With so many different moments to capture at the reception, I am usually very busy from start to finish. Photographing this part of the day's events can be broken down into two distinct subjects: the still life images of reception details and the action shots of the bride, groom and guests. Because you will be shooting from a variety of locations during the reception it is imperative to keep your gear together and organized. You don't want to have to keep running back to your bag in the middle of shooting or find that you don't have an important lens during a key event. Know the schedule of events planned for the reception and have the right gear with you at the right time.

One other piece of advice—eat when you can. Weddings make for long days of shooting.

Being hungry can lead to mistakes and your attention will not be on the couple where it should be. So if there's a lull in activity, take the opportunity to briefly have something to eat. Many venues will have a place where the vendors can have their meal. Talk to the couple before the wedding to see if they can make a request that you eat your meal the same time the guests do. Usually, people do not like to be photographed while they eat, so this is a good time for you to take a break as well. I like to go step further and ask if it is possible for me to be seated in the same room where the reception is taking place so I can keep an eye out for anything that needs to be captured. This is not always possible, but usually couples are very accommodating and understanding of this request.

Brides and grooms spend many agonizing hours picking out the right colors, the right flowers, the right everything. It's your job to capture the details, especially in the flowers and other personal touches that make this reception unique to the wedded couple. The reception will never look as good as in the moment before the guests arrive. All the place settings are clean and set properly, all the flowers are set up perfectly and still fresh, the candles are not burnt down and the place cards are in their places for the guests. This is the best time to get into the room and get the still life shots needed.

Since it is impossible for you to be in two places at one time, if you have multiple photographers, send one of them ahead to the reception site to capture the details before the guests arrive. If you are working alone, make sure to schedule your time so you will be done with all the photos at the ceremony before the cocktail hour is over. Once you arrive at the venue, immediately head to the reception hall to take some pictures before the guests enter.

Remember, when shooting anything glass or reflective to pay close attention to the actual reflection. You don't want to see yourself or any other objects in the images. This is also a great time to use both the wide angle lens to capture the whole room's ambience and your macro lens to pull great detailed shots of the smaller details at the reception site.

Here they come, for the first time as a married couple. What a great photo opportunity! The keys to getting this shot are knowledge and timing. You need to know when the couple will be introduced so you can time the shot and capture the happy couple and their guests. If you are working with other shooters, it will be possible to shoot the introduction from different angles. Try shooting from behind the couple to catch the guests' reaction to the couple making their entrance.

During most receptions, the DJ or live band leader sets the pace and schedule of the events. Speak with them before anything starts, and ask them to let you know what is going to happen next. They may even be able to provide with their planned schedule of events.

Many times the introduction of the couple leads directly into their first dance. When shooting this must-capture moment, you have some time to be creative. Most songs are over three minutes long, which is plenty of time to try various combinations of shutter speed and apertures. Using a longer shutter speed can add a sense of motion to the image, while shooting with a long lens, think 70-200mm or so, will allow you to get in close, yet not intrude.

No wedding reception is complete without a round of toasts. Usually there are toasts by the best man and the maid of honor followed by the groom. Don't be surprised, however, if there are also toasts given by family members and other close friends. While it is important to get a good close-up of the person giving the toast, you should also get shots of the bride and groom and other guests reacting to the toasts. Many times a good toast will get a reaction out of the bride or groom—laughter, maybe a tear or two, which will usually be more interesting than the photo of the person giving the toast.

To get shots of both the person giving the toast and the bride and groom from the same vantage point takes careful positioning. If you are working with another photographer then split the shooting duties with one photographer shooting the toaster and the other focusing on the reactions. It helps to know if all the toasts will be given from the same place or if each person will be toasting from his or her seat.

Shooting the garter and bouquet tosses can be some of the more technically difficult shots of the whole reception because they involve two separate subjects, the bride or groom who is doing the tossing and the group of people who are doing the catching. Often these two subjects can be quite far apart. It's ideal to have two photographers to capture these moments, but if you're shooting alone, the key is to position yourself where you can get both the toss and the catch. One trick I use to cover both angles is to ask the bride to "fake" her first toss to capture her reaction from the front. Then I position myself between the bride and the people catching the bouquet to capture the backside of the bride's "real" toss and the reaction of the guests as they try to grab the bouquet.

These tosses are notorious for mishaps. Because the garter is really light, a common pitfall happens when the garter falls far short of the group of guys, even when tossed by the strongest groom. Frilly lace garments just don't travel very far. Ceilings, or even worse, a ceiling fan can get in the way of a bride tossing the bouquet to waiting single ladies. Making sure the distance between the person tossing the item and the group isn't too great, and look for locations with high ceilings. Hopefully this will stop the garter from falling flat on the ground and the bouquet from being hit like a baseball. The bride and groom will appreciate your assistance in helping avoid these mishaps.

