Be in the moment on your wedding day. Heather + Michael were a perfect example of this (photos below). These two were constantly interacting, smiling, and laughing with each other and there are a ton of photos showcasing this. Hire a photographer that you trust. We always tell potential clients that looking natural in your wedding photos starts with trust. If you trust us 100% then you can let go and truly be in the moment with each other. It will definitely show in your photos! This applies to candid shots and obviously bride + groom portraits. During portraits you don’t want to be doubting what we are doing with our cameras, or confused as to why we are asking you to turn your head a certain way that might feel awkward, or why we are making you stand somewhere that seems weird. Once you trust your photographers and “let go”, you’ll be in the moment and that’s the first step to looking natural in your photos.
Here are a few other ways to look natural in your wedding portraits:
- Consider doing a first look before the ceremony if you are super stressed. Once you see your bride or groom it should alleviate some of the stress that will more than likely show up in the photos. Really anything you can do to help with relieving stress on your wedding is fantastic.
- Book an engagement session with your photographer — this is a good chance to warm up to us and the camera and by the end of the session you’ll probably feel like professional models. Although much different from your actual wedding day, it’s still a good opportunity to see how we work.
- Professional makeup — it’ll make you look and feel confident!
- Have a cocktail before the photos begin. But not too many cocktails ;)
Want your guests to also be in the moment? Consider extending this “be present” mentality to your wedding guests by having an unplugged wedding ceremony. This is as simple as putting up a sign telling guests not to take photos or video during the ceremony. It discourages your guests from whipping out iPhones, Rebel cameras, or heck, maybe even drones soon enough. This is for their benefit as well as yours. We’ve had guests with cameras jump in our way before (yes, during the ceremony) and it has caused us to miss shots. You are paying us to take professional photos so it’s unfair to you to have photos with a plethora of iPhones sticking up in the air.
Enjoy the photos from H+M’s beautiful wedding at The Farm in Asheville. Don’t they look incredibly happy?! We loved everything about this couple and their day.
Vendors
Venue: The Farm
Florist: Carolina Flowers
Makeup: Blush Asheville
Hair: Ananda
Cinema/Video: J Mitchell Productions