Technology Share: Wedding Photography

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Tips to Pose the Bride and Groom

As marriage is taking place in heaven; its photographs too should have a heavenly touch. A bride standing aloof and groom looking somewhere else; relatives standing groups all giving no touch of intimacy or feeling of oneness etc. does not do justice to that celestial event. The onus is naturally on the photographer to make them all a single and unified team thereby giving the photograph a magical touch!

We have all seen many wedding photo albums in which the bride is photographed with many people (including the groom); but on many occasions these wedding photographs seem to lack a magic that catch eyes of the viewer. They all just look as a crowd sans a feeling of attachment. Taking part or just observing a photo shoot you will remember that everything seemed fine and wonder why the same feeling of intimacy is lacking in these photographs?

The reason is, every individual has his/her private space immediately around them and do not wish consciously to breach that invisible barrier by getting too close. The result will be obvious; when you try to pose two individuals they will strike a pose that feels quite natural to both. But in reality there will be too much space between them. As a result everything that seems perfectly alright at the event; appear to lack closeness; there is no way to correct the lost opportunity.

Photo by: Justin Beckley

To create a feeling of closeness in your photos, make sure you position the heads of the bride and the other person very close to each other. This might sound simple enough until you actually try posing people. It may require constant reminding to the people (even the groom) to move in close and hold their face very close to the bride. At the time of shooting standing so close might seem unnatural as people don’t usually do it in their real life, but not doing that will end up with shots that look stiff and devoid of any affection.

Do give this a try on your next wedding shoot and you will see the difference it makes in your photos. Being able to successfully convey the level of closeness is critical in getting powerful shots. Make the group not a crowd but a team meant for a great union; remember a wedding is a sort of welding of two souls! Each participant is important so that the union persists happily ever after!

Wedding Photography Checklist

At the Brides Home

Mother/Chief bridesmaid adjusting bride’s veil
Hair Styling
Bride applying Makeup
Friends/Family assisting the bride
Bride putting on garter with bridesmaid/s looking on
Bride in bedroom mirror getting ready
Mom helping bride with one last detail
Full-length shot of the bride in her gown, looking at herself in a mirror
Putting on Jewelry
Bride walking down stairs
Corsage being pinned on mother
Corsage being pinned on father
Portrait of mother and bride
Portrait of father and bride
Brothers and/or sisters and bride
Group shot of whole party
Bride with individual bridesmaids etc
Bride hugging friends and family
Bride with all the women
Bride leaving house with parents and bridesmaid/s
Father helping bride into car
Shot of bride in back of car from the front seat looking back

Detail Shots

The bride's shoes
The bride's dress hanging on a hanger
The bride's tiara, necklace, etc.
Any fine detail in her dress

At the Church - Before the Service

Church Wide Shot (with & without guests)
Officiant
Altar
Groom waiting
Groom and best man
Groom, best man and page boys
Best man adjusting grooms tie
Groom and best man shaking hands
Groom with father
Groom with mother
Groom and best man at front of church waiting
Guests arriving at the church
Bride arriving in car
Parents arriving
Parents being seated
Bride exiting car father helping
Bride kissing father on the cheek
Bride with mother and father looking on
Bride and parents
Bride, full-length
Groom with parents
Bridesmaids entering
Maid of honour entering
Ushers escorting guests to their seats
Bride and bridesmaid/s group shot in church garden or vestibule
Any candid shots of wedding party
Bride walking down aisle ( Side Profile & Front )
Groom over the shoulder shot of bride ( & Vis Versa)

Detail Shots

The wedding invitation
The sheet music played at the wedding
The guestbook (once a few people have signed it)
Their champagne glasses
Name cards at the reception
Their wedding rings (perhaps posed on the invitation with some rose petals casually placed nearby)
The airline tickets for their honeymoon
The sheet music, or CD jewel case, to the music for their first dance
The groom's boutonniere
The bride's bouquet

At the Church - During the Service

Crowd shots of guests
Bridal party coming down the aisle
Bridesmaid/s, flower girls etc. coming down the aisle
Bride and father coming down the aisle
Groom’s face as he waits/sees her
Father giving bride away
Holding hands – Bride and Groom
Crowd applause
Unity ceremonies or memorials
General shots of ceremony (wherever allowed)
From rear of church looking down the aisle at couple
Above from organ area or balconies
Ad hoc shots of guests/church
Breaking of glass/jumping of broom etc
Soloists
Readers
Ring Bearer
Ring ceremony
Kissing
Exchanging of vows
Exchanging rings
Bride and Groom being congratulated
Happy couple walking back down the aisle together, as married couple
Bride and Groom leaving the ceremony

