Ready for Your Close-Up? Your Ultimate Guide for Beautiful, Meaningful Wedding Photos

Some people love the spotlight. As soon as the camera is on them, they know just what to do. But for the rest of us suffering from mid-camera blinks or weird-looking passport photos, being on camera can be intimidating. Instagram filters and unreasonable beauty standards can add to the way we all feel self-conscious when we’re having our picture taken. It’s only natural! 

Tips to look great in your wedding photos

I love the challenge and triumph of allowing each person to feel great in their skin, and look fantastic in photos. It’s one of my favourite things about what I do. Here’s my advice on the easiest ways to look and feel great in your wedding or family photos.

Choose a wedding photographer who brings out the best in you

Pick a wedding photographer who makes you feel comfortable and confident and you’ve already won. Whether you choose someone who’s great at glamorous photos or brilliant at capturing natural light and candid moments, how you feel around them is just as important. If you’re considering a photographer, take a look at the wedding portfolio of their previous work; are the people in the photos seemingly comfortable, or do they look stiff and posed? Are they at ease in their skin? Are there a range of different kinds of people and body types or does the photographer tend to only photograph one demographic of people? All of these factors matter.

Give the photoshoot a trial run

A test shoot before the wedding can be a great way to see what your chemistry with a photographer is like and test out if it’s a good fit. Couples will often reach out to me to take their family or engagement photos before their wedding. It can be great to build a friendship with your photographer before the big day so that they don’t feel like a brand new person to you. I also love offering tips during portrait sessions that you can use on your wedding day. Anything that can take off the pressure on the day of the wedding helps! 

Have an honest conversation about your vision for your big day

When you meet up with the photographer you’re hiring, talk about your vision for your day and the values you have. Show them examples of photos you like in their portfolio, or other wedding photos that inspire you. Creating a mood board or giving visual references you like can be a good way to make sure you’re on the same page. Each photographer has a different way of capturing moments; some people prefer photos to be more posed and poised, while others are great at capturing candid in-between moments. Make sure your expectations match what your photographer is drawn to and known for.

Do a practice round of your wedding look beforehand

If you’ve been saving a moodboard of fun hair and makeup ideas for your wedding day, try them out well before your wedding day. If you’re trying out fake eyelashes for the first time or using a new hairspray, you might end up looking and feeling uncomfortable in photos. The same goes for your wedding outfit; choose a suit or dress you’ll be able to breathe and move freely in, so your photos show you at your best. I always find that people who dress and are made up in a way that feels authentic to them are more comfortable in photos.

I’ve seen many people choose their wedding day as a time to try out a new makeup look or launch a new aesthetic. 

This can be fun, but remember that:

• These wedding photos will live for many years to come and transcend trends. So choose a look that feels like you and will age well. Remember seeing your parents photos with 80s poofy sleeves, oversized moustaches or giant glasses and asking “what were they thinking?!” Chances are it was cool then!
• Testing out new makeup and hair can go south if the look doesn’t turn out the way you imagined. Try it out with your makeup artist or a friend who’s helping out to make sure you like how it looks on you.
• Take some simple phone photos in different lights (natural, and indoor fluorescent) to make sure your foundation isn’t looking orange under bright light, or that your mascara doesn’t wear off after a few hours of wear. Even iPhone photos can give you a sense of how a look shows up on camera. If your makeup foundation is a bit too light, it might look great in natural light but  a flash photo could make you look like a ghost.
• This will also let you modify your look if you need to or make little tweaks that suit the way you want to look.

Don’t forget to breathe!

Some people think so hard about looking good in photos that they forget to take a deep breath in and out while they’re being photographed. Try breathing in deep before a photo and doing a big out- breath of relief right as a photo is taken. Chances are, you’ll look more relaxed with softened shoulders and a more calm expression on your face. If you feel overwhelmed by being the center of attention, focus on your breathing or hold hands with your partner as you count to six for a breath in and another six for your breath out. If you have a meditation practice, take some time to chill out and just exist before the wedding. If you have a spiritual practice, say a prayer or light a candle or something that centers you in the joy of the day.

“But where do I put my hands?” 

Being photographed can feel awkward. Some of us instantly lose track of a normal way to stand, smile, or position our hands. But here’s the great news about your wedding day: you’ll likely be genuinely happy! This means your smiles will be natural, you’ll be interacting with those you love, and you’ll be more focused on the people around you than what photos are being taken. This inevitably makes everything look and feel a bit more at ease. Some of the best photos of you on this day will probably be when you’re hugging a loved one, looking at your partner, or forgetting the camera exists! Note that this ties back to having a photographer you trust; the best photogs have a way of blending into the background so you don’t even notice they’re there.

Use props to your benefit

Here’s another great perk of wedding day photos; you’ll almost always have something to hold onto, or something to do with your hands when you are in wedding photos! You might be holding a bouquet which you can clasp to your hands around, you can rest one hand on your veil, put your arm around someone or hold hands with your partner. Need to feel steady? Put one hand loosely in your suit pants pocket (a classic commercial modeling pose). However, a great photographer will also be a support and a help with this, offering guidance and ideas of how you can stand or lean or put your arm around your partner in any way that’s natural and comfy.

Shake it off! 

Movement helps dislodge any uncomfortable feelings when you’re posing for a photo. If you feel stiff or unnatural in photos, I might suggest that you take a walk, try a spin so your dress swirls out beautifully, put your arm around someone, or literally shake your arms and legs to loosen up. If in doubt, move around a bit and laugh at the silliness of trying to make it all perfect. I’ll catch the natural, gorgeous moments in between.

My preferred approach is to hang out with couples in a natural, subtle way to catch moments that are totally genuine. My goal is making it so you don’t have to think about the photos at all.

 To me, this is what a great wedding family photographer does: creates an environment in which people are truly comfortable, at ease, and content. I catch the most genuine moments that happened just because of the love you are feeling on that day.

Shape your photos around your wedding, not the other way around.

Photos matter, but the moments themselves are most important. Plan to set up the wedding photos in a way that’s ideal for your vision, values, and the outcome you want. Some people really want to have a big extended family photo, while others like a smaller setup or candid moments. Talk about how you want your photos to feel while they’re being taken, just as much as you talk about how you want them to look. For example, I love when couples tell me what matters to them:  that they want to be capturing more candid moments, are looking for a few shots right after the ceremony alone together, or that they want more moments captured with their grandparents. Whatever you want the day to feel like, the photographer should support your goals and will shape the photography plan around that vision. 

I’m in the business of beautiful, natural-looking wedding photos that capture Ottawa couples at their best.

My goal is to be someone you can completely trust to capture your day in a way you’ll love. I’m great at blending in and letting each guest feel at home, so I can snap beautiful photos of you and your loved ones looking and feeling your best. I can make nervous photo subjects feel at ease and I’m great at getting a natural smile or a gorgeous light setup in any environment. 

Whatever your vision for your special day, I’d love to get the snapshots that you’ll be excited to frame, share, and keep forever. 

Let’s talk about your Ottawa wedding or family photos. Give me a call at 613-322-7410 or email me at info@boyophoto.ca.