My best portrait tips for your big day
Your wedding day photos are the main source of mementos you’ll have after the big day, so they need to be special and a true reflection of who you are and the love felt on the day. I’ve put together some of my favourite, tried and tested tips to help you get the very best out of yourselves so you get the very best photographs from your wedding day.
1. The best tip I can offer for your portrait session is to make sure you and your photographer are “in-sync”. So what do I mean by that? It, surprisingly, has nothing to do with a 90’s boy band. Every photographer has a different style, from how they use light, to how they pose a couple. Some are very rigidly posed, some are very candid, a lot fall somewhere in the middle. There is no right or wrong, but it’s hugely important to make sure you and your photographer are a good match. My style is to make you as comfortable as possible, so you can relax and just be yourselves. It’s amazing how little posing you have to do when you’re just being yourselves and enjoying your amazing day. I will obviously pose you as much as needed, but I find that after 10 minutes of us hanging out, having fun, and joking around, you’ll be that comfortable that it’s not really necessary.
2. Pick light, not locations. When I’m photographing a couple, the most important thing is light. Soft, beautiful, dreamy light. I’m actually drooling at the thought of it! While the location backdrop carries importance too, I’m taking photos of you, not a location.
3. Be prepared to play. This is especially true if you have a bridal party. We play a lot of games and have many, many shenanigans during a wedding party portrait session. After all, these are your closest friends, and this is a celebration! I want smiles, laughs, and straight up joy! We play around a lot to get everyone relaxed, having fun, and reflecting the celebration that your wedding is! Sometimes we’ll even break out confetti cannons (which are as fun as they sound) or even some coloured smoke bombs if you’re down with the burrrrrrrrn.
4. Golden hour? Yes please. Actually, golden hour is a bit of a misnomer. It should really be called golden couple of hours, though it doesn’t really have the same ring to it! Either way, the theory is the same; the closer it gets to sunset, the nicer the light gets. Whenever possible, schedule your portrait session in the couple of hours leading up to sunset.
5. What to wear! Ok, this is more geared towards your pre-wedding session. It’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll have your wedding day gear sorted out ahead of time ;) BUT...for your pre-wedding session; above all else, be yourselves! I want your photos to be a true reflection of not only your relationship, but also your personalities. And yup, sometimes we wear our personalities. Also try to avoid busy patterns where possible. They can sometimes be a bit distracting in the photos. Stick to a similar ‘colour feel’. This doesn't mean matching sweaters, but if one is wearing a nice baby blue shirt, and one is wearing a bright red dress, there appears to be a bit of a disconnect. Neutral tones and earth tones are nice too. Blacks, whites, and greys photograph especially well in black and white.
I’d love to share ideas with you for your wedding day photos! Contact me at info@russellstaffordphotography.com and let’s chat!