One of my favorite things to do at a wedding is shooting all of the bridal details. Everything from the invitation to the rings to her fabulous shoes just tells a whole new side of the story and I LOVE to shoot them. It’s a great warm up for me and helps me get in “game mode” for the whole day. I’ve had a few photographers as me questions about how we approach our detail shooting so I thought I’d post 5 tips for shooting bridal details! If anyone has any other questions please feel free to contact us! We’d love to help….or if you found this helpful we’d love to know!
–Find available natural light
We educate our brides on why it’s so important to have at least one window at their getting ready venue. Not only does this help us create beautiful images of her getting into her gown but it also allows us a great light resource to shoot her details. I shoot all of her blingy details(rings, jewelry, hair piece) with my light source 45 degrees. That way I don’t lose the detail and also have a well lit airy image.
–Shoot the details close to the preparation happenings
Even though it is VITAL to shoot gorgeous detail images it is of equal importance to be close to the action so you are sure not to miss anything as the girls prep and have fun together. Ben helps me setup a small corner in the room or suite and gathers any and all elements I may use throughout so once again I can be efficient and not miss a beat.
–Educate your bride on what to gather
When I first started shooting weddings I left things to chance a lot. I just expected my brides to know exactly what I needed from them and if and when they didn’t I would just shoot whatever they brought. Not only is that a disservice to them but it also didn’t allow me to develop my portfolio with images that I loved. Over time I realized it’s MY job to make sure our brides know exactly what we need them to bring so we can shoot their details thoughtfully and creatively and moreso deliver the images they deserve. Here’s the list we always request.
1) All 3 rings
2) All bridal jewelry
3) A non plastic hanger for their dress. (nothing worse than a gorgeous dress hanging on plastic amiright?!)
4) Any heirloom pieces and old new borrowed and blue items
5) An invitation suite and any other paper goods
6) Shoes
7) Veil and/or hair piece
This little system has helped us serve our brides so much better and helped our detail shooting be fast, efficient and beautiful.
– Shoot with your blog in mind
This may sound a bit odd but stick with me. When you’re shooting her details make sure that you are thinking about her wedding and all the details of the day. Tying all of those in not only makes your images flow beautifully together it helps aide in seamless album design and eye catching blog posts. Some ideas of elements to pull in are a bridesmaids dress as a background, her bouquet, coasters or other small elements, a hankie or even natural elements that can be found around the venue
–Use a macro lens
I shoot the rings, the jewelry, and small details with a Canon 100 2.8. This is a non negotiable for me. I love the way I can make the smallest pieces life-size in the frame and also can control the focus to make a tact sharp image. I shoot the shoes, dress bouquets and any other larger images with my 50 mm 1.2. The bokeh this lens creates always blows my mind and I loe the editorial look it gives but moreover how it transforms the details with a bright airy feel which we LOVE so much.
Hope you all have a Happy Wednesday! We are back from Vegas and preparing for a gorgeous Friday wedding this week! Cannot wait! Also, y’all, we shot the amazing Jason Toevs of Two Blokes Designs and his super sweet wife, Shelbie in the Valley of Fire yesterday. Game changer. Can’t wait to share! Also remember if you have any tech questions don’t hesitate to email us 🙂
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