Being in the moment where you exchange your vows with your partner can be the most surreal experience one can ever have in their lifetime. But don’t you wish you could keep that ethereal memory forever?
Enter wedding photography.
Thanks to this concept, couples can now relive the bliss of their most special chapter whenever they want. They can also share the jubilant memories with their family, friends, and future children by creating a beautiful wedding photo book.
While having any reminders of your special day is ideal, we all desire to capture the feeling of saying “I do!” to each other. We’ve gathered the six best tips to achieve dreamy wedding photographs – from lighting secrets to capture that whimsical vibes to “life hacks” on how to appear radiant and “perfect” in your photos.
1. Always go for natural lighting.
Lighting might seem like a small factor, but in reality, it plays a huge part in every elegant wedding photo we see online or on albums. You’ll want lighting that’s not too bright nor too dark, and natural sunlight is the best way to attain that.
The reason why wedding photographers love natural lighting is that it gives an effortless glow to the bride and groom and highlights their natural skin tones. And unlike with studios, you don’t need to adjust natural light. You can pose wherever you want, as long as the sun still shines on the ground.
Additional tip: for extra romantic vibes, get your photos taken in a window where you can see the beam of sun rays penetrating!
When you work on the timeline of your wedding, make sure to consider the best times to achieve natural lighting, particularly during sunrise and sunset. Avoid getting your shots taken at midday so you won’t end up with too-washed-out photos.
2. Work on your hair and make-up.
Whether you know your way with makeups and brushes or not, having someone to take care of it for you can help you focus your time more on the celebration.
If possible, hire a makeup artist for your bridal entourage as well. Coordinated looks will look good in photos! Plus, having an expert ensuring that everyone’s hair and makeup are perfect all the time will help assure everyone looks good in the shots. Your photographer will also be grateful for the less editing they’ll need to do.
Before your wedding day, do a trial session with your hired artist so you’ll know how you’ll look on your special day. Take a snapshot of your look with your smartphone camera to see how you’ll look in photos with your makeup.
Just remember to avoid glitters or any shiny looks for your wedding. They might make you look sparkling, but they won’t look good in your photos.
3. Talk to your photographer about your expectations.
What kind of shots do you expect the photographer to take? That’s the most important thing to discuss with them to give them an idea of how to approach things on the big day.
You can ask your photographer for suggestions on the photos you want to achieve if you still have no idea about your preference. You can also check their portfolio to get a feel of their style and get some ideas or two for your portraits. Just like how WeShootYou is more into capturing raw and candid moments, you will have an idea if you want those kinds of photographs on your wedding.
Alternatively, you can consult Pinterest or wedding magazines for inspiration. You can create a Pinterest board with all of your favorite wedding images and show it to your photographer and videographer. This can help them visualize the photos they’ll take during your wedding.
4. Go for poses that feel natural.
While it’s tempting to recreate the wedding photos we see online, they won’t turn out the way you want them if the idea doesn’t feel natural to both of you. Don’t stick to your shot list or your Pinterest board strictly. They should only be your inspiration, after all.
Remember, when the cameras point to you, do what you feel like is natural. Go goofy with your partner or do something as simple as holding hands. The more comfortable you are, the better and more natural your photos will look.
Let go of the idea that you have to look “perfect” all the time. Sometimes, the candid photos turn out to be the best ones in professional wedding photo albums!
5. Have someone you can rely on for the rest of your special day.
You’ll need to look stress-free during your wedding day, so take off all the wedding responsibilities from your shoulder and let someone handle them for you. It could be your bridesmaid, your mother – anyone you trust can handle things on their own.
You can always hire a wedding planner to take care of all the nitty-gritty of your special day. They can lead you to the best and most reliable vendors that can help you achieve your vision of a fairytale wedding.
6. Create a timeline for your wedding.
Having a concrete plan of the flow of events during the wedding can help you and your photographer determine and prepare the photo-ops within the event.
As mentioned, natural lighting is the key to a dreamy wedding photo, so make sure to schedule your portraits and other outdoor shots in the morning.
For more chances to get the fairytale-like photos you desire, you can also schedule other short photo sessions in your timeline. For example, you can have a sneak away session after dinner for your romantic, celestial couple portrait under the night sky.
When you create a timeline of your wedding, make sure to include extra hours to allow for unexpected occurrences. And remember not to get obsessed with following your schedule. Some things will not go according to plan. Embrace that fact so you’ll remain stress-free and radiant at your wedding and your photos!
Last but not the least, the best secret to achieving the best wedding photos is to…
Relax and have fun!
The most dreamy wedding photos are born out of the love evident in your eyes. So enjoy the moment of your fairytale ceremony and focus on the person you’ll live with forever. Don’t hold back in being in love and it will show in your photos!