The cake cutting and the more intimate feeding of the cake is another one of the must-capture moments of any wedding reception. Since I have already photographed the cake earlier, the cake cutting is more about the interaction between the couple than anything else. Some things to keep in mind when shooting the cake cutting:

Be in position. You want to make sure the bride and groom are the center of attention and you are not at the back of the crowd. Try to avoid standing in front of the cake with the bride and groom behind it because the cake may block the couple.

Bounce / diffuse the light. Direct light can cause harsh shadows and when the bride and groom raise their hands to feed cake to their partner, it can cause the shadow to fall across their face.

Control the depth of field. To get the cake and the couple in sharp focus you will need to use a deeper depth of field such as 4.0-5.6. This can also cause the background to come into sharp focus so be careful that the background is something you want in the photograph. Sometimes you might decide you rather have just the couple be the center of focus while everything else is blurred out. You can use a shallow depth of field such as 1.8-2.8 (depending on your lens capability) to remedy this situation.

Remove the clutter. The only thing on the cake table should be the cake and decorations. Make sure there are no extra glasses or plates in the photo.

The reception is essentially a party and if you ask me one of the best things about a party is the dancing. When it comes to weddings there are some dances more important than others, including the previously discussed first dance of the new husband and wife. Other important dances are the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances. There are also some traditional wedding dances like the Hora at Jewish weddings. Make sure you know when these dances are going to take place so you can be ready to shoot when they start.

When the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances begin, it is best to start with a long lens so as not to distract from the moment. As people start to join in, you can switch to wider and wider angle lenses and physically move in closer to the action without being a distraction.

At the reception, be sure to get informal portrait shots of the bride and groom with their guests. Talk with the couple before hand so you know who they want photos with, and work out a plan for when the couple will take a few minutes for some relaxed portraits and group shots.

One great way to make sure you get all the guests in the wedding photos is to shoot the tables with the guests around them. If possible, take pictures of the bride and groom as they make the rounds to greet everyone at the reception, allowing you to capture them interacting with their guests. The best time to capture these photos is usually right after the guests are seated, but before the food is served. If you shoot before food is served, the tables will look their best and there won't be half-eaten food on dirty plates to ruin your shots. If it's impossible to do it before the meal, then ask the guests to move to one side of the table and have the newlyweds pose with them.

Another great time for informal and group shots is after the meal and toasts but before the cake cutting and garter/bouquet toss. This presents a great time to get those special groups together, like the college friends or the guys on the softball team or work friends. Have a spot in mind for the informal portraits so when the opportunity comes up, you can shoot a few frames and move on.

The candid shots you take throughout the day will really tell the story about the wedding, and the reception offers many moments for great photos. In fact, this is where you get to shine and these photos often end up as the couple's favorites. Be sure to capture conversations between the couple and their guests, and watch for guests' reactions during events such as toasts, cake cutting, first dance, and the slideshow.

The most important lesson here is to stay alert to what is going on during the reception. During one reception I shot, as the party went on and music played loudly, we suddenly heard something "pop." One of the music speakers blew out and caught on fire. The guests translated it to mean they were partying too hard and began cheering. One girl walked up to the speaker and put the fire out by splashing it with cup of water. I suspected she was going to do something along that line, so I followed her closely and captured that moment.

Some wedding receptions have a slideshow of images of the couple through the years. These slideshows can be fun, moving, sad, happy and as with the toasts, the reaction of the guests and married couple is often the more important and more meaningful image. Since the room will usually be quite dark during this time you will need a lens that can capture more light. Anything that ranges from 1.2-2.8 should do the trick. You can also use an on-camera flash to brighten your subject. As mentioned before, avoid using direct flash to light your subject. Bounce the light or use the white reflector card to create soft diffused light.

As a wedding photographer, your primary job is to photograph the wedding. However, you also have a secondary job to network and potentially land future jobs. There are two different groups of people you need to network with at the wedding: the guests and the vendors. At the end of the reception program, instead of leaving, it is a good idea to stick around and casually talk to the guests as well as the other vendors. Many guests at weddings are interested and have questions about photography. Take time to answer their questions and talk to them about how you do your business. Building these relationships can lead you to other weddings in the future. Also exchange business cards with vendors. Follow-up with them after the wedding by sharing some of the images you captured of them, which they can use to promote their business. Sharing can go a long way and may lead to an inquiry in the future.

The last "must-get" shot of the reception is the bride and groom leaving. Sometimes this shot is captured when they leave the church after the ceremony, or it may be planned for after the reception. It's key to know when this will happen so you can be in the best position. Usually, you'll want to be outside shooting the couple as they exit the building. Capture the bride being helped into the car by her new husband and any decorations on the vehicle. It's best to use a wide-angle (such as 16-35mm) to capture them exiting. You can capture the reaction of the guests as they cheer for the bride and groom one last time.

The reception is a great place to really capture the essence of the day. Get both still life images of reception details and the shots of the bride and groom and all the guests. Be creative and have fun; everyone will be more relaxed and is celebrating the beginning of the couple's new life together. Your images will really tell the story.