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9 tips for beautiful wedding photos

8.7.2016

Translation: machine translated

You are the passionate photographer in your circle of colleagues. You've been asked to photograph a wedding. Help!

I'm already on the spot! Wedding photography has been one of my passions for several years. Here are my top 9 tips on how to get the best out of your photos. They'll also help if you're tired of the same old wedding photos, need new ideas or just want to know what to look out for when it comes to wedding photography.

1. camera

First of all, you need to buy the latest, most expensive and biggest camera you can find on digitec.ch! And at least three lenses to go with it... no, of course not! My first camera was the Nikon D90. It is suitable for ambitious beginners and I was also able to photograph "my" first wedding of a friend with it. You don't need the most expensive or technically sophisticated equipment right from the start. Take the time to familiarise yourself with different types of camera and find out which type suits you in terms of system and feel. Whether it's an SLR or a mirrorless system camera, the more fun you have taking photos, the better the pictures of the bride and groom will be. Once a Nikon fan... always a Nikon fan. I guide you to the cameras here.

2. lens

High-speed lenses are a must for taking atmospheric pictures even in poor lighting conditions, in church or at an aperitif in a cellar vault. For beginners, I recommend the 50mm f/1.8, which various suppliers offer from as little as 100. An additional zoom lens is ideal for various applications. So you are prepared for all situations.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G (Nikon F, full size)

Lenses

CHF210.–

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

Nikon F, full size

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (Canon EF, full size)

Lenses

CHF103.–

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Canon EF, full size

3. flash

If you take a closer look at the topic of flash, you will quickly realise that direct flash produces unattractive results in portraits. The flash makes faces look flat. It is advisable to always use indirect flash with a flashgun. This means directing the flash at the ceiling or a white wall. Accessories such as the "Gary Fong diffuser" help to optimise the effect.

Flash accessories

Gary Fong Collapsible Speed Mount, Generation V

4. planning

The bride and groom have usually been preparing for the wedding for some time and have concrete plans. At a joint meeting, you can discuss important information about the day's schedule as well as wishes and ideas. Adapt to the agenda. When is the bride going to the hairdresser? When does the groom get dressed up? Are the guests planning a surprise for the couple? When and where will the drinks reception, banquet and the party afterwards take place? The maid of honour and witness are your best friends. Make a list of the most important subjects to be photographed.

Hint: There are a few points at a wedding that you absolutely have to document. For example:

The presentation of the ring
The kiss
Leaving the church
Group photos
The wedding dance
Cutting the cake

.. these moments are among the most important for the bride and groom: they are not to be missed.

And always expect the unexpected: I once had a priest who unobtrusively announced the obligatory kiss and only symbolically signalled with his fingers that the bride and groom could kiss - which they did immediately. I was just able to capture the kiss at the last second. There were also moments when the autofocus didn't want to focus. The key here is to keep calm and quickly switch to manual focus to capture the moment as best you can.

Another time, the bride and groom had just disappeared on a boat. Unfortunately, I was still on board and had to jump onto the jetty with my equipment at the last moment.

In these moments, the certainty of having the right, well-stocked and tried-and-tested equipment makes you feel good. Sufficient memory cards, charged batteries and perhaps even a backup camera provide security and more peace of mind when taking photos throughout the day.

5. use the light

In my opinion, both the early morning and the time before sunset offer the best light for taking photos. The sun tends to be low at this time and you can take atmospheric photos. Of course, at a wedding everything is timetabled, including the time for photos. Of course, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the location beforehand and plan in advance, as mentioned in the previous point, when and where pictures are to be taken.

Lastolite Folding reflector 95 cm changeable 5 in 1 Kit (Folding reflector, 95 cm)

Softboxes + Reflectors

CHF113.–

Lastolite Folding reflector 95 cm changeable 5 in 1 Kit

Folding reflector, 95 cm

6. try out new things

To not only take beautiful, classic wedding photos, but also unexpected - and therefore impressive - pictures, there is only one thing to do: try something new!

Take photos from different, unusual angles - e.g. from below, very far away, very close up or, of course, from high above. Drone photos are currently the absolute hit.
Take photos against the sun. This used to be considered taboo, but it has now established itself as a stylistic element and creates unique effects. Above all, it looks extremely romantic.
Away from the standard! Take photos through the windows of a classic car, leaves or the bride's veil, for example. Include your surroundings!
The bride and groom are often so busy on the big day that they don't even notice small details. That's why they'll be all the more pleased with pictures that capture and emphasise exactly that. Take photos of the bride's shoes or dress, hairstyle and bouquet or the groom's chic cufflinks and... don't forget the wedding rings! :-)

7 And don't forget: Have fun together!

The bride and groom shouldn't always pose stiffly and look directly into the camera. Let them look into the distance, take spontaneous photos and capture the little moments between them. Let them improvise for a few photos and have fun.

8. practice makes perfect

Familiarising yourself with a camera and developing your own style takes time and practice. Take every opportunity to take photos and share the best tips and tricks with like-minded people. Get inspiration from other photographers too, it doesn't always have to be wedding photographers. Maybe you'll discover stylistic elements that you like and can also be applied to wedding photography.

9. Last but not least: image editing

Whether you're a beginner or a professional photographer, I recommend using Adobe Lightroom editing software to add the finishing touches to your photos. You can use it to adjust brightness, colours or saturation. You can use it to combine individual images into a panorama or make small retouching adjustments and apply your own filters. You can also organise all your photos in a catalogue and tag them with keywords.

Thank you!

Every wedding is different, and that's what I love about it. You also have to adapt to every bridal couple and their wishes.

Did you like my article and the pictures? If you'd like to see more, why not take a look at my website: www.hochzeitlich.ch.

If you have any tips and tricks of your own, feel free to share them with me at any time. I and the rest of the readers are looking forward to your feedback!

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