It’s Wedding Hint Wednesday!! Today I’ll be sharing a step-by-step guide for you to follow in order to figure out your favorite lighting! I’m basing these tips on the type of natural lighting you’ll usually experience (of course, outdoor weddings are always at risk for unpredictable weather!) I’ve been fortunate enough to have never had a wedding get rained, snowed, or “weathered” out (knock on wood!). I have, though, photographed weddings during less than ideal times of the day..
I love photographing weddings. Period. Rain, snow, sunny, cloudy, bright, dark, I WANT to photograph your big day. With that said, it’s fantastic to plan your important shots for the time of day that will bring your ideal lighting. So here is a 4-step plan to make sure you get the best photos you possibly can.
Step 1: Choose your favorite image of these 3 below.
Step 2: Try to figure out what it is you like about the images.
If you like image one the best, then you like the “fun-light” (bright light). Notice how the bride doesn’t seem posed at all. She’s laughing, moving, and placed on a backdrop that is light-hearted, fun, and bright. SO, notice that the lighting complements this fun moment–bright lighting. We shot this image at around 3 pm in Houston, TX during September. It was partially cloudy, but not so cloudy that the sunlight was blocked or filtered (very typical lighting and weather for Houston in September).
Now, let’s look at image two, taken in May in Pasadena, TX. If this is your favorite, notice how dramatic the lighting is. Yep, you like the “flare-light,” which means you just need to decide for which part of your day you’ll want this light to be present (ceremony, reception, leaving the reception?). When does this light happen? BEFORE sunset. Here’s a hint–you can Google sunset and sunrise times for any specific location BUT schedule your desired sunset moment 45 minutes before the actual sunset time–this is how you get those romantic, gorgeous, dramatic flares. So, let’s say that you want this type of lighting in your shots as you two are leaving the reception. You Google sunset/sunrise times, and find that sunset is to occur at 7.24 pm. This means that you’ll want to leave your reception at about 6.39 pm. Amanda’s ceremony was scheduled in such a way that the sun was going down as she and Zach said their vows. Sunset actually occurred just minutes after their ceremony ended. This was do-able because Amanda and Zach had a very short (about 15 minute) ceremony. If the ceremony had been longer, then it would have gotten very dark toward the end, limiting the romantic lighting. *It is important to note that Amanda and Zach wanted this type of lighting during their ceremony, instead of before with the group shots, or after during the reception. The reception was also outdoors and so was very dark with limited lighting, meaning I shot with the use of flash and other artificial means. This is completely fine, but if you prefer for your photographer to use all natural lighting, I’d suggest scheduling your reception or your departure for this sundown setting instead of your ceremony.
Image three. Remember the 45 minutes before sunset tip discussed with image two? Reverse it for sunrise, which is what Laura and Caleb did in image three–this ceremony took place about 30 minutes after the declared sunrise time. Is this your favorite? You like the “soft-light.” Try to plan your day for a location and time of year in which cloudy skies are likely. These two had an awesome morning beach wedding in Long Beach, Mississippi on a super cloudy day. Notice how soft the lighting was for these two during a very soft and tender moment. Perfection. Their breakfast reception (there was a grits bar, y’all) was under a beach pavilion, which turned out perfectly because it poured rain during the reception! This time worked because I was able to take her still life pictures starting at 3am, and since it was still pretty dark until the ceremony began, we did almost all of the group pictures after the ceremony.
Step 3: Talk to the photographer from the very beginning!! It is completely up to the two lovebirds to decide your ceremony and reception time, but I can definitely offer some advice! Take it or leave it, but just keep us photogs informed. And, just another little bonus hint, if your photographer isn’t asking you questions about the style of your wedding, the time, the lighting, the back-up plan (if it’s outdoor)…that’s kind of a red flag. You should book me instead
Which brings me to step four…
Step 4: Book ME!! And we can make pretty pictures together
With joy, Lizard.
