Out of all the photographs you shoot on the wedding day, the bride’s dress is one of the most important to capture. Whether there is an emotional story behind it, or there is a unique reason she chose it, or because of its show-stopping quality - this is the dress she wanted to wear and have photographed on her big day. And that’s why mastering wedding dress photography is a must. Wedding planning is hardly ever a walk in the park, and for some brides, finding their dream wedding dress is equally challenging too. So when they do end up finding that perfect fabric and fit, as their wedding photographer and the person who is responsible for documenting the big day, it’s your job to also make sure that the wedding dress gets its fair share of the spotlight. In this blog, we share how you too can take wedding dress pictures that wow your bride!
4 Quick Tips For Wedding Dress Photography
1. Find Ways To Make The Dress Shine
Image Courtesy: ShootDotEdit Customer @taylorkempphotography
Not literally, of course! Unless that’s something that would look good. But what we mean by finding ways to make the dress shine is simply to look around your surroundings and figure out how you could do a wedding dress photo shoot without the bride wearing it. Although the bride will likely have a nice hanger for her dress, you could bring along your own hanger that could be photographed beautifully with the dress and match your style too. Most of the time, a classic wooden hanger can create a more elegant look for the bride’s dress.
Wedding dress photography is all about creatively documenting the dress, so you could hang it on a tree (make sure you keep it safe and clean!), by a window or doorway, or you could find any other aesthetically pleasing backdrop and hang the dress against it. Also, if you decide to give your bride a gift, have the hanger customized with her name and wedding date.
2. CAPTURE UNIQUE SHOTS
Image Courtesy: ShootDotEdit Customer @erinm_photographyAfter you capture a few classic shots of the bride’s dress, try out a few new angles and ideas. The location of the wedding is part of the story, so find ways to place the dress in spots/against backdrops that highlight where the couple chose to celebrate their special day while simultaneously helping you create some wonderful photos of the dress. If you are outdoors, find locations that include the environment or interesting architectural features. Even if the venue doesn’t have anything unique to offer in terms of backdrops or spots for wedding dress photography, use your creative vision and experiment with different angles and perspectives to create something extraordinary out of the ordinary. Just like you do with the detail shots, when you capture unique shots of the wedding dress, you contribute to the story of the wedding day. One of the most important tips to remember for wedding dress photography is to capture EVERYTHING about the dress. This means you photograph it from the front, the back, from the bottom, from above, and you get all the details, the sequins, embroideries - everything.
3. Photographing Your Bride In The Dress
Image Courtesy: ShootDotEdit Customer @photography_by_orlando
You could create some real magic when you take photos of the bride’s dress once she’s in it. This is especially true in the case of photographing the veil and the train. If your bride’s dress has a dramatic train, remember to position it in a way that helps the drama shine through and makes it look gorgeous for the photographs too. Once the bride is in her dress, you could also highlight the back and the neckline of the dress. Using a smart cropping technique, you could even give a glimpse of the bride in some of the pictures. And as far as photographing the veil is concerned, you could try a handful of photography tricks. You could photograph the bride through the veil, you could try the classic veil toss, or you could create some stunning shots by using the power of the wind too. To photograph the veil, you could also creatively pose the bride (and perhaps even the groom with her) and the veil on the ground or the stairs.
4. Get Inspired By Wedding Blogs
Sometimes, it’s okay to step out of the box and try something new. While you may have your tried and true shot list for wedding dress photography, you could also consider switching it up and doing some research to hit refresh on that shot list. You could check out various wedding blogs, read bridal magazines, or even check out what your fellow wedding photographers have been doing with their brides.
Additionally, it would also be great to talk to your bride about it. You could ask her if she wants to be photographed in a certain way in her wedding dress or if there is something specific about it that she’d like for the photographs to highlight. Your client may end up giving you some great ideas too. So don’t be afraid to experiment a little, especially if that could end up impressing your bride.
Make Time For The Wedding Dress
Image Courtesy: ShootDotEdit Customer @robbmccormickphotography
At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about helping you hone your craft! And we help with that by taking editing off your plate with our professional photo editing services. To learn more about how we can help your wedding photography business, check out our pricing plans.
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