You spend years meticulously planning your dream wedding to make it a day to remember for the rest of your life. After all, it is a milestone in your life, and you want to capture the memories in the best possible way.
Whether you are the bride or the groom, here are some wedding photography tips that you can consider to guarantee to capture incredible moments in your photos of your big day. So, let’s get started!
1.Find a Famous and Pro Wedding Photographer
Begin your search with the low-hanging fruit even before the date is decided. Talk to married couples for photographer recommendations, browse their portfolios, Instagram, and real weddings to find out which style is suitable for you. Remember your choice of wedding photographer will play the most significant role in how your wedding photos will turn out.
For Sydney Wedding Photography by Fame Park Studios, follow the link.
2.Set Up a Wedding Photography Timeline
A great deal of time goes into creating innovative pictures- the more time, the better the result. Good pictures can not be taken in 20 minutes. In fact, it can take a lot of time to get the perfect expression only. Therefore, you must allocate a reasonable amount of time for the photography session.
How much time should you set aside to take your individual portraits, couple’s sessions, group or family photos, etc.? How to plan a perfect wedding photography timeline? These are important questions you should go over with your wedding photography team to plan the big day.
Meet your photography team 1-2 months before the wedding to discuss these details. Confirm locations for the post-wedding and pre-reception shoots, review the times reserved for each step of the day, and set flexible aims for the day. This will set up a routine to keep the day organized, leaving you free from tensions, and help you enjoy your special day.
3.Hire a Wedding Planner
To take away the stress from your family members, you can always consider hiring a wedding planner to coordinate the wedding day. Consider the wedding planner as a safety net. If anything goes wrong, they are there for troubleshooting so that you and your family don’t have to worry about those issues, and you can focus on enjoying your big day. They do wonders on the wedding day and are absolutely worth the investment. If you do not know a good wedding planner, ask your photography team for a reference.
4.Create a Mood Board
A mood board can help your photography team learn more about your preference, style, relationship, and personality. It is a method to visibly communicate the style of images you are envisioning for your wedding. You can create it through Pinterest or on a website, where you can save any picture that you like.
Two people can have totally different perspectives regarding a particular description. Moreover, styles (boho, romantic, elegant, rustic, etc.) evolve over the years and can be attained in several ways. Therefore, it is necessary that you give clear directions to the shoot and a mood board is the easiest way of communicating that vision.
However, it is not advisable to copy the exact photos you find on different websites or Pinterest. Many people follow the same boards, but that can end up making your photos look very similar to a million other wedding photos. Instead, take inspiration from these pictures with the aim of crafting unique pictures that others would pin in the future.
Be practical with your ideas. You can not create the sunshine of Sydney in the middle of winter in Sydney for example. All moments, all locations, all couples are different, and it is the photographer’s job to catch them as they take place, not to reproduce a photo from a separate time and place, captured by another person.
Your photographer will be valued most if they are allowed to capture the unique moments occurring in front of them, instead of checking your list of Pinterest images to produce moments and tick off all the items you have asked of them. To get the best result, tell them about your desired vision and then grant them the freedom to be creative in achieving it.
5.Incorporate a First Look
When a bride and groom meet each other before the ceremony and have a few alone moments, it is known as the first look. Usually, the groom gets set up on a particular site, and the bride goes to him. She either says his name or taps him on the shoulder for him to turn around. This “first look” turns into the most unforgettable moment of the wedding day for the couple.
Couples exchange adoring words to one another and say their vows while wiping away each other’s tears- making the moment suitable for some of the most heartfelt pictures. The first look allows the couple to connect before the ceremony, soothes nerves, and settles the tone for the rest of the day. It is understandable if you want to follow the custom of waiting until the bride walks down the aisle; however if you desire to incorporate a first look before the ceremony, discuss with your photographer beforehand.
6.Pick a Clean, Quiet Space for Preparation
Preparation time can be stressful if you are surrounded by too many people. Choose a quiet space so that you can relax while your photographer and makeup artist do their work. Also, do not forget to clean the room from non-wedding-related clutter. In the rush of the wedding day, chaos can quickly take over, and distractions can appear in your wedding pictures.
Choose a big room for your preparation. The larger the preparation space, the better it is, as it allows the photographer to click pictures from several angles and utilize long lenses that have a flattering effect. Keep all pieces of your wedding details (jewelry, bouquet, wedding card, robe, shoes, etc.) ready before the photographer arrives to make sure all details are photographed.
7.Add Toss Items
Toss items can include an extra touch to your pictures, radiate excitement, and result in genuine laughter and smiles from you and your guests. For an eco-friendly wedding toss, use floral petals, fresh leaves, pretty dried flowers, sparklers, bubbles, or dried lavender.
These items can make your wedding exit more memorable. However, some wedding venues do not allow for a grand exit. If that is the case for you, you can still create this moment during your first dance, couples session, or group photos.
8.Keep Your Bridal Party Small
Do not invite guests to your couple’s session unless you have a bridal party (bridesmaids and groomsmen). It lags the session and cuts into your shoots, limiting creative photos because of lack of time. This is the only time to focus on just the two of you in your ceremony outfit, so you want to make the best use of this period. You can meet your friends after the shoot. In fact, many of the nicer parks or locations in Sydney do not allow big groups any longer.
If there is a bridal party, it is better to get your photos done with them first and then allow them to leave to have fun away from your couple’s shoot. It is hard to be romantic when your friends are around and make humorous comments.
9.Pack an Emergency Kit
Make sure your wedding planner or a bridesmaid has an emergency kit in case something is required. Some good things to include in the kit are bobby pins, safety pins, tampons, stain removers, makeup remover, deodorant, hairspray, mini sewing kit, small scissors, band-aids, q-tips, gum, energy bars, etc. It is recommended to have this kit handy at the couple’s photoshoot session as well.
10.Use the Best Lighting
Light can break or make your wedding photos. It is necessary to click your photographs in the best lighting conditions in Sydney. Late in the day is the best hour for wedding photographs, particularly the hour before sunset. If you booked your venue because of the gorgeous vines in the winery, or the spectacular view of the ocean, schedule your couple’s session 1-2 hours before sunset to capture the romantic hues.
Try not to take your photographs in the middle of the day or early afternoon. The strong sunlight casts harsh shadows on the face that are nearly impossible to fix for any photographer. Overcast lighting is the best for photography. Consider using wedding Lightroom presets capture your special day!
11.Limit iPhoneography
Ask your wedding guests to be considerate and not jump in front of the photographers, particularly during the ceremony group/formal photos. Also, inform your guests that they shouldn’t be asking your photographer to click photos of them using their personal cell phones or cameras. Such diversions are a poor use of the time you have assigned for your wedding photography service in Sydney.
It would be a great idea to have an “unplugged wedding” where guests are entirely present for the bride and groom. The photography team will upload your wedding photographs to an online gallery. You can share this gallery with your guests, and they can download their photos from there for free, so they can have fun experiencing your wedding rather than trying to photograph it.
12.Personalize Your Wedding
Some traditions are meaningful, while others are a bit outdated and irrelevant these days. We recommend not incorporating a custom to your big day that does not hold any meaning to you. Instead, you can extend your couple’s session or other shoots and get stunning photographs as there will be more time to allocate for creative shots.
Do not forget that the wedding is all about you and your partner at the end of the day. You get just one chance to marry the love of your life, so do it right. It is easy to let others’ judgment sway your decisions. Resist that, and stay true to the meaning behind your celebration and your original vision – that is, to honor each other in an experience that feels uniquely you. Don’t incorporate details or customs just because others do it. Make your wedding special by staying true to who you two are as a couple.
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