A lot has been changed in wedding photos. In the times of our parents and grandparents, wedding photos were something to be staring at the camera, not letting yourself blink, have everything like hair, dress etc neat while posing before the camera and have a ‘smile’ on the face! Today, couples prefer more relaxed, more casual and more natural photos! Brides don’t mind crying before the camera. Grooms don’t have an objection on being caught in their underpants during wedding prep photos and even guests are more open to look natural rather than ‘only beautiful’! If you too want such a relaxed atmosphere in your wedding photos, Jevgenija Pigozne at the leading Oxford wedding photography company, AurumPhoto, shares valuable tips for brides on how to get awesome wedding photos.
1. Send Your Wedding Photographer a Wedding Invitation and Include Her/Him in Your Guests
People often forget to send an invitation to wedding photographer; they don’t do it purposefully, but they are at a big loss from doing so. Sending an invitation to the photographer accomplishes three important things:
- The photographer gets enough time to capture your wedding invitation from different beautiful angles.
- Including your photographer in your guests allows her/him to mingle in the guests so that s/he can’t miss any moment which can come out to be candid, awesome!
- Most importantly, as a guest, your photographer can eat well! Imagine a person working for you for the whole day, standing, bending, climbing steps and doing many such activities and surviving on a cold sandwich! Is it fair? And will that give you the photos you are looking for? Food will give the vendor the required energy to produce beautiful results. So, make sure your photographer is well-fed!
2. Precautions
A very necessary precaution you should take is to ensure that photography is allowed wherever you are planning to do it. For example, the church you have booked for your ceremony may have restrictions on photography which you and your photographer should know. You may not want to end up in a situation on the eleventh hour to come to know that photography is not allowed during your big day.
3. Take Your Photographer with You while Traveling
Today’s age being of casual and natural photos can give you many photography opportunities that you will enjoy watching later in life. Traveling from your home to the venue or from the church to the party hall are some such opportunities. Ensure that your photographer is with you during the travel to capture your transportation photos, the limo, the luxurious amenities inside, and the party with your friends if applicable.
4. Find Awesome Locations for Your Portraits and Discuss about Them with Your Photographer
You can find some exquisite locations in your city or the destination where you will be tying the knot that should essentially be captured in your wedding portraits. Your portraits are important and any way you are going to have them. So, why not capture them on lovely backdrops? You can watch some beautiful portraits captured by Jevgenija in this article and many more on her website that will make you stunned. The locations need not be a monument always. Even a busy marketplace or a peaceful avenue can become a great setting for your wedding portraits. Of course, you should ensure that photography is allowed at your chosen locations.
5. Don’t Forget Your Accessories
You are going to wear at least some of them only on your big day! Your wedding dress, an heirloom, your shoes or your purse, it can be anything. Don’t forget to capture them and include them in your wedding photos. They are as important as any other element of your wedding, and will add the required spice to your wedding album!
6. Schedule Getting-Ready Photos
Getting ready photos are essential today. But if you are more relaxed about them or not paying much attention to them, you might be making a mistake. Remember that they are the first photos of your big day! So, schedule them properly. Ensure that your hair and makeup artists arrive and start their work on time. Of course, your photographer too should be there on time. Another important thing is to ensure that there is enough space for shooting. If the room in which you will be getting ready is very small, imagine you will have yourself, your bridesmaids, your hair and makeup artists and your photographer all in that tiny room! Will the photos be as you want them? Therefore, schedule the session properly, like your preparation and photography first, then that of your bridesmaids, or some similar adjustment. If the room is big enough, you won’t have much of a problem; you will just need to ensure that everyone is on time.
7. Consider Uplighting and Don’t Forget Candles
Uplighting is the mantra of today’s wedding and why not? They make the entire atmosphere dreamy. They come in magical colors and photographing them is beautiful. On the other hand, you also should not forget our traditional candles, because they too make beautiful photos. Of course, you need not stick to the traditional white candles. There are innumerable types in candles today which not only look beautiful when lit, but as they are too, because of the transparent colored wax and many other decorative elements like pearls and crystal included in them. Remember that the more lighting, the better would be your wedding photographs.
8. Outdoor Shooting and Importance of Sunlight
If you are planning your ceremony in a garden or a jungle or a beach etc, remember that the best light is available 2-3 hours immediately after sunrise or before sunset. Don’t forget to discuss this with your photographer as s/he would know this best. Once you decide the time, ensure that everyone concerned is present on time. This will make you stress-free and the photos will be captured beautifully, because light is evenly spread and makes skin tone look great, during these hours.
Jevgenija at AurumPhoto is passionate about capturing wedding photos and knows how to make the photos awesome, so that the couple and especially the bride can treasure them forever. Visit AurumPhoto.com to get more awesome wedding photo ideas. Happy wedding!