There are several factors that add to a successful wedding photography:
In a dressing room.
When choosing a dressing room - whether it's in a hotel or your home - try to have a large room with a good natural light. A room that has large windows facing north - will be your best choice. However you do not want any direct sunlight either and so if that is the case - make sure it has curtains to help to diffuse the harsh light.
Tidy up the room and make sure there is nothing that you wouldn't want to have in the photo - like a stack of clothes on the floor, your underwear or sweat pants hanging down from the bed or chairs. Think that everything what is in the room is going to make it into your wedding dressing photos and clean it up accordingly!
I love the part of the wedding details in the wedding photography, when the dresses are beautifully hanging without their packaging and the shoes are removed from the boxes.. Think "romantic" in the dressing room and make sure to hide or dispose all boxes, plastic bags and wrappers and other garbage, as there is nothing worse than having photographing a beautiful bride surrounded with all these wedding not related messes.
Have all the wedding details like - jewelry, garter, your purse etc. - displayed somewhere on the dresser, as they, along with the bride herself, usually get a high attention of the photographer during the dressing photo session. It is also recommended that the flowers are removed from the cardboards they are delivered in and nicely arranged somewhere on the table or a counter.
Wedding Photo session.
If you are not a super model and haven't been exposed that much to a professional photo camera you may find it rather challenging and even sometimes uncomfortable , than easy, to come up with natural looking poses, yet beautiful. Of course I will help and guide you and tell you how to pose and what to do, but it is so much appreciated and encouraged that you do your homework and learn some of the wedding poses before the photo shoot.
I always recommend that the Bride and the Groom-to-be browse some fashion and wedding magazines and websites and try and practice some of the desired poses in front of the mirror.
Find out more about yourself, your best angles and best face expressions! Try it first with the mirror and then do the same thing without it. Check back in the mirror to see if you got it! Do it together - it will be fun and then on the wedding day - you will know what to do and my directions will make more sense to you.
Ceremony and Reception.
You don't have to be looking at me the entire wedding day when I'm taking pictures of you in a photojournalistic, not posed style. You should ignore me completely during the Ceremony and especially during the Ceremony.
However, during the Reception , after the formal part – look at me sometimes when dancing, as I don't want to be capturing just the backs of you people having fun on the dancing floor.
Please look at me sometimes when tossing the bouquet and the garter and dance for me - so that I can get those great shots of you playing with the wedding guests.
On your wedding day - please relax and have fun! Don't think of it as of a stressful long and tiring day. Be natural when posing, no need to be serious on the photos and do not try to mimic that "passport photography" face. And even if you may have a crazy photography idea – share it with your professional wedding photographer and that idea might be implemented in some way!
