How to be fully prepared for your wedding day photos.
“We just received our wedding gallery online and my husband and I decided to sit down and have some time to show our parents and see the photos for ourselves”.
“Thinking back to our wedding day I remember how exciting it was to see my hard work come together for the wedding. But the entire morning i was worried about photos and if i would be awkward or would I even have any fun, or even not looking good in the portraits. But once I got in front of the camera my husband and I knew exactly what to do. It was easier than ever to enjoy the moments since we already knew what to do for the photos. And once we saw them, I was not let down. How good I felt taking photos in the moment totally came through. I was in love with how beautiful I looked and how charming my husband was. I was glad that my photographer had taken the time beforehand to help us with posing. It was a lifesaver”. - Nancy
Surprisingly this happens less than you would think. Only around 60% of brides actually love their wedding portraits and feel like the experience was fun and not awkward.
Hey, my name is Alexander, and It is my job as a professional fine art photographer to make sure that this is the case for everyone. Not just friends that I work with.
Keep reading and I will tell you all about how to look incredible in all your wedding portraits.
How to Look Your Best in Your Wedding Portraits Posing is an ART. But understandably it's an art that a lot of couples are nervous about, and SADLY that a lot of so-called "professional" photographers actually don't know how to direct correctly.
So, if you happen to have a photographer who doesn't know how to pose you with expertise and intention, what are a few things you should remember? Here are a few pointers. I call these THE FOUNDATION of posing:
How to not have fake and cheesy wedding photos:
Even though a lot of wedding photos are posed you don't want them to look that way. The more candid and authentic, the better.
There are tons of ways to do this but if you have a photographer who doesn't know what they are doing remember this
As a professional photographer I have the ability to direct and move you and your partner in a way that captures authentic moments. However you should know what I tell everyone I work with, and how they can create awesome photographs together.
Here are the fundamentals:
Always be touching your partner - Never lose the feeling of a hand or arm around your partner. This reminds you that your partner is right next to you. If you don’t let go, or always are touching them it creates intimacy of the connection you already have.
Keep your weight on your back leg - This is super easy, It makes you look natural and not like a stiff robot. It puts your body in a more relaxed position
You are not a statue - This little piece of advice is easy to do and you might not even think about it. It helps the photographer immensely. If you keep moving and don’t behave like a statue then the natural authentic movements of you and your partner interacting come out. If you have a competent photographer they should not miss great moments that come from you flowing and moving with your partner
Make your hands soft - The hands are quite emotive and are very expressive, they play a part of non-verbal communication. Rigidity comes out in photos, especially in the hands, if you make fists or flat hands, it draws attention to them. soften them in between fist and flat for a natural feel and look.
Breath through your mouth - This has a calming effect on you, no need to be tense. breathing through your mouth gives all your photos a sensual and intimate feel. you open your mouth slightly and focus on the breath can have a relaxing effect
Differentiate - Having your hands, arms, legs or torso be symmetrical can lose the natural form your body can take. Give yourself a more natural look with differentiating the position of your hands
Learning what you can do is important, so you aren't part of the 40% who have regrets with their wedding photographer. Crazy thing is... at this point you may know more about posing than most "professional" wedding photographers out there.
One last thing I want you to learn that's really helpful, remember how I talked about weight distribution for your portraits? It's the same thing for walking. If you walk normally, it's possible your portraits could look like a penguin walking. So, for the camera, what you want to do is walk as if you are walking on a straight line under you. This will change the weight distribution in your hips making it look much more flattering in the portrait.
If you want to know more about how you can have a stress-free wedding day, then go to my blog page to read more!
-Alexander
