How To Make Sure You’ll Look Great In Your Wedding Photos

When it comes to taking photos of my brides on a wedding day. Most of the images you’ll see are unposed natural photos. Do I sometimes pose my brides? Not exactly. I like to find the best light and composition to ensure the images are as flattering as possible. Then I ask my bride to use this space to relax and be herself. Having already invested some time getting to know my brides I can have a conversation with her whilst shooting or perhaps bring in some friends and/or bridesmaids to give a more organic feel to the images. I have a really good way of making people feel really relaxed in front of the camera and it is one thing many of my couples talk about in my reviews.

You have a unique ability to make people feel at ease, allowing us to be our true selves while you meticulously document the subtle, yet significant moments of our special day. Your presence felt more like a dear friend than a photographer, making the intimate moments between my partner and I comfortable and natural.

– Bahar & Pedram

There is no doubt you will have spent many hours, weeks, months and years planning or dreaming about how your wedding will look. Especially how you will look. There is so much more to a dress than meets the eye. The dress has an emotional connection to its bride. And with a wedding day being such a significant moment in your life. So you’re going to want to look and feel great in it. So for me making the most beautiful images I can for my brides is extremely important. So here are a few quick tips on how you can get beautiful bridal photographs on your wedding day.

Connect With Your Photographer

Ok, this tip doesn’t mean you have to spend evenings with a takeaway getting to know your photographer. However, before you book a photographer. Schedule a call with them. When someone enquires with me I always recommend a Zoom call to get to know each other a little. It doesn’t matter if their wedding is in London or Lake Como. My couples get the opportunity to know me and my personality. They get a feel for who I am as a person and hear about my approach to the way I shoot a wedding.

When my brides know me a little more, we have a connection, they understand my approach and the integrity is there it all falls perfectly into place. Then on the wedding day, all of the images look effortless. Of course, I work extremely hard to make the images I do but it’s the unwritten connection between myself and my brides that makes everyone so comfortable and the images result in being timeless, elegant and natural.

Consider Your Timings

I never want to take up too much time when making portraits for my brides. Whether that’s after the bride is ready completely and it is time to get some nice, beautiful bridal portraits, or later in the day perhaps at sunset and the couple would like some dreamy golden photos. So I always aim to keep the timings down to a minimum. But it’s always great if there is some time set aside. The reason for this is that I’d hate to have to rush these images. By speeding up the process it can remove the authenticity and the relaxed nature of the approach I have. I can work wonders in short periods, but it’s never rushed. Durnig a recent destination wedding in Sicily it was important to the bride to have plenty of photos prior to the ceremony with herself and her bridesmaids whilst they were all ready. This leads nicely only the next tip which is to slow down and relax. So block out some time before the ceremony for some individual bridal portraits and some first look with the father of the bride etc too.

Stephen made us feel so at ease every step of our wedding day. We’ve just got the photos back and couldn’t be happier with them.. he is worth above and beyond what he charges for such special memories captured so beautifully. It was like reliving every moment of the day all over again! Stephen gave us all the direction we needed but also encouraged us to just be ourselves. Don’t hesitate to book him for your wedding, his talent is truly special!

– Anna Jordan

Make Natural Light Available

From a photography perspective, this is incredibly important. However, I understand that this isn’t always an option. Planning a wedding is very time-consuming and you’ll have lots to consider. Though for the best possible photographs, I would advise you to make use of natural light in as much of your wedding as possible. If you’re getting ready, try to make sure it’s near the largest window. Want somewhere specific to put on your wedding dress? Try to find a space with as much natural light as you can. Again I understand that it’s always easier said than done. If you’re having a wedding in a dark and moody castle during winter in London it’s going to be much harder than if you’re having an outdoor summer wedding in Italy. However, when doing your venue visits think of the natural light. Discuss these things with your wedding photographer and give them a heads up or ask for their advice.

Have A Pre Wedding Shoot

Pre-wedding shoots are not what you might think they are. Let me explain the pros and cons of these. Cons: They cost money. Pros: It’s a great opportunity to meet personally with your wedding photographer. When I work with couples it is in such a relaxed and unforced way, this opportunity allows me to show my couples how relaxed it is working with me. It allows you to realise this before your wedding day. So on the wedding day itself, the ice has been broken, and you have more trust in your photographer. This way your wedding photos and portraits will be smoother, and more relaxed and you’ll look so so good in them. You’ll also have some beautiful photos of you and your partner.

This is not essential by any means and many of my brides and grooms don’t have a pre-wedding shoot. Even after not having one their wedding photos are amazing. It’s just a fun experience and there are benefits to having one. I don’t think you’ll be doing yourself any harm by not having one. However, if you have the budget and time and you think it might be a good idea then go for it.

Hiring Stephen to shoot our wedding was the best decision we made and was fantastic from start to finish. He was incredibly professional and beautifully captured every moment of our day. It is really hard to pick the right vendors for your special day and a photographer is a really important decision to get right because you need to capture all the moments that you might not see yourselves as the day goes by so quickly. With Stephen, you can well and truly tick that box and relax! The drone was an awesome touch for the group photo shot and made sure the kids were all looking at the camera! We would highly recommend Stephen and could not be happier with our photos. Thank you so much, our day would not have been the same without you.

-Gemma & Graeme Porter x

Check Out The Photographer’s Instagram

The reason I’m mentioning this is because. It’s a good idea to have a look at the brides and grooms in the wedding photographers’ Instagram feed and have a good look at how the couple and guests “feel” in the images. Does the photographer you’re looking at have the experience and method to make their images flattering whilst making sure the couple look and feels comfortable? Are the couple being told to awkwardly stand and pose or can you see a relaxed couple that look like they’re able to be themselves?