Friday 21 December 2012

Tips on Wedding Photography poses for classical, photojournalistic and creative wedding photography














For many years there has been a trend for reportage wedding photography but I always recommend to clients to allow some time for more formal group and family wedding photos, as they are the ones they will want to look at in years to come. While during a wedding I photograph a lot of candid portraits to capture the wedding day in a more fun and casual way, and while I describe my wedding photography style as modern creative wedding photography, classical wedding portraits still provide an iconic feel to the couple's official wedding shots. And equally important these are the wedding photographs that the parents of the bride and the groom also prefer printed and framed.
If you chose a professional wedding photographer s/he should be aware of the below and guide you during the photography photo session, but it’s always beneficial to bear in mind the below tips on posing which you can apply not only while your wedding photos are taken but also when any other photos are taken.
The Body and legs
The first guidance I give to anybody I shoot in a standing position is to stand at an angle of about 45° to the camera. This is the classic model’s pose as it makes the width of the shoulders less visible and therefore makes any person look slimmer. The second tip I give to the couple when we start the photo session is to put the weight on the back leg (the one furthest from the camera) so the back hip is hidden and away from the camera.  The back foot should be pointed away from the camera about 90 degrees, and the front foot should be pointed at the camera. (That’s feet in 4th position for the ballet dancers among you!) This gives a slimmer, more pleasing stance for any photo not just a wedding photo.
Similarly, if I photograph the bride and the groom seated I recommend that they sit slightly sideways to me and turn the upper body back to the camera. This posture makes legs look longer while crossing the legs also reduces the width of the body.
I also remind the bride to roll out the shoulder for a more erect posture which gives more elegance and style.
The hands
Hands easily show awkwardness so I always look out for people clenching their fists or curling their fingers. I advise clients that bent arms look more relaxed than straight ones, so I recommend to brides to hold the bouquet loosely in the hand nearest the camera and then to bend the elbow so that the bouquet is at waist height. A further tip to brides especially when being photographed alone is to hold the bouquet in one hand and to put the other hand on the hip as this accentuates the waist.
To the groom I recommend to put one hand in the pocket of the trousers in order to avoid the awkward hanging of the hand which the groom often doesn’t know what to do. It’s important to keep the thumbs out of the pockets so your whole hand is not hidden. This gives again a much more elegant and finished pose not only of the groom but of any man posing in a group photo.
In the cases when the bridal bouquet got misplaced I always position the bride and groom in what I call the Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Stephanie wedding pose. Their photograph of a pose without a bridal bouquet was widely published in most media and was still very royal and flattering. The idea is to show elegance without the awkward holding of the hands that often happens between couples when the bridal bouquet is missing. The idea is for the groom to bend his arm at the elbow and turn it upwards and offer it as a support to the bride who gently places her arm into  his. The trick is for both the bride and the groom to avoid clenching strongly onto each other which makes fingers look unappealing and the wedding photo look strained.
The head
Just like the shoulders, turning the head slightly to a three quarter position allows to slim down a wide face or jaw line. Therefore unless I intentionally photograph the person straight on I always recommend the bride or the groom to slightly tilt their face to one side. It also helps stretch out the neck area which helps avoid double chin problem.
The kiss
It’s always a fun moment during the photo session when we come to the ‘kiss’ photo as a lot of couples are quite eager share a kiss with their newly wedded other half. However it often all ends up with quite a lot of squashed lips and noses that do not look very flattering. I therefore recommend the couple when posing for a more formal kissing photo to pause for a second just millimetres from each other just before the actual kiss. This not only shows both faces in a more elegant and beautiful way but also make the kiss look more natural.
Allow plenty of time
It takes time to create good wedding photographs and an extra bit longer to do something creative,  so don’t expect masterpieces in five minutes. While in the US couples allocated up to 2 hours for their wedding photography in the UK most wedding photographers recommend at least 20 minutes to for wedding portraits. If you only have 10 minutes, that’s fine, just be realistic about what can be achieved. I’ve photographed weddings with no time allocated for formal wedding photos when bride and groom wanted pure photojournalistic wedding photography but I always tell the couple that the more time they allow for the photos the more creative wedding photographs I can produce.
Enjoy the moment
Finally, don’t forget to enjoy the moment while taking the photos. Couples often don’t realize that their wedding photo session is one of the few moments during the wedding they can spend on their own. After the more formal photos I switch to my long lens and step back and leave the couple to enjoy themselves while I take more relaxed casual portraits. The easiest way to get a natural smile is to think happy thoughts. I often ask the couple to share their feelings about the wedding so far. I urge the couple to concentrate on each other rather than what I am doing. Some of the best photos come when you forget you’re being photographed.
Last piece of advice to all couples however is – choose a wedding photographer with who you have a good rapport. S/he will be the one to help you relax in front of the camera. I always include in my packages an engagement photography session. This not only gives a few nice photos of the couple but gives couples the chance to get to know me better and practice some of the poses. It also helps break the nervousness of being photographed out of the way.
For further information on Central London wedding photography and to view our portfolio of wedding photography in London, Europe, France, Monaco, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Zurich and Russia please visit www.NeliPrahova.com or contact Neli on nprahova@gmail.com.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Christmas Family Studio Photography in Central London



