Believe it or not, we were given 8 minutes to take these photos. Sure, I was panicking on the inside. But part of photographing real weddings means creating real moments, real fast.
Admittedly, we went into overtime with these romantic photos. It took us a whopping 14 minutes to create these moments.
So how can we approach romantic storytelling, in the middle of a real wedding day, to extract romantic moments and place them into these rectangles we call photos?
Well... here's a few takeaways from this 14 minutes I got to spend with these romantic photos. Take the tips that help you. Leave the tips that don't help you. 🙂
All photos edited in Lightroom Classic using JY Presets
Capture a Variety of Perspectives
What We See: A mix of wide shots, mid-range portraits, and tight details, such as a staircase scene that sets the venue and an emotional close-up of the couple smiling at each other.
How/Why It Works: Combining different perspectives helps tell a fuller story. Wide shots provide context, while close-ups express intimacy. By changing lenses and perspectives, looking through a series of images becomes a lot more interesting.
You create so much visual interest when you experiment with angles and framing. Capture wide shots to include the venue’s architecture, mid-range compositions for balance, and tight crops for raw emotion. Get creative and crop out part of a face to highlight an emotional gesture or accessory. Nobody goes to jail for creative crops.
Highlight Group Dynamics with Symmetry and Connection
What We See: In the group photo, the bride and groom are centered, surrounded by the bridal party. The couple is smiling at each other, creating a moment of connection, while the bridal party balances the frame.
How/Why It Works: The bride and groom stand out as the focal point because of their placement and body language. The bridal party’s alignment creates symmetry, while their joyful expressions add energy and reinforce the celebratory atmosphere.
Actionable Tip: When working with group shots, center the main subjects and use the surrounding people as natural framing. Encourage interaction between the couple to capture authentic connection while ensuring the bridal party mirrors the joy of the moment.
Use The Location to Create Depth
What We See: The photo on the staircase uses the architecture to frame the couple. The bride looks back over her shoulder, adding looking at the viewer, while the stairs and string lights guide the viewer’s eye upward.
How/Why It Works: The stairs create leading lines that add depth and naturally draw focus to the couple. The bride’s backward glance invites the viewer into the moment, while the soft lighting enhances the romantic mood.
It can be useful to look around for features on location like staircases, arches, or pathways to add depth and structure. Position the couple so they interact with these elements, and encourage dynamic poses (like looking back or walking together) for added visual interest.
All photos edited in Lightroom Classic using JY Presets
FIND Intimate Details
What We See: A close-up shot of the bride’s hand on the groom’s chest, showcasing her wedding ring, or the groom gently holding the bride’s wrist. These details are framed tightly, filling the entire frame, leaving out distracting elements.
How/Why It Works: These moments tell a deeper story by focusing on symbols of love and commitment, like the wedding ring or the soft touch between the couple. The tight crop isolates the emotion and makes the image feel personal and timeless.
Observe your couple and find small gestures or objects that symbolize the couple’s connection, like intertwined fingers, jewelry, or the bride adjusting her dress. Use a wide aperture (like f/1.4 - f/2.8) to blur the background and keep the focus on the detail.
Use the Couple to Frame Key Elements
What We See: In the annotated image, the couple’s bodies naturally frame the bride’s hand resting on the groom’s chest, drawing attention to the ring and their emotional connection.
How/Why It Works: The couple themselves become part of the composition, guiding the viewer’s eyes to the focal point. This natural framing keeps the story cohesive and emphasizes the intimacy of the moment.
Key Takeaways:
Details Add Layers To Emotional Depth: Intimate moments connect the viewer to the journey and symbolize the love and thoughtfulness of the day. The more layers of detail you add, the more emotional quality you will have in your photography.
Use people and the environment for framing: Whether it’s the bridal party surrounding the couple or a staircase leading the viewer’s eye, natural framing keeps the focus on the couple while adding depth and interest. Encourage interactions between the couple and their environment to make the composition dynamic and purposeful.
Variety is Key: Changing your perspective instantly adds visual interest. Especially in a series of images that are supposed to come together to tell a story. If every photo is center focused and framed the same way, the series of image becomes too "easy" to look at. A large series of easy to look at photos is a boring series of photos to look at. A boring series of photos don't get looked at. Variety is key.
Camera:
Canon 5D MK IV
Lenses:
35mm 1.4L II
85mm 1.4L IS
100mm 2.8L Macro
All photos edited in Lightroom Classic using JY Presets