Samsung Wedding Photography: What a Galaxy Can and Can't Do

A Galaxy phone is up to the task of covering a small wedding during the day, and chances are, it’s what most of the guests are going to be shooting on, too.

However, if you’re the designated photographer for the day (maybe you’re eloping and planning on shooting the whole thing yourself with a Galaxy phone and tripod?), you’re going to run into a few problems: running out of battery life, running out of storage space, trouble capturing dimly lit spaces (the reception!), and difficulty capturing fast-moving moments (the first dance!).

Keep reading for tips on shooting weddings with your Galaxy phone!

Wedding settings by part of the day

According to SamMobile, Camera Assistant on One UI 8.5 and above lists 1/1000, 1/500, 1/120 and 1/30 of a second as the available minimum shutter speeds for Photo mode.

Shooting in Pro mode? Bear in mind that the ISO setting will also need adjusting; Samsung’s guide says it won’t remain on Auto once you’ve altered the shutter speed, so it’s a good idea to take a couple of test shots when you enter a new environment to make sure it’s set appropriately.

Five wedding myths, checked

A phone can stand in for a hired photographer

You can shoot weddings and elopements with a recent Galaxy, as long as it’s a small wedding, like at the registry office or in a garden in daylight. The one weak point is dark venues with moving people. Here every phone struggles to take sharp and noise-free photos. If you’re the only photographer, tell the bride and groom in advance and discuss how you can best cover their wedding in the evening. A purpose-built camera will still have the edge when it comes to freezing fast action in low light conditions, and our Galaxy vs real camera comparison explains why.

Portrait mode is the right choice for the couple

Use the 3x in Photo mode to capture walking shots and make sure there is some separation between the couple and the background. Use the 3x in Photo mode for shots with the veil as the fabric can move in the wind and interfere with Portrait mode. Portrait mode does not always blur the background around hair or transparent/thin items (like a veil) as you would expect, according to Samsung’s own S26 user guide! Portrait mode can be great for stationary shots in ideal lighting. Our portrait mode guide covers the poses where it does work.

Night mode will save the reception

Night mode will smear or double a couple moving on the dance floor because this mode combines frames taken over a period of a second or more. This is fine for taking shots of the reception hall with decorations before all the guests are seated.

For the first dance we recommend using either Photo mode and using a shutter speed of at least 1/120s or using Pro mode and setting your shutter speed to 1/125s and your ISO as high as necessary. Try to take pictures when they're moving slower.

The white dress will look after itself

If you want to preserve as much detail as possible from the start, you can shoot in RAW (on Samsung phones that support it, it is under picture format in Pro mode, according to the S26 user guide). RAW files preserve more highlight detail, so you are less likely to end up with a situation where detail’s been lost for good in the bright dress because of strong sunlight.

Tap on the dress and reduce exposure until you see some lace detail reappear. Do not worry about making the rest of the picture too dark; you can brighten faces later using the shadows slider.

Expert RAW is the safe choice for everything

Samsung lists support for Expert RAW on its website, and currently that includes the Galaxy S20 through Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series, and “Galaxy A series (models with advanced camera systems),” though Samsung doesn’t specify which Galaxy A smartphones that entails. SamMobile reports that Expert RAW won’t install on the Galaxy S25 FE, so do check the Galaxy Store app on your Samsung phone before counting on it being there when you need it. Samsung says Expert RAW shoots a JPEG and 16-bit DNG RAW image, which is nice for when you’re photographing people posing for you and want to spend some time fine-tuning the results later on. For fleeting action shots, though, you’re probably better off using Photo mode and its quicker burst-shooting. Our Expert RAW guide explains the app.

Before the day

1. 1

   Charge and clear space

   Fully charge your phone before heading out and bring along a portable charger. Delete unnecessary photos and videos to make more room if needed, as burst mode takes up quite a bit of space as you’ll be taking more than one photo at a time!

2. 2

   Check the burst swipe

   Swipe the shutter button to the bottom edge of the screen and hold it there to activate burst mode (this option can be found within Camera Assistant if you have a Galaxy S25 Ultra and One UI 9). Note that keeping your finger pressed down on the shutter button will record video.

3. 3

   Turn on Motion photo

   Turn on Motion photo so a short video clip is captured along with each photo, and you can use this in Gallery’s Best face feature to swap a blinking face in group photos!

4. 4

   Set the minimum shutter speed

   For the ceremony, we recommend setting your phone’s minimum shutter speed to 1/500s (found in Camera Assistant if you have One UI 8.5 or newer). Later in the evening when it gets darker, switch it to 1/120s.

5. 5

   Clean the lenses

   Make sure all lenses are clean, because even a fingerprint can cause problems shooting in backlit conditions or around candles! We recommend using a microfibre cloth.

The burst mode guide and Motion photos guide dive deeper into each of these features.

Guests, consent and phone manners

• Weddings are personal events and guests should be respectful of the couple’s privacy in regard to photos and respect their wishes as to how they would like images to be taken or shared.

• Find out if it’s an “unplugged ceremony” where couples ask guests to forgo snapping photos during the ceremony altogether. If so, pocket that smartphone until the couple makes their way back down the aisle.
• Step out of the aisle to take photos so you’re not blocking the couple (or the pro photographer). Keep this especially in mind when the couple is exchanging vows or stealing a kiss.
• Turn off your camera flash and, if your phone allows, the click sound via Camera settings so you’re not distracting the couple during the ceremony. If your phone has no Shutter sound switch, our guide to turning off the shutter sound shows the System volume method for UK and EU models.
• Resist posting pictures immediately after the ceremony. Wait for the couple to share some first, and ask before you post any of their friends or family members (particularly kids!).
• Disable Location tags in your phone’s Camera settings if you don’t want the venue (or the couple’s home!) to show up online.

Editing a wedding set

Go through the pictures, choose the keepers, and pick one keeper from each time of day to edit and match the others to. Crop and edit for consistency in brightness, contrast and saturation (in Samsung’s Gallery app, tap the pencil icon, then the crop icon, then the adjustment icon, which looks like a sun). On newer Samsung phones, use Object eraser to remove oddities such as an exit sign or someone’s handbag from the background of a solo portrait.

If you shot Motion photos of groups, choose the best image for each person and have Gallery combine the best face from each picture. (Open the picture in Gallery, tap Details, then tap Choose best face.)

Photos taken under different lighting conditions, such as mixed reception lighting, can look more harmonious if converted to black and white (this is also handy if some shots were made on different phones and thus don’t look consistent). Snapseed’s free tools can do this for you, as well as selectively brighten people’s faces.

Lighting challenges are much the same at receptions as they are at parties and conferences, and our event photography guide covers those.