Before the wedding begins, there are a heap of opportunities for photos that better illustrate the love story between the happy couple. From rings to flowers to jewelry to the dress, everything the bride has chosen for her ensemble has been selected for a reason, and it’s important to capture that in your wedding day coverage.
Bridal prep essentials: key shots to get before the wedding begins
When the bride is getting ready, take advantage of the waiting around time by capturing macros and details. Photograph the last touches being put on her outfit, and then the moments shared with her bridesmaids and family members before the ceremony begins.
How to use this photo pose prompt
These are often the first photos that you will capture on the wedding day, and is a great ease-in to the photography of the day because your attention is turned onto the jewelry, rings, dress and so on, rather than pointing your lens immediately at the bride and her bridesmaids (all of whom are probably nervous about the upcoming ceremony). If you aren’t hired for the bridal prep, however, you can still grab a lot of great detail shots (of the rings, bouquet, and other parts of the ensemble that are not already attached to the bride) after the ceremony, if necessary. Having your flashes on hand for lighting comes in handy if you have to photograph details during a dark reception! Read more on using flash here.
Get the maid of honor or a bridesmaid on the task of collecting everything together that you need. It’s a good idea to prepare your bride for this during pre-wedding meetings–have her put together a list for her maid of honor, so that she can find everything while the bride is having her hair or make-up done.
Find a space near a window to set up your detail shots. Flash bounced from a wall or roof is also an option if no window light is available. Do not use direct flash: if there is no suitable bounce surface then use a softbox or umbrella. I use the Rogue Flash Bender 2 XL because it is fantastically portable and gives beautiful even light.
Consider having a kit of accessories to enhance your macros and flatlays for this part of the day: ribbons, linen or silk fabric to lie things on, and clamps to clip things in place.
Use a macro lens. I use a 35mm macro lens for my detail shots; a 100mm macro is also a great choice, but any lens that has the macro focusing capability (i.e. it can focus on things really close to the lens), it will work fine.
Experiment with selective focus, symmetry and flat-lay style photos. Have one item in the foreground and the others blurred behind. Line everything up perfectly symmetrical and shoot from directly above for a flat-lay. Avoiding perspective convergence is key for a good symmetrical flat-lay (i.e. you want all the lines to be parallel or perpendicular in the image).
Use the details shot list below as a prompt for ideas and select the one or two that work for what the bride has in her ensemble, combing items in one shot where appropriate. Don’t underestimate how long these shots will take: it can be fiddly! Avoid overshooting: once each accessory has been included in a photo, move on to the photos with people.
Need a white-label wedding runsheet to plan the wedding day with your couples, and prevent photo disasters before they happen? Get it here, or as part of my full Wedding Ready Workshop here.
Idea 1: Details shot list
- Rings: wedding bands (if the bride has them; often the groom has these) and engagement band. Nest rings in flowers, in box, on fabric of dress, on the toe of shoes, resting on coiled necklace or bracelet, in bride’s cupped hands, on her finger with her holding the bouquet, rings standing up on their edge on a mirrored surface.
- Flowers: bouquet on its own, on the dress, close-ups of flowers in the bouquet, with jewelry draped, with rings in flowers, behind perfume bottles, behind shoes. Being held by bride: crop tight above and below bouquet, close-up on hands showing engagement ring below flowers, ¾ portrait with bride holding bouquet at waist level. When bride is holding bouquet in both hands, check balance of where the flowers sit: usually you will need to have her drop it slightly lower than feels comfortable for it to look “right.”
- Dress: hanging up before it is put on, as backdrop to flowers or shoes or other details, close-ups of lace or beading or ribbon details, hands lacing up corset as the bride dresses, hands doing up pearl buttons.
- Veil and hairpieces: veil hanging alone, veil hung and then stretched sideways by a bridesmaid, draped over a chair (an attractive chair, hopefully), hands placing veil in hair. Hairpiece with other jewelry or other details, being put into hair by a bridesmaid or hair stylist. Group shot opportunity with all the bridesmaids under the veil with the bride.