After the Service – Inside the Church

Bride and groom with flower girl and ring bearer
Bride and groom
Bride and groom with parents
Bride and groom with wedding party
Bride and groom with family
Bride signing the register
Groom signing the register
Bride and groom signing the register
Best man signing the register
Maid of honour signing the register
Bride and groom coming back down the aisle

After the Service – Outside the Church

Bride and groom walking away from camera, holding hands
Bride and groom looking off in the same direction together
Bride and groom with extended families
Groom kissing bride full length
Groom kissing bride ¾ length
Groom kissing bride close up head shot
Bride and groom looking at ring
Bride and grooms hands with rings and flowers
Bride and groom with vicar/registrar etc
Bride, groom and bridal party
Any other shots set up if missed during the service
Bride with bridesmaid/s and flowers
Bride with best man and groomsmen
Groom with bridesmaid/s
Bride and groom in church door
Bride and groom leaving church
Bride, groom, bridesmaid/s, best man and groomsmen outside church
Group shots (to be arranged as per the family)
Bride and groom with bride's parents
Bride and groom with groom's parents
Bride and groom with bride's immediate family
Bride and groom with groom's immediate family
Bride with her mother
Bride with her father
Bride with both parents
Groom with his mother
Groom with his father
Groom with both parents
Bride and groom with both sets of parents
Bride and groom or either with special members of family/friends
Couple getting into wedding car
Shot of couple from front seat or through sunroof etc
Shot of car with couple and church in background

Special Shots

Various shots at a predetermined destination
Couple sitting with dress train spread out
Couple on bridge looking at water
Couple next to a tree
Couple walking in woods
Couple walking on beach
Couple in ruins of old building
Any other special shots

At the Reception

Reception/Banquet Hall Outside shot
Food Shots (Cocktail Hour, Drinks, etc.)
Shot of each table full of guests
Table setting
Centerpieces & Flower/Decorations
Receiving line
Couple greeting guests
Wedding cake
Guest book (assuming names already in there)
Guests signing book
Musicians or DJ and/or entertainers performing
Close-up shot of the wedding bands
Gifts
Toasts
Close up of bride and groom on top table
Close up of bride and groom toasting
Bride and groom's faces as they listen to the toast(s)
Guests smiling and clapping
Bride and groom whispering to each other
Various shots of guests during meal/speeches
Bride's fathers speech
Grooms speech
Best mans speech
Any other speeches
Bride and Groom mingling with guests
First dance
Bride and father dancing
Groom and mother dancing
Other family or guests dancing
Kids dancing or playing around
Candid shots of any shenanigans during reception (keep it clean)
Cutting the cake
Bride and Groom feeding each other cake
Dinner Service
Bride throwing bouquet (mock up)
Bride throwing bouquet (actual)
Groom getting bride’s garter
Garter toss
Garter/Bouquet dance
Bride & Groom giving away wedding favors
Bride & Groom’s Parents Dancing (Plus Grandparents)
Groom Giving Coat to Bride
Bride and groom sipping champagne
Bride's and groom's parents whispering to each other during dinner
Set up of bride and groom leaving
Actual shot of Bride and groom leaving
Shot of decorated car
Car leaving reception
Bride & Groom driving away

Any Other Shots

1. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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8. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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10. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

This list is intended to help you not miss any important shots. Take a print out of this list and hand it over to the wedding couple during your first meeting. Ask them to tick the one’s that’s important to them, add any that you've missed and hand in back to you. This way you know beforehand what shots are important and can make sure you don’t miss those during the wedding. Download or Print the PDF version here:- Wedding Photography Checklist.

1. Inexperience / Turning Pro without Apprenticeship

Be realistic about your photographic skills, you might own a decent DSLR, some expensive lenses and a speed-light; would have produced some pretty decent pictures at one of your friends / relatives wedding. But these are not enough to be a professional wedding photographer. Making a couple of great shots without any pressure during a wedding is one thing; consistently achieving great results under stress is another.

If got an offer to photograph a wedding, convey a realistic picture of your current skill-level and experience. Let them have a fair idea about your capabilities and keep expectations realistic especially when you are being paid to shoot the wedding event. If not confident enough; better not allow anyone to bully you into taking the assignment with the intention to save costs.

Being the main photographer is too big a step; if it seems difficult; could take the second photographer duties, shooting from alternative angles, getting background shots etc. are good learning opportunities on the road to becoming a full- fledged professional wedding photographer.

