiration for your next fine art wedding image.

book on tips and tricks to shoot a wedding.

2. Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide To Mastering The Challenges Of Taking World-Class Photographs (Voices That Matter) 1st Edition: Roberto Valenzuela

In this wedding photography book, author Valenzuela breaks down the art of photography into three key components. He focuses on locations, poses, and execution to teach you how to shoot in any challenging situation. You will learn how to shoot portraits of brides and ways to strengthen your photography daily.

Additionally, Valenzuela simplifies the processes of wedding photography by dividing each chapter into easy steps and exercises. Also, you will learn how to avoid frustration when posing your couples and how to shoot great images in any lighting situation. Lastly, professionals love this book because they walk away feeling confident and ready to create astonishing images.

how to shoot a wedding from start to finish.

3. One Wedding: How To Photograph A Wedding From Start To Finish: Brett Florens

If you want to follow a wedding photographer on an entire day of wedding shooting, this may be the book for you. Brett Florens takes readers inside the real-life wedding of Claire and Chris.

First, you will literally learn all the steps of how to shoot a wedding as the author shows you how he shoots their engagement session and then moves onto their wedding day with hour-by-hour coverage. He teaches you how to shoot any wedding with the client’s wedding album in mind.

Lastly, you will even learn lighting techniques, camera equipment, and how to shoot large groups of people. Florens ends by talking about Adobe Photoshop and marketing strategies. This truly is a page-turner when it comes to wedding photography.

book by Abby Larson from style me pretty for wedding photographers.

4. Style Me Pretty Weddings: Inspiration And Ideas For An Unforgettable Celebration: Abby Larson

The wedding and lifestyle website, Style Me Pretty, has put together this epic book for photographing weddings to inspire your photography business. It tops our search of books because readers can get to know many different styles including lifestyle photography and wedding photojournalism.

In addition, readers discover new ideas as they scan through the pages. Wedding photographer, Abby Larson gives readers a step-by-step guide to determine your couple’s look. Even more, the book includes 17 never-before-seen real-life weddings with insider details on how they were shot and styled. Even more, the book is full of examples and knowledge that can help you design any wedding style, there is truly something for everyone.

best selling wedding photography book by Michelle Perkins.

5. How To Photograph Weddings: Behind The Scenes With 25 Leading Pros To Learn Lighting, Posing, And More: Michelle Perkins

This book goes into the field with twenty-five leading photographers to explore what makes their photography unique. Each photographer shoots the same subject matter but with a different approach.

It is fascinating to watch them all shoot the same thing but create totally different images. This is a great book to get inside the minds of some of the most famous photographers in the world. If you feel your photos are becoming a bit boring and you want to shake up your professional wedding business, this is the book for you.

a book for beginners in wedding photography.

6. Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories: Glen Johnson

In our search for the best wedding photo books, Glen Johnson’s work tops the list. With over a century of experience in the wedding business, Glen Johnson offers a unique perspective.

This book covers everything including business, sales, products, and a selection of posing and gear items. However, the book is more for amateurs because it covers simpler items such as where to stand during a cake-cutting shot and visual diagrams about imaging software and wedding albums. We recommend this book to beginners.

learn how to run a wedding photography business.

7. Professional Marketing & Selling Techniques for Digital Wedding Photographers: Jeff Hawkins and Kathleen Hawkins

Many wedding photographers struggle when it comes to selling their work. If you are in search of how to sell more products to your clients this may be the book for you. The pages are full of information on the business side of weddings including how to present albums, price products, clients, and networking.

In addition, you will also learn marketing, building budgets, and how to share your photos in print and on the internet. If you have never formulated a business plan for your company, search no further. Each item addressed in this book is sure to take your business to the next level when it comes to sales.

book on how to edit wedding photos.

8. The Best of Digital Wedding Photography: Bill Hurter

The book’s pages are full of everything you need to know about when it comes to the digital side of photography. The book examines items such as how to design albums online, online accounting software, and digital editing.

If you are someone still not feeling confident in your digital skills, skip the other books and pick this one up first. The chapters on Adobe Photoshop are especially helpful.

digital wedding photography.

9. Digital Wedding Photography For Dummies: Amber Murphey

This next guide is for beginners. If you are exploring the idea of shooting weddings, start here. The book offers advice on everything including what equipment to invest in and how to build a client list.

Also, readers gain valuable insights into settings, angles, how to connect with clients, and basically how to start a wedding photography business from the ground up.

learning how to pose couples, bride, and groups at weddings.

10. The Design Aglow Posing Guide For Wedding Photography: 100 Modern Ideas For Photographing Engagements, Brides, Wedding Couples, And Wedding Parties: Lena Hyde

Last, but not least this guide is for beginner and advanced photographers. It includes 100 ideas for posing engaged couples, brides, and bridal parties! Setting up posed shots and especially group shots can be the most stressful part of the day for most shooters.

This savvy insider’s view contains a curated collection of poses formulated by industry superstars. In addition, you will learn the phrases to say to your subjects when setting up poses. The guide is full of gorgeous photographs to teach and inspire you as you learn step by step how to create the perfect portrait shots.

That concludes our list of the best wedding photography books on the market today. If you are not sure where to start, think about what your business is lacking most at this moment. Choose between marketing, posing, digital editing, or a full beginners guide and that should point you in the right direction. It’s always good to read the Amazon reviews as well when considering any book.

See more in

Shares

Krystal Kenney is an award-winning photographer residing in Paris, France. She has been photographing for over 10 years and enjoys teaching others about the craft. She spends most days shooting events, portraits, and weddings around Paris and working on writing new books.
Krystal Kenney is an award-winning photographer residing in Paris, France. She has been photographing for over 10 years and enjoys teaching others about the craft. She spends most days shooting events, portraits, and weddings around Paris and working on writing new books.
Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Connect with aspiring and professional photographers

Learn how to improve any kind of photography

Get access to exclusive discounts, courses, rewards, etc
Find daily inspiration in a diverse community
Recommended Articles

📷 Join us for episode #201 of the podcast! This episode features GBPW contributor, Daniel Wright!

X

Explore, Learn, and Connect: Dive into Our Classes, Podcasts, and Contests with a 7-Day Trial for Just $1

X

Your Ultimate 52-Week Photography Challenge