Every couple wants their wedding photos to be beautiful, timeless and unique. When hiring the services of a professional wedding photographer, to capture the magic and romance of your special day, it’s essential that you think about all of the different styles of wedding photography, in order to avoid ending up with cliché wedding photos in your wedding photo albums.
Your wedding photos are much more than a collection of cookie-cutter photographs taken on a particular day. For most couples, the photos that feature in their family heirloom wedding photo albums are precious cherished keepsakes of a memorable magical life changing event.
Although there are many tried-and-tested poses, and token portraits and landscape shots, that continually grace the pages of wedding photo albums, if you want to have a unique wedding photo collection it’s essential that you think out of the box.
Showcase Your Personalities
If safe and conventional wedding photography doesn’t appeal to you and your future spouse, make a commitment to showcase your unique personalities. Engage the services of a professional photographer who specialises in informal photo journalism or reportage style of wedding photography.
This popular style of wedding photography involves documentary shooting that creatively captures precious and special moments throughout the wedding day. Your romantic love story will be shot from start to finish, and will feature photography that requires no posing. The wedding photographs will be natural and real, and will showcase your authentic personalities.
Opt For Au Naturel
If you’re getting wed in the spring or summer, take advantage of the good weather by asking your wedding photographer to emphasise the natural outdoor lighting. Wedding photography that doesn’t rely on artificial light produces beautiful photographs that are highly flattering. When you use this photography style for capturing romantic images like the cliché bride and groom dip and kiss, the photographs are transformed into a moment that is deeply personal and real.
The Perfect Couple Pose
Every wedding photo album features a photo of the happy couple holding hands whilst lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes. To avoid this cliché, consider posing in a less conventional way. You can use aerial wedding photographer to capture the cliché image from a unique bird’s eye view. Or taking your posing to another level, by shooting images that are Instagram worthy. Fashion wedding photography focuses on enhancing the genuine expressions of the happy couple, but in model mode.
Avoid shots that are taken from below as this is not the most flattering of angles. Ask your wedding photographer to suggest some inspired ways in which you and your spouse can look fabulously cool and stylish, without looking like you have no neck or a foreshortened body.
Keep It Classy
Celebrate your nuptials in a classy way, by including glamorous and timeless black and white photography on your special day. Many couples getting married choose to complement colour photos with a selection of chic and dramatic black and white portraits. Because monochrome images lack vibrant colour, the captured mood is instantly intensified.
Do however, avoid adding black and white photos that are enhanced with a pop of colour. These cliché images are best reserved for commercial posters.
Novelty Fun Shots
One of the best ways to feature unique photographs in your wedding albums is to include a novelty fun shot. The most overused wedding pose of this kind is the jumpshot of the bride and groom. Not only is this shot difficult and challenging to get right on cue, it’s also become a wedding photo cliché. Another cliché novelty fun shot that is best avoided is the ‘couple posing behind an empty picture frame’.
Don’t be afraid to start your own trend by posing for a fun shot that is daring and/or original. Get creative and use props to help show off your quirky humour and personality. If you include one or two novelty shots in your wedding photo albums, you’ll create a unique memory that you can relive over and over again.
When the wedding photographer is assembling your wedding party for a posed shot, make sure that he/she avoids the cliché Bridesmaids movie poster line-up. The same applies to the overused groomsmen boy band shot. Instead, gather up your Maid of Honour, bridesmaids and the Best Man and groomsmen and present them in a quirky manner that is novel to you. To avoid the usual clichés, focus on your wedding theme for unique posing inspiration.
Focus On The Finer Details
Instead of cramming your wedding photo albums full of photos of distant relatives and acquaintances, opt to focus on highlighting the finer details of your wedding day. A photo journalism/reportage wedding photographer is highly skilled in taking shots of the all-important details, like the beautiful handmade bridal shoes and accessories, and candid shots of the blushing bride during bridal prep.
One photographic image that often features in a wedding photographer’s portfolio, in the shot of wedding rings that have been carefully arranged in a random place because this looks arty. If you like the wedding ring photo and want to feature it in your wedding photo albums, it’s a good idea to think about how you can upgrade this image. Be creative with your background details, and choose to place your wedding rings in a location that holds a special meaning for your and your spouse.