2. Not Having the Necessary Equipment for the Job

Before accepting an assignment; make sure you own or could rent / borrow every piece of equipment needed for the job; a soldier without weapons is helpless in a war-field. Never go to photograph a wedding without backup for every essential piece of gear, this includes but not limited to spare camera body, lenses, flashes, memory, tripods, triggers and various other accessories.

When any equipment suddenly stops working panicking is not the answer; have back-ups. Having an additional camera body with a different focal length lens will spare the trouble of frequently changing lenses. The delay caused in changing lenses may cause to miss shots, hurrying it can get lenses dropped; it also lets dust enter in to the camera sensor etc.

3. Not Knowing Your Equipment Inside Out

A wedding is not the time to fiddle with camera settings, it is crucial that you know your equipment inside out; what each buttons and settings are, how to get consistent results in different lighting conditions, how to set the lights, how different modes work etc. Also be aware of the limitations of your equipment so as to get the most out of it.

4. Not Coming Prepared

Preparation is everything, especially for a beginner, preparation for wedding photography involves meeting the bride, groom and their immediate relatives. Communicating effectively with them to get a fair idea about what kind of shots they like and what they don’t. Preparing a shoot list, arranging someone from the bride’s side and another from the groom’s who could help you identify the relatives and coordinate them.

Preparation also involves deciding on what lenses, lights and modifiers you might need, whether to bring a tripod or monopod etc. it also involves pre visualizing the important shots, deciding on shooting angles based on actual locations etc.

5. Incorrect Exposure

The white wedding dress of the bride, dark grey or black dress of the groom etc are all capable of throwing camera’s exposure meter off. Photographing a bride in a white dress in any of the auto / semi auto modes will make the shot underexposed making white dress appear grey. Similarly photographing a groom in black dress in any auto/semi auto modes will cause over exposure rendering the dress as neutral grey and overexposing everything else, even clipping highlights.

The trick to achieve correct exposure is to set the right amount of exposure compensation and cross checking your exposure by using the histogram to make sure you are not clipping either highlights or shadows. Having a DSLR camera with a highlight warning feature would be a great idea; as it will warn you about clipping while reviewing your shots.

6. Not paying Attention to Background

Getting the right background is as important as getting the exposure or composition right. Make sure the background in your shots complements your subject, avoid shooting with a cluttered background, and also avoid elements in the background that would compete with the subject for the viewer’s attention.

It is a good idea to scout the wedding venue the day before the shoot so as to identify suitable locations for essential shots of the wedding couple and their families. Find suitable background for your various needs, shooting large groups would require a relative large space and background. The background should not only be un-obtrusive but also contribute to give a context to the image. For example shooting the couple in the doorway of the church gives context as well as creates a frame around them.

7. Forgetting a Shot

As a professional wedding photographer, you are expected to cover everyone and everything important, know what your clients consider important and make sure you have them all covered. Preparing a shoot list will help you accomplish this without fail. Do speak to the bride and groom beforehand and prepare a list of guests and groups that they want. Ask them to delegate one family member from each side who will be responsible for rounding up the relatives for you.

8. Forgetting to Shoot the Details

Photo by: Akshay Charegoankar

It’s not just the people that is important during a wedding, seemingly small details like the wedding ring, brides shoes, wedding gown, wedding cake, menus, flower arrangements, table decorations, etc all would have taken months to choose and so will be important for your clients so make sure you dedicate some time to shooting the details, don’t just take record shots but compose as you would for a still life shot and create images that the bride and groom would want to be in their wedding album.

9. Lackluster Group Photos

Getting the group photos right is one of the major challenges faced by wedding photographers. Large group shots are especially difficult to arrange, you can depend on the ushers to get everyone who is supposed to be in each shot.

It is up to the photographer to arrange people, remember to keep important members towards the center, around the bride and groom, place taller people towards the back, the people in any group could be related and make sure you have some logic in the way you have arranged the group.

Having a tall tripod, a step ladder or a high vantage point is especially helpful when photographing larger groups. Make sure you have all your subjects visible, smiling, looking at the camera and not blinking.

Put your camera into continuous shooting mode and shoot in bursts, do take a few shots of each group so as to get everyone looking as you want in at least one of the shots, but be prepared to do a little post-capture compositing.

10. Not Capturing All the Relatives in Group Shots

This is one of the most common mistakes made by beginners to wedding photography, especially if they have not done their homework well and not cared to prepare shoot lists and all. Remember if you forget to shoot any of the important relatives, you are in big trouble, there is no alternative, and it is not possible to recreate such a shot no matter what.