Togetherness is such a special part of being a family so hold onto the moment with a fun and natural portrait photo session of your family in Central London. Book a mini family photo sessions and use the opportunity to create a personalised Christmas card to send to family and friends this Holiday season. I am holding a day of mini family photo sessions in a studio in Central London.
  • date: Saturday 8th December
  • location: Wapping – easy access via private and public transport, play area for children nearby
  • option to choose a session between 9am and 5.30pm
  • each session is 30 minutes long – which is plenty of time to get a few different looks for your family!
  • following your session within 5 days you will receive a CD with 10 high-resolution images with full rights of printing
  • payment will be due when reserving a time slot
  • you can get 25 or 50 colour professionally press-printed 6x4 cards with envelope and personalised message inside to send to family and friends this Christmas (25 cards for £50 and 50 cards for £95).
Price: £125
To book your photo session please contact Neli on nprahova@gmail.com 





For further information about London studio portrait photography shoot and to view our portfolio of portrait photography, family portrait photography, maternity photography, baby photography and artistic newborn photography in Central London please visit www.NeliPrahova.com or contact Neli on nprahova@gmail.com.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Autumn Central London Wedding Photography










Autumn is one of my favourite months and what a feast for the eye are the autumn colours when you shoot an autumn wedding.
Diana is from Colombia and Aapo is from Finland and I was privileged to photograph one of their three weddings with the rest two being in Colombia and Finland. Diana and Aapo are one of the most down to earth couple I've photographed and their wedding was wonderfully laid back. Their Central London wedding was very intimate and the Finish wedding ceremony was held in a very small circle of the immediate family in a lovely Finnish church in Central London.
Thereafter we went to a nearby park by Tower Hill where we took the family photos. While the family was enjoying a pint of beer in an nearby pub we stayed with Diana and Aapo in the park and took some beautiful artistic wedding photography shots. As Diana and Aapo didn't want to have any posed wedding photography I used predominantly my long lens to capture these beautiful wedding photos in Central London. The autumn colours gave a really romantic feel to the wedding photography and even Diana's wedding dress matched the background colours.
After the wedding photography session in the park we all joined the family for a pint in the pub before heading for a very lovely informal dinner which was followed by a reception for all the friends. The wedding continued the day after the wedding ceremony as Diana and Aapo have organised an amazing BBQ for their friends in their house in Central London. It gave me yet another opportunity to continue with the wedding photography of this lovely couple. Not to mention the treat of an Argentinian steak personally cooked by an Argentian friend of theirs.
Looking through the photos I can say that summer weddings are beautiful and lush with greenery but autumn weddings can add another level of creativity to artistic wedding photography in Central London.


For further information on Central London wedding photography and to view our portfolio of wedding photography in London, Europe, France, Monaco, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Zurich and Russia please visit www.NeliPrahova.com or contact Neli on nprahova@gmail.com.