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Ceremony Photos Inspiration By ShootDotEdit Customers

1. Danny Dong Photography

ShootDotEdit customer Danny Dong shows exactly what a bird’s-eye view can do. Not only can it add a different perspective, but you could also use this shooting technique to photograph the whole ceremony site with the surrounding areas too! If you can find a spot that will give you the height you’d need for the angle, go for it! Otherwise, if you have it included in your services, you could also turn to drone wedding photography.

2. Brandi Allyse Photo

This is one of those classic ceremony photo inspirations. If you want to capture the #newlywedsglow, then we would recommend you do it like how ShootDotEdit customer Brandi Allyse did here and photograph your couple’s happy faces as they exit the ceremony site or you could instruct your second shooter or assistant to do the same as you make your way to the back of the aisle after shooting the ceremony. 

3. Diane Nicole Photography

During the ceremony, especially when the bride begins to walk down the aisle, don’t forget about the person who is already standing at the altar! Their expressions could give you the best photos, and in the photo above ShootDotEdit customer Diane Nicole Clifford flawlessly captures the reaction.

4. Taylor Kemp Photography

Wedding pictures are incomplete without a photo of the interiors of the church (if there’s a church ceremony involved, of course). While church ceremonies might restrict you in some ways, but when you really use what’s at your disposal, you could create some spectacular photos like ShootDotEdit customer Taylor Kemp did. If practical, you could even move around the venue as the ceremony is taking place and document the ceremony from the back of the aisle. This way, you could also include a little bit of the venue in the wedding photos too. 

Suggested Read: 30 Must-Have Wedding Ceremony Shots To Add To Your Shot List

Tips For Taking Ceremony Photos 

1. Make Time For Location Scouting 

If you’ve been a wedding photographer for a long time, you might already know the benefits of location scouting, and if you are not yet acquainted with them, you can check out this blog to learn more about the advantages of location scouting. When you explore the venue your couple will be getting married in ahead of the shoot, you get to figure out things like the lighting and space it has, the angles you could use, the vantage points available, and most importantly to learn about any rules that you might have to follow while photographing your couple’s ceremony. This is especially beneficial if the ceremony is taking place at a church. 

Once you know the place, you will get a better idea of how you want to photograph it and can accordingly prepare your second shooter or assistant too. Additionally, if you do decide to visit the location ahead of the wedding day, try to go at a time that is similar to when the ceremony will be taking place on the wedding day. This will help you get an idea about the kind of natural lighting you are going to have to work with on the wedding day (unless the weather decides to be moody). 

2. Indoor Vs Outdoor Ceremony 

All couples are unique, and they all have their own unique styles of getting married. Whether your couple decides to go with an indoor or outdoor ceremony, the goal is still the same: Document their union in a creative and beautiful way that does justice to their story and wedding day. While photographing indoors, you could have good light, bad light, no light, or even mixed white balances – as in with churches with stained glass windows. Whatever be the case – you might want to think of lighting setups that will help you take those stunning ceremony photos without missing any important details.

The same can be said for an outdoor ceremony too. The sun may be too bright or not bright enough, the light might be coming from the wrong direction, causing shadows to fall on your client’s face, or the weather might decide to switch up on you too – since you are outside, you can’t do too much anyway. Therefore, besides having everything set up for plan A, we would also recommend having a solid plan B in case the weather gets moody or the natural light is not doing justice to the photographs. There are various logistical issues that come with photographing the wedding ceremony, and planning and preparing for each of those is a skill you will perfect as you progress in your journey.

Suggested Read: Indoor Wedding Photography Inspiration From ShootDotEdit Customers

3. Where To Stand During The Ceremony

“Where should I stand during the wedding ceremony?” – this is a question that many beginners ask themselves. But the answer to this can be both simple and complex at the same time, depending on the venue and the kind of ceremony you are photographing. You could stand at the back of the aisle, front of the aisle, opposite the bride/groom, etc. Many photographers prefer standing on the front side of the aisle and have a second shooter or assistant take photographs from the back of the aisle. This way, you can get photos of the bride as she’s walking down the aisle from the front (while the other photographer covers the back), and you are also close enough to capture the groom’s expressions. 

If you have someone to cover the back of the aisle, you could also have them take some wide shots of the ceremony, and perhaps even include some sweeping architecture shots if the venue allows it. This way, you can also move around the venue and document the ceremony from different angles and perspectives. The most important thing is that you know the spots you are allowed to move in and never get in people’s view or way. 

4. Talk To Your Clients

While you should keep communication lines open throughout, it’s absolutely essential to talk to your clients about the kind of ceremony they are having. You could ask them whether there are any religious or cultural traditions that you should keep your camera ready for or if there is something unique that the two of them would be doing during the ceremony. It’s always best to ask, especially if you are not familiar with your client’s cultural and wedding traditions. Also, it would help both parties to be on the same page if you let your clients know about any limitations that will hinder you from getting any of the shots. It’s best to keep them informed to set expectations right from the beginning. 

Suggested Read: Indian Wedding Photography: Understanding The Art & The Market

Ceremonies are an integral part of the wedding day, and your couple deserves that to be documented in a way that helps them relive that moment even years down the road. While the above ceremony photos inspirations are some tried and true ways in which you could photograph your couple’s ceremony, don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Depending on the location and the amount of time you have, you could focus on getting all the ‘must-have’ shots first and then get a little creative as you move around the ceremony site and use different perspectives to photograph the ceremony. It’s not really rocket science, but you do need to plan and prepare for where you are going to stand, what extra gear or lighting equipment you are going to need, the moments you have to capture, and so on. We hope you enjoyed these ceremony photos inspirations by our customers!

Further Read: Wedding Ceremony Photography Guide

At ShootDotEdit, we strive to help you level up your creative and business skills – whether it’s by bringing you ceremony photos inspiration, or tips on enhancing your social media strategies. And to help you focus on that, we lessen your post-production workload with our photo editing services. To learn more about how we can help your wedding photography business, check out our pricing plans.