11. Rushing Through the Shots

You might be forced to rush through the shots; it might not be due to your fault but other things, bride or groom arriving late, or the function taking longer than planned etc. but be cool and never rush through the shots. Hurry and tension will only result in unpolished compositions and sloppy framing thereby ruining amazing opportunities to take wonderful pictures.

Remember best results are expected from a photographer for the payments they make. While looking at the album no one will remember that you were rushed, they’ll just glance at the pictures and criticize you for not paying enough attention to detail and being sloppy.

As a professional wedding photographer you do have some authority to get the wedding party reposition itself for your purposes, exercise your rights in a diplomatic way, sure some might rumble but the bride and groom will thank you later for being bold and saving the day.

12. Not Shooting RAW

When shooting such important functions as a wedding; there are a lot of things at stake but there is no excuse to not shooting in RAW. Of course if the camera has the option, feel free to shoot in RAW + JPEG mode but not only in JPEG. RAW files give you tremendous power when editing images to correct exposure or white balance settings.

13. Framing Too Tight

Never frame your subjects too tight, always shoot a little wider, and do remember about aspect ratios; print sizes are a different aspect ratio from that of your camera files. So you’ll have to crop out a bit to make your image fit the desired aspect ratio. When composition is too tight; important details might have to be cropped out.

14. Not Being Professional

Most beginners learnt these in the hard way (only after they lose their clients) and many struggle for work and wonder why their wedding photography business never clicks. One, who wishes to be a professional, should act like one. Not returning phone calls, emails, being late for appointments, missing target delivery dates etc. are not professional.

Each religion, community, caste etc. has its own etiquettes related to the marriage function; and all these change with the passing of time; a photographer should include to his home works tracking the customs and specialties of that community or that sect and act as an enhancer who is well versed in all what has to take place. Simply running around the bride and clicking away like mad is no wedding photography; a photographer should be truly professional and not a voyeur! Wishing many happy weddings!

Shooting in Auto Modes - Use Exposure Compensation

Photo by: Homers Lunac

A vast majority of bridal gowns are white and this brings with it the perennial problem of photographing white objects. The camera’s meter will think of the white gown as a grey subject in very bright lighting and it will set the exposure to capture the subject as grey. Shooting in any of the auto / semi auto modes need sufficient compensation to get proper exposure. It depends on the metering mode you have set but usually an exposure compensation of +1 should do the trick. Those who shoot in fully manual mode need not worry about setting exposure compensation.

One trick to minimize exposure issues is to use spot metering mode and meter from your subjects face.

Check Histogram for Highlight Clipping

Photo by: Tizzie

Regularly check your histogram to make sure you are not clipping your highlights, in this case it will be the white wedding dress that will get blown out taking all detail in the dress along with it. Remember details in the wedding dress are important.

Shoot in RAW Format

Shooting in RAW format helps you to capture the scene with more dynamic range. It also gives flexibility in post- production to change white balance settings.

Tips for Capturing Details in the Wedding Dress

Photo by: Katy

Please see our earlier article on’ How to Photograph Texture’; the very same principles apply here. The trick is in the way you position bride in relation to your lights; the idea is to let the light rake across the surface so that it accentuates the shadows and brings out detail in the fabric.

The best way is positioning the bride so that her shoulder closest to the camera is angled towards the light. Be it a soft-box or a large window. Angling the shoulder towards the light is important because if the shoulder closest to the light is not in front, light will hit the wedding dress straight on and will result in flat lighting that captures little or no shadow and detail.

So first and foremost thing for better capture details in wedding dress, the shoulder closest to the camera should be aiming toward the light.

In wedding photography oversights are not pardoned. A photographer gets to shoot a wedding photo based on his/her reputation; this makes him under perpetual stress to keep his reputation intact in this field. So as professionals we need to do that extra bit to make sure what’s important for our clients are all present in our pictures just the way it should be. Climb any mountain or ford any river to keep up your reputation.

Developing a Style in Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is one of the most important genres of photography. It is and has always been the livelihood of the majority of professional photographers.

Photo By seanmolin

In the earlier days of wedding photography; there used to be the traditional style where in photographers had a ‘list of shots’ to be made and they went by it to record a wedding including many studio sessions with sets and backgrounds and intricate lighting set-ups. Then the journalistic style of wedding photography evolved, where in photographers tend to go with the flow, recording events as it unfolds, often going the candid route. People were not posed and various emotions were captured even without the subject being totally unaware of it.

