Shooting ideas for Bridal makeup & prep photographs
Shooting bride prep or getting ready is the beginning of the wedding day shoot. Generally
this is before the bride has put on the dress and everything one need to capture while she
gets ready up until the ceremony. So lets go through these five shots one absolutely must
shoot at every wedding during bridal shoot.
- Detailed Photographs Of Wedding Accessories
Detailed shoots are the most important and first things i shoot. I like to lay it flat on a
backdrop mat or a table available in the room. I prep the couple a day before the wedding
to get all the accessories ready so that when i show up, i am not hunting around for them.
Details like invitation cards, the shoes, the jewellery, any family heirloom, a cute perfume if
the have one and just any other trinkets they might have, i also use flower petals or leaf
that i can find in the room, Lot of bouquets keep lying around in the bridal room. Adding a
little bit of greenery to add to you photographs is very helpful. if you have couple who love
details make sure you get these shots.
2. Makeup Soots
After shooting all her accessories, i like to photographer her while she is putting on her
makeup. There are certain moments like her hair being brushed upon hairdo process,
putting on eye eye-makeup, detailing of her putting up lipstick, showing this ongoing preps
for the bride is kind of significant as it reflects her mood and emotions while going through
the process of getting ready. I really like to shoot with my 50mm portrait lens/f1.4. These
are important as well as absolute necessary ones as the brides really like to see them later
and if one can capture it aesthetically it kind of makes it complete.
3. The Wedding Dress
I like to show up early so that i can take these photos and not be bothered by anything else
in the room. The first thing every one does is that they hand the dress, do not do that as it
is very challenging lighting wise. Hanging up the dress on a window will have a backlit and
unless you’re using a fill flash its going to be hard to make sure the dress is well lit. I’ll like
to add here that if you plan to hang up the dress somewhere, where you get a nice wide
shot. Close up shot of the dress are good but i like the whole photo along with the backdrop
to look nice and being able to hang it in a place where i can shoot wide really helps me. I
have mostly faced this issue where i show up to the wedding and the bride has the normal
plastic hanger still on the dress, they didn’t bring anything else with them it just totally kill
the vibe so make sure to remind her carrying a nice wooden one with herself.
Bride With Her Mother
The first and most important thing with these photos is that to make sure that her mom is
putting up dress on before the bride does. Communicating these details to them really
helps them plan every section of the day moving forward. have mom put her dress on first
and the start taking the photos when the bride puts her dress on. I like to shoot mostly with
my 50mm prime lens/ f2 and a 20mm /f1.4 together, capturing all the action and emotions
with both of them. Close up shots of the smiles and full wide shots of bride putting the dress
on. It is our job as photographers to help the choosing an appropriate location in terms of
light and background. end not letting everyone put up clothes wherever they want to. Find
a nice area of the room that is lit well and clean so that you can have nice beautiful photos.
Putting Jewellery On
Bride putting on the jewellery includes necklace, earrings, nose rings, bangles, head
jewellery. I ask the bride to put them on by herself. I like to shoot up close mostly with 10
mm prime lens/f1.4 while she puts on earring and bangles on. Its very to find a clean space
in the room for me to take wider shots in this case on top of it close up shoots adds a lot of
attention to the subject making it look dramatic. With the bride putting up the necklace, i
usually ask her best friend to be a part of the photograph. I like to show all the involvement
and action happening in the room around her with my wider shots.
Putting On The Shoe
It is an important shot and mostly missed by many. I like to get this picture as it completes
the dressing part. Ask her friend to take some time to put on the shoe so that i can curate
the shot. I choose to shoot on a wider scale here as i like to show the interaction. Shooting
a few smiles and candid moments along the way. I do direct them a little to be frank or else
it would look really simple. I like these pictures to look happy and fun.
