When I meet couples who are planning their wedding, I always seem to get asked how the brides and grooms in my pictures look so relaxed and natural. Well, here’s the secret to not looking awkward and posed in your wedding pictures.
#1: Get to know your wedding photographer
This is so important. If you feel awkward around your wedding photographer, you will look awkward in your wedding photos. Regardless of price, the package on offer, or whether your photographer has photographed at your venue before, make sure you get on well with them.
If you feel relaxed and at ease with your wedding photographer, this will really come across in the photographs. You’ll also feel more able to approach them if you want to suggest a certain idea for a picture, or if you don’t feel comfortable with a certain photograph they’re trying to take.
#2. Have an engagement/pre-wedding photoshoot
Having an engagement or pre-wedding photoshoot can be really useful too. It means that you can get used to having your pictures taken, as unless you’re a celebrity or a model, it’ll probably be a new experience having a professional photographer walking round taking pictures of you. If you’re familiar with this process before your wedding day, then it’ll be super-easy on the day itself and any inhibitions you have about it will have already been addressed.
#3. Keep your wedding photographer in the loop
Make sure your wedding photographer knows what’s happening and when on your wedding day. This means you can plan with them exactly when you want to have some portraits taken of the two of you. If you know this is all planned and sorted out beforehand, then you’ll be more relaxed on the day and can just enjoy the moment, which will make for the best wedding photographs.
After an engagement shoot, I always pop for a coffee (or sometimes something stronger!) with couples so that we can chat all about the exciting wedding plans in detail and get to know each other properly.
#4. Remember how good you look
It’s your wedding day. This means you’ll have most likely spent ages choosing the right bridal jewellery, deliberating what make-up and/or make-up artist to use, and choosing between different hair stylists. How many other days do you have trial runs at hair and make-up for? And you’ll have spent weeks, if not months, deciding on what to wear. So rest assured that you’ll feel totally confident and amazing. All of your lovely guests will comment on how much they love what you’re wearing – and they really will mean it.
So don’t worry about how you’ll look in your photos. If you feel amazing, you’ll look amazing.
#5: It’s all about keeping it real!
When I’m spending time taking brides and grooms wedding portraits on their wedding day, I’m looking for something real. A real smile, a real laugh, a real kiss. I want your wedding photographs to be an honest and true reflection of you and all the amazing emotions you are feeling on what really is one of the best days of your life. So the best piece of advice I can give is be real, be yourself, be who the person standing opposite you fell in love with. Be you.
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