Most wedding photographers fall into either one of these two categories but whatever your chosen route is, it is essential to develop a unique style of storytelling which could be easily recognized by others. You should develop a distinct photographic style which would make your work stand out from the rest of the crowd. Seeing a picture people should immediately associate it to your style and that’s the key to generating more demand for your photography skills.

Photo By seanmolin

Remember the families of whom you shoot will actually treasure your work for generations, showing it to their friends, colleagues, neighbours and acquaintances all of whom may be potential clients for your work.

Some Points to Remember When Evolving Your Own Unique Style

Remember, for you to be a successful wedding photographer, your work should stand the test of time. So try to keep using the current trends to a minimum level and do include classic style shots too in your album.

Photo By seanmolin

Some trends in photography which are popular currently may not be so popular a few years down the line. For example, tilting the frame to add an extra dimension, using heavy vignette effects, ultra wide angle distortions, extremes of colour, diffusion etc were all popular at some point of time, but not any more. Such effects will actually ruin your album by making it look very dated. On the contrary less gimmicky work in the lines of good photo journalistic photography will look current even after many years have passed.

You could learn many a things from the movie industry and adopt it in your wedding photography style, like establishing of a scene with a wide angle shot, then moving in with a medium shot and then capturing details with tight close ups etc.

Photo By Bertpalmer

You could also depend on various sources like works of great painters, good photographic magazines, fashion calendars and catalogues and even facebook albums of your friends for inspiration. Learn to read and interpret a picture, de-construct it, break it down to its core elements and find out what makes it a great picture. Practice this and in due time you will start to see opportunities for potentially great pictures in your everyday life, not to mention work site. It should also be mentioned here that while taking inspiration from the work of others is acceptable, never try to copy anyone else’s photographic style, instead understand the fundamentals, put your own creative thinking into work, use your imagination and come up with your own versions of it and slowly you will see your own style evolving out of the process.

One way to practice developing a unique style is to limit the focal lengths available for you to work with. For example purposefully shoot a wedding with only a 50mm prime, an 85mm prime and a 17mm or 24mm wide this limitations will actually force you to think of how best to make use of the available options and will aid in developing your own style in wedding photography. Another approach is to use consistent aperture values in all shots, like sticking to f/4 or f/5.6 etc. Do give it a try and see if it works for you.

Photo By kellyniemannphotography

While organizing your wedding album there should be an order and continuity in the shots, in fact going through the album should be like a story telling session where the story slowly unfolds with the flipping of each page, taking the viewer through the set of events that took place in fine detail. Going through the album one who was present at the scene should re-live the experience and one who was not present should feel like he or she was actually there. If you accomplish this with your work then there is no turning back.

Evolution is a Continuous Process

Always keep your options open, keep looking for new ways to improve your photography skills and allow your style to evolve continually. Not only does this allow you to stay on top of current trends in the industry but also create a brand value for your pictures. Stick to good photographic principles, present your work in the best way possible and your clients will consider you above the rest of the competition.

Technology Share

Tips to Pose the Bride and Groom

Related Reading

The Ultimate Wedding Photography Checklist

Wedding Photography Checklist

At the Brides Home

Detail Shots

At the Church - Before the Service

Detail Shots

At the Church - During the Service

After the Service – Inside the Church

After the Service – Outside the Church

Special Shots

At the Reception

Any Other Shots

Related Reading

Common Wedding Photography Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

1. Inexperience / Turning Pro without Apprenticeship

2. Not Having the Necessary Equipment for the Job

3. Not Knowing Your Equipment Inside Out

4. Not Coming Prepared

5. Incorrect Exposure

6. Not paying Attention to Background

7. Forgetting a Shot

8. Forgetting to Shoot the Details

9. Lackluster Group Photos

10. Not Capturing All the Relatives in Group Shots

11. Rushing Through the Shots

12. Not Shooting RAW

13. Framing Too Tight

14. Not Being Professional

Related Reading

Tips for Shooting the Bride's Profile

Related Reading

How to Photograph A Wedding Dress – Tips for Capturing Detail in Wedding Dress

Shooting in Auto Modes - Use Exposure Compensation

Check Histogram for Highlight Clipping

Shoot in RAW Format

Tips for Capturing Details in the Wedding Dress

Related Reading

Developing a Style in Wedding Photography

Some Points to Remember When Evolving Your Own Unique Style

Evolution is a Continuous Process

Related Reading

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