Bridal Preparations Wedding Photography
Last week I was meeting with a couple to discuss their wedding photography plans and the topic of bridal preparations came up.
My wedding photography service covers the whole of your wedding day, from the bridal preparations, through until the first dance for one simple reason – your wedding day is a day, not little segments of a day that you have to choose to be photographed.
The bridal prep photographs are a big part of that day and serve two very important roles.
The first is that I photograph your wedding as if it were a story. Standing back and observing, I watch the day unfold before me, picking those right moments that will help tell you the story of your wedding when you look through your album.
Like any story, there are characters that the narrative revolves around – in this case, you and your partner! By photographing the bridal preparations it’s a great way to introduce the two main characters and set the scene for your wedding story.
The second is that, if you’re anything like the rest of us, your natural reaction when someone is around photographing you is to stop, look at the camera and smile (or run away!). The way I photograph your wedding is totally hands off. No direction, no asking you to pose looking longingly out the window, no arranging contrived images of wedding dresses hanging in trees. Just honest, simple beautifully observant photographs. If I need a wash of light to highlight that beautiful dress, I’ll move to find the best light. Not move the dress – it’s your wedding dress, not my prop department.
So, it’s only right that my main focus of the wedding photography should also not react to me being around. You want to see the emotions of your wedding day, the way you react with your friends, your mum, your sister or daughter – not how you react to me being there with a camera. Having me around during the hustle and bustle of the bridal preps means that you get used to me being there, and you’re able to ‘zone me’ out before the main part of the day gets underway. Everything that you think of when you think of bridal preparation photographs – the details, the shoes, the little bottles of perfume, the dusting of make-up across a table top – all these little moments are photographed, as they are, looking their most interesting and best – by me moving to find the best view – not me moving the items. Gorgeous photographs with no interference from me, and effortlessly from you.
For me, bridal preparations are the foundation of having fantastically amazing documentary photographs of your wedding day.
Hopefully this post has helped you share that view.
If you’d like to find out my availability for your wedding day, please, get in touch.
