The wedding day is without a doubt one of the most precious days in the lives of a couple. It is a day people dream about right from their childhood and when they get into relationships. They can’t wait for the day to come so that they can exchange eternal vows of love with the ones they have decided to give their hearts and lives to. As such, the enormity of a wedding makes it such a serious day and it is imperative for every bit of the planning to fit like a glove.
Photography is one element that you will never miss in any wedding. It is the most certain way for the couples to record and store the happenings of their most special day so that they can keep relieving the memories in the years to come. It is important to be spot on when considering the wedding photography options so that you don’t just land the right photographer, but also you prepare adequately and know what it will take to have the very best shots for the event. This is the essence of this wedding photography guide, and hopefully, you will pick some golden nuggets to help you have the most amazing photos on your special day.
Wedding Photography Guide for Brides
Brides can sometimes get obsessed with wedding photography, right from choosing the photographer to the tiny details of how the shots are captured. This is easily understood since they are the guests of honor during their big day and naturally, every lady would desire to get the very best shots for this one important day in their lives. If you are a woman and you are soon having your wedding, try to avoid the obsession and make all the preparations in good time so that when the day comes, everything will be set to help you record all the great memories of the day. To help you out, here is a brief but a precise wedding photography guide for brides:
Find the right photographer early
The best way to ruin your wedding photography is to wait until the last few weeks to the wedding for you to start searching for the photographer. It is true there are many photographers you can hire for your wedding, but not all of them are the same and will meet your specific requests. It is advisable you start your research early so that you can check out various service providers and determine if they will be able to deliver the photos you desire for your big day. You should start the search as early as six months to one year before the wedding.
Hire photography and videography from the same provider
If possible, it is highly recommended that you get your photography and videography services from one studio. This will reduce the number of crew moving around with cameras on the wedding day, leading to better organization for the success of the day.
Here are some of the other benefits you get when you get the two done by the same studio:
- Better communication and workflow
- Save money on the discounts likely to be offered because you are getting both from the same team. You are likely to pay higher if you engage different service providers.
- You sign few contracts which will be easy to monitor and ensure that you got what you paid for.
- There will be shared accountability and incentives.
- Time saving when it comes to the logistics of the day, such as moving from one location to another.
Minimize the number of locations
It is important to minimize the number of photoshoot locations so that you maximize photo time in each location. When there are several locations, or they are long distances apart, you are likely to lose a lot of time in the movement as well as in getting organized in the respective places. You can always rely on the creative abilities of your photographers to help you make the most out of the few locations you may have.
Hire quality photographers
The need for starting your search for the photographer early is so that you end up with very good vendors. To do this, begin by first settling for the wedding photography styles then search for the vendors who are well versed in that style of photography. Ask for references for past projects and also request to see samples so that you can find out that they will be able to do exactly what you will require them to do.
Allocate time for hair and makeup
Delays in getting your hair done and wearing your makeup has the potential to drag the whole day behind. In most cases, the greatest casualty is usually the photo sessions which most people normally have after the ceremony. The best way to avoid is to allocate ample time for hair and makeup, and even if it means you will be waking up early, it will be worth it so that you have everything in line.
Wedding Photography Guide to Posing
With wedding photography, you don’t just want to take thousands of photos that will fail to grab attention. The ideal shots should be ones you will fall in love with immediately and you will readily want to frame or keep in your wedding album. When it comes to getting the killer shots, the pose is one of the most important elements, and here is a brief guide on how you should go about posing for your wedding photos:
Discover your best side
It is a fact that people don’t have perfectly symmetrical faces and even though you may have the most gorgeous face in the world, there is one side you will probably love more than the other. Find out which this side is by taking selfies while posing with your face tilted towards different directions and in different positions. This will help you discover your best side. During the photography sessions, always ensure that you pose with the best side of your face facing forward.
Contour your face
Great photos are all about angles and straight-on shots have a tendency of flattening out your natural curves by removing the shadows which normally help to bring out the perfect bodies. In as much as straight-on shots may not be necessarily bad for your wedding photos, they are not recommended if you don’t have well pronounced bone structures. Consequently, you should consider tilting your chin slightly up or down and turning your cheeks towards your best side so that your face can look more chiseled out for better shots.
