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.
