Photo Factory Blog

Wedding couples are mostly not models. So it’s our job to make them look nice and, for me more importantly, to make them look natural in their pictures. 

Here are some of my dos and don’ts. One of the points is only there to irritate you. Let’s see if you’re smart enough to find that one. 

I’m a photojournalist, in mind and in heart. Every posed shot I make is also a snap shot. I think I hardly can get a natural looking shot if I tell the couple to look in a certain direction, to smile, and to lift one of their legs and not to move. What I do is just giving them general instructions and snap the best moments. The couple can even talk to each other. It is my job to catch the moment where they look good. 

It is the right of the couples to have their faces seen in their pictures. I’m not joking. If the bride or the groom is not really photogenic (okay, far from photogenic), very often she or he will get these kinds of photos:

• You can see only the back of her/his head.
• You can see her/his face only slightly.
• The pictures were taken from a mile away so you can hardly differentiate them from Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones (only an example, not that I know Cruise and Zeta-Jones are together or something like that).
• The head is switched with Homer Simpson’s (okay, this hasn’t happened yet).

You can take the kind of pictures listed above, of course. But only for a limited amount.  For the rest, take pictures where you can see their faces. Just make sure they look natural, and that the pictures you take are among the best they ever have. 

Don’t over retouch. A groom with skin like candle (or lipstick-red lips. Don’t laugh, I’ve seen that myself. In fact the groom is someone really close to me. Luckily he doesn’t go to the internet, so he won’t read this and kill me) looks ridiculous. People will also notice if the bride lost 20 kg weight with help of Photoshop. Try 5 kg or 5% of the total weight, it’s far more believable :).

Try to avoid telling the couple to point towards the ocean etc. Too cliché. Don’t give the bride a violin unless she is a violist or at least she feels comfortable holding it. This also applies to camel, old bike or Harley-Davidson ridings, etc. Remember, the couple might want to show their wedding pictures to their future grandchildren without getting embarrassed. But if they love the idea, just go ahead. 

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Got more dos and don’ts on this theme? Write them down, friends. When more points cross my mind I’ll also add them here later.

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