You’ve chosen your date, booked your venue and started shopping for dresses. Now you’re looking for a wedding photographer. There are many different styles of wedding photography and, although industry professionals are familiar with them, they can be confusing for couples.
Remember as well that not only are you choosing a style of photography, but different types of wedding photography can make different demands on your time on the wedding day.
Choosing the style of photography you want at your wedding comes down to three things. What style of images you want, how much time you want to spend with a photographer on your wedding day, and most important of all your own personality and comfort in front of the camera.
There are many fashionable terms in photography. Vintage, editorial, artistic or contemporary are just a few. What is perhaps more confusing is that they are used by different photographers in different ways.
Ultimately, it’s up to couples to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of research before choosing a photographer, and to rely on the completed wedding photo set. Don’t rely on the top five or six shots from several weddings to make your choice.
Wedding photography styles are a compromise between producing fantastic work and keeping to a schedule. A photographer can produce great photos, but if they take too long to produce them, you probably won’t enjoy the experience.
Traditional (or posed) wedding photography
Many people think that traditional wedding photography is all about endless stilted group shots where everyone looks stiff as a board. Worse still, the various collections of people seem to drag on and on.
I think it’s fashionable to criticise traditional wedding photography, but the actual framework is still the same for most wedding photographers. The photos may be more elegant, but the actual experience of the bride and groom on the big day is very similar.
There is always a trade-off between the type of work a photographer does and the time it takes to do it. The more formal posed shots will take longer to set up and complete. Any photographer who does artistic photography will need some time to produce their best work. It is important that you find out how much time they will need and work out how to fit it into your day.
Some photographers spend a few hours on formal shoots. Make sure you are happy to give more than this amount of time on your wedding day. If you are not that comfortable in front of the camera you may find this type of photography more difficult. A good photographer should be able to help you and make you feel comfortable, but for many individuals it can still seem a little daunting.
Photography Basics - Portrait Photography Tips
The three most important elements to master in portrait photography are camera settings, lighting and the relationship with the model.
Camera settings for portrait photography
Since portrait photography focuses on a person’s face (or, if it’s a larger photo, their head and shoulders), the classic portrait photography settings aim to remove anything that distracts from the background of the photo. This mimics the effect of looking at a person’s face up close and makes the subject stand out (in photographer’s terms, this means “standing out and drawing attention”).
To get a distraction-free portrait shot, use a wide aperture, often as wide as possible (f/2.8 or f/4 are popular choices). Large apertures produce a shallow depth of field, so that anything away from the optimum plane of focus, i.e. the background, becomes a slight blur.
Apart from a large aperture, the only other important parameter is the ISO sensitivity. This should be as low as possible (e.g. ISO 100), as higher ISO values result in digital noise, which is particularly unpleasant for a portrait.
There is a derivative of portrait photography for which the recommended settings are different, namely environmental portrait photography. Environmental portrait photography seeks to show a person in their “natural habitat”, which is often their workplace. In this case, you want to show the background, so a smaller aperture is appropriate.
Lighting for portrait photography
Lighting for portrait photography can be as complicated as you like. Professional portraits are almost always taken in a studio, where the lighting can be 100% controlled. If you’re reading this, chances are you don’t have your own photography studio, so let’s discuss a simple lighting scheme you can set up at home.
Firstly, place your model in front of a window. The light from the window should be bright, but not direct (i.e. not from the sun). Your model should be facing you, window side. The light from the window will obviously illuminate the side of her face that is closest to the window.
Then place something on the other side of your model that will bounce the light reflected from the window onto the other side of her face. Anything white or reflective will do, for example a piece of white cardboard or a sheet of foil.
You now have a basic and flattering lighting scheme, with the main light source on one side of your model’s face and the fill light from the reflector on the other side. Remember that you need to frame the photo close enough so that the reflector is not in the photo.
Nowadays, everyone has a camera. Here are some tips to help you take great pictures of couples.
Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas
Tip 1
Couple Photography while they are sitting and talking is a good way to get the natural look of each other. Using your zoom lens from across the room at a fast aperture (sport setting) will help fill the frame and separate them from their surroundings.
Tip 2
Kneel or stand on something higher than the couple and don’t put them in the middle of the frame. We like to call this the rule of thirds.
Tip 3
Costumes are always a good way to photograph couples who are looking for a not-so-normal photo shoot. Halloween monsters, Easter bunnies and Mr and Mrs Father Christmas are all good ways to brighten up any wall.
Tip 4
Outdoor shots with couples holding hands around a tree or sitting on a rock facing each other are other good ideas for couple photography.
Tip 5
Using black and white film or setting your camera to take black and white photos is another good tip. This allows you to capture couples with a timeless look.
Tip 6
Lighting is especially important, as you don’t want the couple to cast shadows on each other (outdoors is usually the best place for this.) Trying to take a photo in the morning or afternoon is usually a good way to get the desired lighting.
Tip 7
If you must use a flash, try to stand at least 2 or 3 feet away from the subjects so that the flash is not too bright. Another tip is to put a tissue over the flash to soften the light.
0 Comments