I take this set of photos during the Bridal preparations; they’re some of the first photos I take of the wedding day. This helps people get used to me floating around the room with a camera and the details (shoes, dress, jewellery, etc…) are all assembled ready to be worn once the Bride’s hair and make up is complete. I want to capture all these objects, as flowers will wilt and the shoes and dress may sit in a wardrobe for years, so they’re preserved in the photographs even when the objects are older.
I tend to do this either on a white bed spread or a wooden surface, depending on the colour of the items, but I do like consistency when the photographs are taken. Dark coloured surfaces can work too, or even just a neutral texture like a stone floor or marble surface can also work quite well. Using some bounce flash, and a bit of window light, I want to make all the photos look like were taken in a studio; not amongst the (sometimes rather chaotic) Bridal preparations.
Here’s a full list of the things I usually photograph:
- Wedding Dress
- Bride’s shoes
- Jewellery
- Bracelets
- Earrings
- Necklaces/Pendants
- Tiara
- Rings
- Flowers
- Bride’s Bouquet
- Bridesmaid bouquet
- Flower girl accessory (usually mini bouquet, single flower or petal basket)
- Garter
Don’t forget the picture of the wedding dress of course! Any other important details, such as gifts, confetti, dressing gowns and hair accessories are also worth photographing.