Bridesmaid Photography Tips at a Wedding

Photography Tips  •  Wedding Photography

Bridesmaids are undoubtedly an important part of a wedding and this holds equally true for a wedding photographer. Bridesmaids are important for a photographer from two perspectives. One, they are close friends of the bride, so it would be a very bad idea to miss them out. Second, they add certain charm to the ceremony with their pretty dresses and details which complement the bride. Vanessa Joy takes us behind the scenes to share her tips on photographing bridesmaids.

Group shots or single portraits?

Why not do it all? The bride would definitely want to have a photo of all her bridesmaids together. This calls for a group photograph with all of them together. You can also take individual portraits of the bridesmaids. And finally, photograph individual bridesmaid with the bride – a special photograph for both of them.

Focus on the details

Bridesmaids add a certain level of charm to the ceremony with small details. Their bouquets, pretty dresses, jewelries can be interesting subjects to photograph. So keep your eyes out and look for such photo opportunities.

Posing the bridesmaids

To start with, you can photograph the bridesmaids standing in a line with the bride. Now it is up to you to make the photograph flattering. As a photographer, it is up to you to add emotions to your photograph. Telling jokes, admiring the beautiful bridesmaids, directing them in a way they look better can be some ways to make the photograph look appealing.

Make the bride stand out

It is the bride’s special day after all, so it is a good idea to put some emphasis on her. One simple way to do so is by asking the bride to step up a few steps closer to the camera from the group and shooting the bride with a wider aperture. This will put an emphasis on the bride while all her bridesmaids are on the background. The photograph will pop better if the bride and the bridesmaids wear dresses with contrasting colors. Think of ways to make the bride stand out.

Which lens to use?

While this decision can depend on the space and lighting that you have at the ceremony venue, having something like a 50 mm will result in better group shots as this focal length has minimal distorting compared to say  24 mm or 35 mm. When it comes to portraits something on the longer end like the 85 mm or greater will help you get images with good background compression and less distortion.

Don’t forget the candid moments

While the first shooter is engaged with the bridesmaids, the second shooter can be around with a longer lens capturing all the candid moments – the moments of laughter, smiles, chitchats, touch-ups. These  shots pump a sense of life to the wedding photo collection.

Females (bridesmaids in this case) tend to have a greater tendency to get emotionally attached to their environment compared to the males. While working with bridesmaids, you are working with your future potential customers. So get your best skills to work and bring out the best from the bridesmaids.