- Shoes: on their own side-by side, stacked (works well for stilettos). Show label if they are designer. From front or back for stilettoes. Earrings hanging off back of stilettoes, rings on toes of shoes, shoes next to bouquet. Bridesmaid helping put shoes on (think Cinderella), shoes peeping out from underneath dress, dress pulled up to show shoes.
- Garter: with other details like bouquet, jewelry, shoes. Bridesmaid or mother of the bride helping bride put it on. Bride pulling it up. Hands draped beside garter when sitting, showing engagement ring (works well if the bride has a special dressing gown for the occasion).
- Jewelry: special necklace, bracelet, earrings. Necklace or bracelet in box, being put on by an attendant, draped over flowers, hanging loosely from “ballet fingers” (gentle, draped fingers). Earrings: hang from back of shoes, wine glass, on bouquet, bride putting them on.
- Purse: with other details, bride holding with ballet fingers.
- Perfume: bottle with other details, shot of the bride spraying it (have her wait until you count her down and capture the droplets in the air).
- Ephemera: letters, photos (e.g. people who can’t be there), invitations. Use as backdrops and in detail shots with other items. At my best friend’s wedding, she and her husband-to-be wrote each other a letter to read the morning of while they were getting ready, and I made sure to document her reading it as well as using the letter in my detail shots.
- Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue: if the bride is doing this tradition then group all four items together for a photo.
- Special gifts, cultural traditions and objects: make sure you ask the bride if there’s anything special being included such as Great-Grandmother’s locket, pearls from Nanna, etc. Don’t rely on her to remember without being prompted because she will have a lot on her mind!
- Celebrations of the morning: wine glasses (especially if personalized with bridesmaids names) and champagne bottles, toasts being made, personalized gifts for the attendants, people taking selfies.
Idea 2: People prep shot list
- Bride having her hair and make-up done. Side note: taking shots of the hair and make-up stylists doing their work make a great asset to share. Always look for opportunities to network and make connections with other providers. When I deliver a wedding gallery, I always send it to the other wedding vendors (which I obtain the contact details for during pre-wedding meetings). Tag them on social media too. This is a good backlink strategy for SEO too: ask them to link to your website with SEO-friendly text such as “Photo by Sunshine Coast wedding photographer, Icefeatherwind Photography” if they use the image on their site.
- Attendants hanging out while they wait for the bride: taking selfies, encouraging the bride, laughing together. Look for what the friendships look like, and document it.
- Bride with parents: mother helping her get ready, father’s first look of his daughter dressed up in her wedding ensemble.
- Group portraits: bride with each attendant individually, and all together. Bride with each parent and parents together (including stepparents as necessary). Bride with siblings, and with parents and siblings together.
Creative extension
- Ask questions and go deeper. Ask about the meaning of different accessories and style choices, and make a few notes (on your phone, or have your assistant jot them down) for later reference. Share those stories when you publish the images on your social media as previews. Client relationships are critical in wedding photography, and touches like this show that you care about what your couple cares about, and gives them the buzz of knowing you are invested in their story.
- Look for reflections: mirrors, glass surfaces, picture frames. Experiment with symmetry and selective focus: focus on the bride’s reflection as she looks into the mirror and let her real self blur, then change angles to have both in focus. Use reflective surfaces as surfaces to set up symmetrical images of detail items.
Tag @promptographerguide and use the hashtag #promptographerguide to share your favorite photos captured with this prompt.
Want this prompt in your Field Cards set?
All the info in this prompt post is summarized onto a single card in the Promptographer Guide Field Cards, with the details given in the accompanying Guidebook. All the ideas are given on the one card so you have a rich, comprehensive tool for sparking ideas. I’ve designed it this way so you only need five to ten cards to build a whole photoshoot.
If you want this prompt in your set, make sure you include Set 5: Wedding Moments in your Field Cards.
