While it may seem difficult at first glance, taking beautiful wedding photos can actually be quite easy. Wedding photos are actually candid photos, and that means capturing the spontaneity of the moment. Unless you are properly prepared, it is quite easy to miss that great shot. Most people who are not proficient with photography, take their point and shoot cameras to the wedding and hope to get the kind of results that they see on professional wedding photographer's websites, or even in magazines. Unfortunately, this doesn't produce the same results and quite often doesn't turn out well at all. Using the right equipment can make a big difference between a shot that people cringe at, and one that people want to purchase.

First off, use a camera which can be fitted with various lenses. Not all lenses are created equal, especially with cheaper cameras that you can buy at most electronic stores. For instance, a wide angled lens can capture an entire group or scene. While a zoom lens, will allow you as the wedding photographer to get in close with your shot, without invading personal space, and thus keeping the feeling of intimacy the scene is providing.

Using the right equipment is definitely a leap in the right direction to producing fantastic wedding photographs, but knowing how to use that equipment is what will really make the difference. Unfortunately for most, making the proper settings on a camera or adjusting for various lighting, is not an easy thing to and does take some time to understand. Reading the manual of your camera will go a long way in understanding the numerous settings and variations available, but here are a few techniques that would be very good to learn.

We've all seen those shots where the subject is in complete focus while the background is blurry. These types of shots can make an amateur look like a professional, and almost always get rave reviews. By simply playing around with the depth of field, it will allow you to defocus the background while keeping your subject in focus. Without getting too complicated, usually by setting a camera's image setting to portrait will automatically produce this effect. Although this of course depends on the camera.

The other thing that people tend to do who aren't adept at wedding photography, is they don't take enough shots. This isn't the Polaroid days where you had to wait for the camera to heat back up again. Now, with digital cameras, you can take multiple shots per second and the best thing is, you don't have to worry about film - just use a memory card with plenty of space. Taking plenty of pictures will increase your odds of getting the "perfect shot", and help cover up your deficiencies as a wedding photographer.

These are just some of the things that anyone can do, with the right camera, to look like a professional wedding photographer.