A wedding day portrait is a wonderful way to capture the bride and groom’s love and happiness on their big day. This can be done before the ceremony or after, but there are a few important things you should know before you take on this job.
Table of Contents
Select the best venue.
Choosing a location for the wedding pictures should be one of the most important decisions that you will ever make.
Where will your photographer shoot? How close will they have to be to the action? Are there any distracting views or elements that could ruin your shot?
Your photographer should select a place where there will be no distractions. They should also choose a location that will allow them to take a number of different shots. This way, your photos will be varied, interesting and unique.
Find the best angle.
The best position for a photo is the most flattering and least obstructive to the other guests.
For the best angle, your photographer will need to move around the room to find the most flattering angle. They should move to the side of the wedding party to get the right view. For example, they should stand to the left or right of the couple, depending on where the bride or groom will be facing, and then move back until they have a clear view.
Find the best lighting.
Lighting is essential to achieving a stunning picture. The ideal lighting is natural, soft and bright.
Your photographer will need to use flash, either with a diffused softbox or a snooted reflector. Your photographer will need to experiment with lighting until they find the best technique to capture the bride and groom.
Pose and compose the scene.
Pose the couple in a manner that suits the picture, and the subject matter.
In a candid style portrait, the best poses for the couple are those in which they are interacting naturally. The poses should be natural and relaxed.
In a formal portrait, the poses are more posed and should be posed correctly.
A classic pose for the wedding portrait is the classic “three-quarter” portrait. This is the ideal pose for the bride and groom. In the three-quarter pose, the couple are seated, looking straight out into the lens.
Capture the emotion.
The best pictures are those that capture the emotion of the event.
The key to capturing the emotion of the wedding is to show the joy and happiness of the couple and their guests.
Show the emotion in the poses, in the faces, in the eyes.
Get the details.
Once you’ve taken the photos, don’t forget to capture the details of the wedding.
The dress, the jewelry, the hair, the shoes, the ring, the bouquet, the cake, the table settings – these are the little things that make the picture special.
Keep the details of the day and include the people who made the wedding happen.
Tell your story.
Your wedding is your opportunity to tell your story.
Your wedding photos are a unique record of your wedding day. As you look back on the pictures, your wedding will become a series of memories that you can share with family and friends.
Don’t be afraid to share your feelings about the wedding, the day, and the love you share with your partner.
Do your research.
It’s important to know how to do wedding day portraits of the bride and groom so that they look as good as possible. Find inspiration from other photographers and see what they recommend. Look at how they pose couples, what locations they use, and what kinds of outfits they wear. This will help you create a plan for your own shoot.
Know your gear well enough to use it in any situation
When doing wedding day portraits of the bride and groom, it’s essential for you to be able to set up quickly without any issues or delays — especially if you’re shooting outdoors during the middle of summer when it can be unbearably hot or freezing cold! Practice using all of your equipment ahead of time so that nothing goes wrong on the big day when time is limited or you have lots of people watching you work!
Be yourself!
Don’t try to be someone you’re not; just be yourselves. If you’re comfortable with each other, that will come through in your photos.
Get creative with locations and outfits.
Try something new or something different from what you’ve done in the past. Look at Google Images or Pinterest for inspiration, too! You can even look at other photographers’ work and see how they’ve done certain poses or locations in their own style and take inspiration from that as well!
Don’t forget to smile!
It’s easy to forget sometimes when there are so many things going on around you on your wedding day, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself while we’re shooting your portraits — it’ll show in the photos!
Other Tips
Do a pre-wedding shoot with your photographer before the big day. This will help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera, especially if you’re not used to being photographed.
Plan ahead where you want your photos taken at your reception venue; this way you can coordinate what time it will be when everyone has finished eating their meal and has time for pictures. Also, make sure there’s enough space for everyone to enjoy themselves during this time!
Bring an extra change of clothes with you if your dress isn’t very forgiving (e.g., sequins or lots of layers). You never know when something might happen — like when my client dropped her veil while getting into her car after our session!!
Make sure you have enough time for this! You’ll want at least an hour or so after the ceremony for pictures with just the two of you before moving on to group shots with family members and other wedding guests. If you don’t have much time after the ceremony itself, consider doing some portraits during cocktail hour before dinner begins or during your reception (but not during dinner).
Next, make sure you’ll have some privacy while taking these shots. A private room or an out-of-the-way corner of the venue is ideal; just make sure it’s not so secluded that nobody will see what’s going on!
Find out if any of your guests would be willing to assist with holding lights or reflectors for you (it doesn’t hurt to ask!).