After your wedding day, after the honeymoon is over and the party is cleaned up and you’re getting into the daily grind with your new spouse… all you have left are the memories of your special day. Memories… and your wedding photos. And since those wedding photos are memories you will be looking at for years and possibly passing on to your children, you want them to be amazing, right?
Well, the first and most important thing you can do to be sure you get the wedding photos you deserve is to hire a good professional wedding photographer. While your wedding photographer will take care of just about everything, here are four tips that you can implement as well to ensure you have amazing wedding photos.
Wedding Photography Tip 1:
Nervous? Do an engagement session.
It’s perfectly natural to have a little stage fright! Not everyone is a supermodel, and not everyone feels comfortable in front of the camera (I know I don’t ;). So an engagement session is the perfect practice session. It gives you the chance to get more comfortable not only with being photographed but with working with your photographer. Plus, it helps us photographers get to know you and your likes and dislikes before the rush of the wedding day itself.
Wedding Photography Tip 2:
Walk down the aisle with your head UP
This seems like such a little thing, but it can make a huge difference! I’ve seen so many brides and grooms with their heads down as they walk down the aisle and say their vows. But no one wants to see just the tops of your heads! Even if you’re caught up in the moment, something as simple as keeping your head up and flowers down can be the difference in helping your photographer capture that perfect shot. (As for the flowers, the golden rule is to carry them near your belly button. Those flowers might be gorgeous, but they’re not the main attraction here—your gorgeous smile is!)
Wedding Photography Tip 3:
Look for good lighting
Most couples don’t think about lighting when they’re planning out their wedding timeline, but lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography! You’ll especially want to pay attention to when the sun is supposed to set. After all, you want to get those perfect outdoor pics before it gets dark, and you definitely want to capture some sunset pictures if you can. For indoor lighting, look for plenty of windows. Up-lighting can really help an otherwise dark venue. (Obviously, we wedding photography pros can light the scene and edit your images no matter what lighting we have, but nothing beats beautiful natural light.)
Wedding Photography Tip 4:
Be careful with your body language
Nowadays, wedding albums aren’t books full of poses. Instead, everyone is looking for a more “natural” look. Still, that doesn’t mean your actual natural look is going to look relaxed, especially since there will be so much going on! If you want to look truly relaxed, try the following:
- Adjust your posture while slightly arching your back; it looks elegant, I promise.
- Twist your waist just 45 degrees, stand with your weight on your back foot, and always try to give your photographer a genuine smile
- Laugh when you just can’t smile anymore, or when you feel it fading, and you’ll get it right back!
I wish I had known these tips when I got married! Even though my husband and I are both professional photographers, we made all the mistakes. Our schedules were crazy, so we didn’t make time for an engagement session. Our reception was dark; and our DJ didn’t even have a light bar for the dance floor. It was cold and raining, so we were looking at our feet the whole way down the aisle. And I stood square to the camera in most of my portraits, which is never the most flattering angle, even for the skinniest people.
That’s not to say we didn’t have great moments. Our wedding photographer did a great job. But I cringe sometimes when I look through my wedding album, knowing that it could have been that much better! Hopefully you can use these tips and tricks to learn from my mistakes!
