5 Wedding Posing Tips
from an experienced fashion photographer
First Thing's First
I remember when my best friend got married, she initially wanted me to photograph her wedding, and despite my insistence to do it, she ultimately decided to have me by her side in the wedding party and hire a local photographer recommendation instead. The photos turned out ok, but she was upset. She said to me, "I didn't know at the time because I had too much on my mind, but I just DID NOT like the way the photographer posed us, and the photos turned out looking cheesy."
I ended up giving them a session as a wedding gift, and guess whose photos they have on their wall 10 years later? 😉
Their experience lead me to do some research, I found several articles and studies about wedding regrets, and right there at the top was wedding photography! I believe that this is due to a lot of so-called pro photographers not knowing how to direct their clients.
I take a lot of pride in my work, so upon finding out how common regrets towards wedding photography are, I have decided to compile a list of my top 5 posing tips to ensure more knowledge on the client's side, regardless of who’s behind the camera. Enjoy!
1
Peaceful State of mind
A camera can do many things, posing and composition can do even more... However, if you are not relaxed, that will come across in the photos. Sometimes that's easier said than done, and understandably so if you're feeling overwhelmed. It is my opinion that THE MOST IMPORTANT step you can take at that point is to breathe, relax, and be in the moment. The best way to do this is to take a moment before the shoot doing something relaxing or that you enjoy. Hopefully you'll hire a photographer that makes you feel comfortable and at ease, and even better if you get along well, and share a few laughs. No matter the scenario, you're here now... BREATHE, enjoy, be present.
2
Walk the walk
Try having as many candid moments captured on your way to the posed locations. Ask your photographer ( if they aren't doing so already ) to capture photos as they walk ahead of you. Focus on walking just a bit slower than you normally would, and perhaps also with more interaction between you two than you normally would (unless you're a pro at PDA a-la-Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas ) Don't mind the camera. Smile, laugh, kiss, hold hands
3
What are hands?
You have a camera pointing at you and suddenly you're hyper aware of your arms and hands, and in the worst case scenario overthinking what to do with them instead of relaxing. First know that this is extremely common, secondly try to relax and not overthink, regardless here are a few rules:
- Give your hands something to touch, whether it's your partner's face or clothes, your hair, your dress or your other hand/arm.
- Avoid pushing your hands and arms against your body.
- Don't go for the hand on hip sorority look, instead keep your arms and hands soft and confident.
4
the x factor
Pretty much a rule amongst pro photographers posing couples is known as the X factor, or cross rule. The idea is that there is an imaginary X connecting the couple. To make more sense of this, we ask couples not to stare directly into each other's eyes at eye level, but rather eyes to nose. It's an easy trick! But the results are less posed, more candid looking images.
5
Posed but not forced
Last but not least... We want images to tell a story, to contain a memory, to reflect the love you have for each other. We do so by capturing the nature of your relationship, your friendship. Sometimes something as simple as not seeing eye to eye while remaining close to each other and keeping your gazes completely off the camera can create that natural candid feel. In this example the bride sits in between the groom's legs (the posed part) they're told to share an inner joke, and the magic just happens. Suddenly, they're in the moment. And a photo like this one will take you back to not only what you wore, but how you felt.
And there you have it!! By now you might even know more about posing than some "professional" photographers out there 😉
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