5 Top Tips for Great Wedding Photos!

Be inconspicuous!

This is one thing that people find really hard, most people will only take a photo when people are ready for it but this is the worst time to take one.  The nicest photos are always taken when the subject is unaware the photo is being taken.  They have a much more natural expression, body language and feel completely at ease, the second you say “smile for a photo” they have to act and most will feel uncomfortable which will translate into the image.

• Become a spy, keep an eye out for people enjoying themselves and photograph them without them knowing it.
• Try to avoid being noticed when taking a photo

Lighting

I often fall into this trap, the sun the looks so pretty when you look at it that you decide to have it in the photo as well.  The result is a bleached background and silhouette figures and the contrast of the lighting does not work all that well.

• Try to arrange or stand in a position where the sun shines on the faces or side of the object you are trying to photograph
• If the lighting is bright, get to the subject to close their eyes prior to the photo being taken and then at the last second tell them to open their eyes, this will avoid them squinting.

Relax

If you, the photographer, are running around stressed and ordering people into position then that will rub off on them and be reflected in the images.  Having a relaxed nature will make the subjects feel much more at ease and will make the whole process a lot easier.

• Make sure you are smiling all the time and having a laugh but at the same time don’t forget the press that button!
• Keep on snapping, the more you snap the more likely you are to catch moments and the less stressful that will be for you.

Shoot when others are shooting

Some of the best times to take photos are when others are taking photos because you are getting the subjects to look somewhere else and it automatically looks like an observation photo rather than a posing photo.  You can also catch the expressions and moods before and after the original photo is being taken and this is a great time to catch some fantastic expressions and poses

• If there is a main photographer try and be there when he is taking the main photos, stand to one side and snap away but don’t getting away
• Never say “ignore me” because they won’t, just try to be ignored
• Shoot constantly to capture the before and after photo expressions

Look around

Thinking outside the box can really get some nice results.  You can capture some lovely moments happening in the wedding that no one will have seen and these are the moments that the bride and groom will appreciate the most, moments that they have not seen happen at their wedding.

• Have eyes in the back of your head, really make sure you are observing everything that you possibly can and when you see something nice, photograph it.
• Look for nice ways to frame a photo, for example have a flower in the foreground, play with depth of field to catch a different vibe.

So there are five points to help you get some good photos at a wedding, I hope they help and good luck with the big day.