I see you, Bride-to-be…
You’ve been scrolling through Instagram, pinning on Pintrest, flipping through bridal magazines… Starry-eyed at the thought of your handsome Groom saying those two magic words (I DO!!); daydreaming about what your wedding photos will look like hanging in your living room or above your headboard.
I want you to know, photos like that – the ones that make you stop and stare, the ones that make your jaw drop a little bit – those photos don’t happen by accident. Your wedding photographer puts so much time, energy and effort into knowing all the best scenarios to capture wall-worthy photos. In this series, we will be chatting about a few things your photographer probably wishes you knew in order to get those jaw-dropping images you’ve been dreaming of.
Part 1: Let’s Talk Lighting!
I want to delve into lighting first because, in my opinion, lighting can make or break a photo. As a wedding photographer, I know how to work in various lighting situations. However, if you want those dreamy, romantic photos with soft, glowy light, thoughtfully planning your ceremony start time, and setting aside time during golden hour for your portraits is your best bet to achieve that look! Golden hour is the hour or so just before sunset and is some of the most flattering natural light possible! No amount of artificial lights or editing magic can make a dark – walled indoor venue at 10 pm look the same as a couple being surrounded by soft, natural light, with the backdrop of a beautiful landscape.
Keep in mind that you may also want to avoid harsh, midday light as well. When the sun is high in the sky (usually between the hours of 10-3, depending on the season) it creates very contrasty images, that are very bright in some spots, but have deep, dark shadows in other spots that tend to be unflattering (think shadows that give a raccoon-eye effect!)
So, when considering lighting, what is the ideal start time for your ceremony? I’m so glad you asked!
· If you are having an indoor ceremony in a venue that has a lot of windows or is an open space with lots of natural light coming in, about 2 hours before sunset is perfect! This gives you plenty of time to have your ceremony without feeling rushed, and then to find your way to your portrait location and not feel stressed or rushed through your portraits.
· If you are having an outdoor ceremony in a space that is completely shaded, plan to start around 2 hours or so before sunset in order to have plenty of gorgeous light for family photos, bridal party, and bride and groom portraits. If you are having a first look, many of these can be done before the ceremony, and you can move your ceremony time a little closer to sunset.
· If you are having an outdoor ceremony in a space with no shade (such as an open field) plan to start your ceremony 1 hour before sunset. This will ensure that the sun will be lower in the sky and will be less likely to cast harsh shadows onto you. (If you have control over the orientation of the setup, try to set up so that the sun is behind the officiant’s head (IE your bridal party is facing AWAY from the sun). This will allow for some nice, glowy backlighting, and will be less likely to cast bright spots of light or dark shadows on your faces.
I highly recommend having a first look for all weddings, and particularly in an unshaded lighting situation. Without doing a first look, couples will end up having around 30 minutes (or less) to do family portraits, bridal party portraits, and bride and groom portraits. That’s a LOT to do in a LITTLE time! The last thing I want is for my amazing couples to feel stressed during their wedding, especially when it’s something we can avoid! I will be making a blog post soon to explain all the wonderful benefits of having a first look before your ceremony, so be watching for that, as well as the next part in this series: "Trusting Your Photographer".
Because lighting and scheduling is so important, timeline planning assistance is something I offer to all of my couples!
