Brides don't know much when planning a wedding, and we as photographers are here to help you. After all, all you have left after your gorgeous day, is your photographs. Do you want to know how to achieve the best photographs for your wedding? Read these few tips to ensure some amazing pictures on your wedding day.
Get a spacious and clean room to get ready in. Brides, I cannot stress this enough. A small bedroom just won’t do if you are getting ready with bridesmaids included. Get a spacious room, as clean and simple as possible. Pack things away so it’s not in the photographs, only have the necessary standing around. Guest houses make beautiful backdrops. Careful of hotels – their rooms are pretty compact sometimes and just won’t do for your glamour bridal getting ready shots and portraits. Us photographers need quite a bit of space to move around for our angles.
Get a qualified BRIDAL hair and makeup artist! Qualified makeup artists use HD make up that make your photos just even more beautiful. They also know what is best for your skin tone, face shape and look you going for. Same with a hair stylist. Pick a timeless hairstyle for your day – simple and elegant is fashion right now. Loose waves, soft updo’s… The tight curls and tiara’s look is extremely outdated right now. (Sorry brides, time to get with the “now”!) Remember, your hairstyle needs to suit your face shape too!
The dress… Oh my I can’t stress this enough! Get a dress that’s the right shape for you! If you are quite skinny, get a dress that will accentuate your features. Make sure your dress fits your shape. The colour of the dress also plays a massive roll, you can’t go wrong with a crisp white or cream dress. Again, timeless is always beautiful. Do not get a dress that overpowers your features – people need to see your gorgeous face before they see the dress. If your dress doesn’t look good on you, you won’t either.
Make sure your photo session is in Golden Hour. This makes the most beautiful photographs. Soft light, golden sunset – it’s absolutely stunning. Arrange this beforehand with your photographer so you won’t be trying to work around the schedule on the day. Scheduling your portraits around noon is far more difficult for your photographer to create beautiful imagery. Harsh, mid-day sun creates heavy shadows, and since during noon the sun is directly above us, it creates raccoon-eye shadows which are unflattering. If you absolutely must schedule your portraits around noon, ensure that there a fair amount of even shade available for your photographer to work in.
Couples always compare their photographs to other couples photographs that has been taken and ask “Why doesn’t ours look like that?”. Well if you arrange your shoot to be in midday sun and they arranged theirs to be the last hour of sunlight of the day – there will be a massive difference. Yes there’s ways to manipulate the sun midday… with 4 flashes, softboxes, reflectors.. basically creating a mini studio wherever you want to take your pictures. Needless to say, this won’t work. At ALL.
Couples always compare their photographs to other couples photographs that has been taken and ask “Why doesn’t ours look like that?”. Well if you arrange your shoot to be in midday sun and they arranged theirs to be the last hour of sunlight of the day – there will be a massive difference. Yes there’s ways to manipulate the sun midday… with 4 flashes, softboxes, reflectors.. basically creating a mini studio wherever you want to take your pictures. Needless to say, this won’t work. At ALL.
The venue : Make sure your venue has stunning photo opportunities. Having a reception in a hall or very small compact area, will affect your photos dramatically. Spacious open venues makes the photos just so much more beautiful. Its also much easier if you have a venue that has photo opportunities - when everything is on one venue, it's just so much easier and convenient. Besides, public spaces for photographs are absolutely madness a Saturday. (and you don't want strangers in the background of your pictures do you?) Heres some great venue choices :
Nantes Estate
Nitida Winefarm
Ou Stal Equestrian Farm
Vredenheim
Kronenburg Estate
Langkloof Roses
Eensgezindt
Kleine Zalze
Rondekuil
Kliplapa
Nantes Estate
Nitida Winefarm
Ou Stal Equestrian Farm
Vredenheim
Kronenburg Estate
Langkloof Roses
Eensgezindt
Kleine Zalze
Rondekuil
Kliplapa
Smile! Laugh! Just enjoy your day. Laughter is contagious, and simultaneously creates the best smiles. Keep your wedding day as lighthearted and carefree as possible. Surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you, those who make you laugh, and those who you can be yourself around.
Having a good DJ that keeps the party going also contributes to your photographs – guests having a blast, awesome lighting, natural laughter and killer dance moves, makes for some incredible photographs!
Listen to your photographer : If we tell you the lighting is bad and we should rather wait a half an hour until the light is softer – trust us. If we tell you table photos aren’t the best idea (you will read about this in the next point), trust us! If we tell you to pose a certain way, lift your chin a certain way, keep it that way until we are finished with the shot. Please do not decide to do your own thing and start putting hands in places that might seem fine, but look awkward on pictures. We know whats best – don’t try to overpower the couple session. Listen to us, we see you through the lens, you cannot see what we are seeing at that moment.
Table shots : DON’T DO IT! It’s a very big task to get everyone to cooperate. Not just that… Centrepieces in the way, plates on the table, alcohol and empty glasses standing around and a few cellphones and handbags… It’s very unattractive photographs. We always suggest hiring a photo booth corner – even if it’s just a couch with a plain backdrop – you get your photos with your guests and they look a million times better as well!
If you have fun at your wedding, the pictures will reflect the same way. I cannot manipulate the photo to seem like you are enjoying yourself. So let loose, go dance, have some fun!
If you have fun at your wedding, the pictures will reflect the same way. I cannot manipulate the photo to seem like you are enjoying yourself. So let loose, go dance, have some fun!