At times it happens, when you are about to leave for shooting a wedding you may feel a little nervous and out of your comfort zone. No need to worry, once you get there you will be in the wedding zone because there you will have nothing to do other than think about and experiment with your photography in a totally new place.

So the question is what exactly the “Wedding Zone” is. Any photographer who has shot even just one wedding will understand the necessity to have your wits about you at all times. The zone is a place you really want to be from the minute you wake up on the wedding day to the moment you pack up your gear to leave the place. In this place nothing else matters other than the work you have to do. All minor problems come to an end and you are focused 100% on being a professional wedding photographer. Leaving this zone during the wedding day can mean the difference between getting great shots and just snapshots.

So how can you get into the Wedding Photography Zone? Actually it begins at the night before the wedding when you have already done all the preparation work and know where you have to be and when you have to be at the wedding place.  You take out and clean even a single piece of kit you have, so that you can re-familiarise yourself with it. It may sound strange, but it keeps your brain on top of what gear you will have available throughout the day; even if you might have used it two days back.

Then you may switch on your computer and go online research some of your favourite photographer's portfolios, not to steal any ideas but to remind you of what makes a great wedding shoot and to get inspiration for some new and different shots. You can also go through some of your classic images from weddings you have captured with a similar theme to the upcoming wedding shots. From this moment you do not try to think on anything else other than the wedding or just forget it and relax, all other things in your life, otherwise serious, remain shoved off for a while.

The next most important thing for you is to get a good night's sleep! It has been proved that lack of sleep is the biggest contributing factor to a person over-reacting to negative experiences and this can greatly affect how you shoot the wedding. Your mood is generally tested extensively during most weddings, by stress.

So, you get up early in the morning after a great night and a good sleep, and have final check of your gear before packing up. You have back-ups of everything to calm your mind if any unexpected happens during the day. All the while you are thinking only "weddings".

Even if the kids are playing up and screaming the house down, or if you have some crappy things you  need to sort out or even if you get a really bad cold, as you head for the venue, it is strange, you feel like you are in the good old zone.

For a fresher, try and get yourself a routine that you go through before every wedding you shoot. That will get you in your comfort zone if nothing else.