Smile naturally
It is only amateur photographers who will tell you to fake smiles during wedding photography. The key to smiling is just to do it naturally and not as big as possible or do so while saying all manner of words. A large smile will make your cheeks puff out and it will also make your eye squint and this is not you fancy appearing on your best shots. Just relax your face, open your mouth slightly and think about what usually makes you happy and then smile about. That is the secret to having the best smiles for your wedding.
Make good use of your arms
If you want the best pose with your arms, you must keep them away from your body and use them to draw attention to where you would like people to focus most on the photo. For example, you can put your arms closer to your hips to accentuate your waist and make your arms appear slimmer than they actually are. You can also use them around the head region to draw attention to your face.
Stand up straight and angle your body
A great posture will make you look stronger, healthier, happier and more confident. You can also tilt your body to about 45 degrees or stand while facing the person next to you to enable you realize the full depth of your body on display. This is a favorite for many women since they find it very inspiring.
Borrow tips from the celebrities
While you will be watching shows and reading magazines to get inspirations for your wedding, don’t forget to look at the kinds of photos the celebrities take when they pose on the red carpets. The celebrities have professional PR teams behind them and red carpet photographers are very experienced. You can always borrow a page from them and apply during your wedding photography.
Wedding Photography Guide to Styles
Your wedding photography style will have a great impact on the kinds of photos you have and their overall quality. There are many styles for you to choose from. Each should be guided by your unique tastes and preferences as a couple. It may be possible to blend styles, but this should not be done to the point that one is unable to tell just which style was chosen due to the mash up of the photos.
Here is a brief look at some of the styles at your disposal for wedding photography:
Traditional/Classic styles – the idea behind classic or traditional wedding photography style is to create well posed photos for display in a portrait album. These are the kinds of photos that will stand the test of time and will always appeal for many more years to come. In most cases, they reflect reality and sometimes the photographers may incorporate some of their artistic skills to make them look more authentic.
Portraiture Style – Portraiture style brings out more traditional look and feel to the photos and they will just be like the wedding photos you saw while growing up. With them, the photographer will pose the participants in a certain fashion, then let them know when to smile while taking the shots.
Photojournalism – this is an informal but a reality based approach for wedding photos. It was initially favored by the news media, but slowly found its way into wedding photography and has since become a favorite for many couples. Instead of the couples and guests posing for photos, the photographer will simply follow them and take photos as events unfold in real time. With such, it is imperative for the photographer to blend in the crowd so that they remain invincible and don’t draw any attention to their presence in the crowd. This is to let them get the best unposed shots.
Documentary Style – with the documentary style, there is no posing or highly styled shots. Instead, the photographer captures spontaneous shots of the couple, guests, décor and action. They essentially get to interact with almost anyone so that they can capture the real moments from the event.
The other styles you can potentially consider for your wedding photography include lifestyle wedding photography styles, artistic styles, film styles, illustrative photography, and high fashion photography amongst others.
Wedding Photography Guide in Church
If you will be having a ceremony in a church, then you should equip yourself with a few basics about wedding photos in a church set up. It would be a good idea for the photographer to attend the rehearsal so that they have a good idea of the layout and also start thinking about how they will set their equipment and move around.
Here are a few tips worth considering for quality church wedding photography:
- Put everyone in touch – let your wedding coordinator, church people, and photographer have each other’s contacts for easy of planning on the wedding day. The photographer may need permission to do certain things or set up equipment in certain places, and the church representative will be handy with such.
- Visit the venue together – if they can’t make it for the rehearsal or if you won’t have any rehearsal, be sure to visit the church with the photographer together. It is vital they know about the orientation and other tiny but important bits such as the indoor lighting as this will inform them of the kind of equipment they need to carry. This also the time to walk around the ground and share with them some of the features you would love included in the church shots.
- Advice on restrictions – if there are any restrictions about taking photos in church during such ceremonies, be sure to advise your photographer in good time. This is not always the case, but some churches has certain restrictions and it wouldn’t be a good idea for your photographer to disregard them.
Hopefully, this guide give you basics you need to have about wedding photography if you are planning for a wedding in the near future. Be sure to get a service provider in good time and discuss with them every tiny bit of the photography so that what they will deliver, will be exactly what you thought it would be.
