Weddings are a great time to shoot pictures of course. People are looking their best, they are excited and emotional, and life just seems to be HAPPENING all around.
In this post I would like to share a compact guide to have a beautiful wedding photos.
1. Composition
You can never have a good photography without good composition. when shooting weddings and other events, one doesn’t really have the luxury of composing frames thoughtfully. Knowing the rule of thirds is one thing, and putting it into practice amongst a crowd is quite another. Keep things simple – try and keep the subjects anywhere BUT the center of the frame, and that should help getting them near one of the areas of interest within the composition. You can always crop the photographs later to further enhance the composition.
2. Use Perspective Effectively
This goes for all forms of photography. If you are able to use converging lines in the photograph, with the lines leading to the subjects, nothing like it. It could be the edge of a building, the insides of a corridor, or maybe the aisle in a church as the bride is being given away by the father? The subject does not have to physically be present at the end of the perspective lines, in fact it could also be away from the lines. All you need is for the lines to point toward the subject in the composition. That wall with its perspective could be well behind the bride, but use it to LEAD the viewers’ eyes towards the bride by positioning her appropriately. You get the idea!
3. Lower the Depth of Field
In other words, use a large an aperture as you can. This helps isolate the subjects and reduce clutter. BUT you need to focus carefully at the same time. Practice focusing quickly and accurately with whatever lenses you own. You cant always rely on auto focus when shooting in crowds and busy dance floors and ball rooms! When shooting with a large aperture, you throw the background out of focus, so DON’T use a large aperture if you feel the background is interesting.
4. Get Candid
Do try and get a few candid images. While there is nothing wrong with posing the bride and groom at their wedding, giving them a few candid images is a great idea. Candid images capture the mood of the day best. When you are shooting candid, it is best to get as many images as possible, maybe even shoot in burst mode. You never know which frame out of twenty will capture that decisive moment.
5. Create the Right Mood in the Images
If you are shooting portraits, add that background value. You can also use a part of the other spouse, maybe a hand or a veil to emphasize the togetherness even in a portrait of just one person. The groom’s coat in the bride’s hands adds that to a portrait of the bride, for example! So get as creative as you can with those ideas. Remember, you have all the time in the world to plan a posed portrait.
We hope this article has inspired you to try and use somehow techniques when you shoot at a wedding next. The best thing about photography is its never ending learning process. We wish you all the best at your next wedding shoot.
