Look Natural In Your Wedding Photos - Documentary Style Wedding Photography
Do you wanna cringe whenever someone pulls out a camera, unsure where to put your hands, and are you worried that you’ll have a half-assed grimace rather than a smile? Now it's time to hire a wedding photographer, and you're flipping through portfolios, wondering how every couple looks so effortless and in love. You're not alone. I could quit being a photographer if I had a dollar for every time someone told me they're not great at taking photos. Here's the good news - I will explain how to achieve natural-looking wedding photos so you can have the exact images you see across Instagram. Approach your wedding day or session confidently, knowing that your photos will represent your love. Aside from approaching your session with confidence, there’s a few other things you can to do achieve natural-looking wedding photos, such as understanding posing vs directing, choosing documentary style wedding photography, getting to know your photographer, and trusting your photographer, so let’s get into it!
How to Look Natural in Your Wedding Photos - documentary style wedding photography | Natalie Nicole Photo
Work With a Photographer Who Specializes in Documentary Style Wedding Photography
If you’re unfamiliar with documentary style wedding photography, it’s when a photographer is more focused on documenting your wedding as it unfolds throughout the day versus posing you, the couple, for photos. If you’re looking for your wedding photos that look natural and unposed, and to truly tell your story while capturing the real and honest moments from your wedding day, documentary style wedding photography is the way to go. Your photographer can also direct you to achieve natural looking wedding photos versus posing you for photos. If you’re thinking “what’s the difference between posing and directing?” then continue reading because I’m about to explain.
POSING V. DIRECTING - achieving natural looking wedding photos
Stop asking photographers how they will pose you. Instead, ask your photographer how they will direct you. There is a subtle difference between the words pose and direct, but the approach in the photography world is totally different. Posing implies placing you in a position and taking an innately stiff photo. Unless that’s the look you’re going for, ask your photographer to direct you. Directing gives the couple a prompt and allows them to act naturally together while capturing the middle picture, which looks natural and fluid. In addition, directing provides room for creativity from the couple as they will inevitably fall into positions that are unique to their personalities. Now you can confidently ask a photographer for directions rather than poses because speaking the same language is the first step to getting natural-looking photos!
SCHEDULE AN ENGAGEMENT SHOOT WITH YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Skipping an engagement session is like missing the final dress rehearsal. No matter what, as a photographer, I attend a wedding and perform the same week after week. The only difference is how comfortable the couple is in front of a camera and working with me. Use an engagement session to iron out all your camera-shy inclinations. Like anything, the more you practice, the more confident and comfortable you feel, which translates to effortless-looking photos. Not only will scheduling an engagement session help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera, it will allow us to get to know each other better and help build trust in your photographer. Your photographer is going to be documenting one of the most important days of your lives, so it’s important to be more then acquainted with them.
TRUST YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER in directing you to acheive natural looking wedding photos with documentary style wedding photography
Don't trust your wedding photographer? Then be prepared for mediocre photos. This goes hand in hand with scheduling your engagement session and getting to know and being comfortable around your wedding photographer. I hate to break it to you, but a wedding photographer can sense the slightest hint of distrust, and it causes a lack of emotional connection between the photographer and the client. Shooting a wedding without trust is like watching a football game when you're not emotionally invested in either team or the outcome. Wedding photography is an innately emotional job, and we must feel trusted, safe, and inspired to create expressive art. We are human, after all. So do yourself a favor and trust your photographer and their vision; they will become your loudest and most fanatic fan. Trust is the emotional glue holding the client-photographer relationship together. Make that shit super glue, and you'll get an invested photographer to bring out the best of your love. It's really that simple.
RELAX! Stop Overthinking it And be in The Moment.
Even once you get to know your photographer and you feel comfortable around them, it’s only natural to feel a bit nervous. That’s ok. With that being said, if you’re too nervous, this is going to show through your photos. Remember that this isn’t anything to be nervous about. Be yourself and be in the moment. This is your big day, and the last thing you need to be stressing about is how your photos are going to turn out. This also goes hand in hand with trusting your photographer ;) At the end of the day, this is about capturing you and your partner, and who you really are as a couple.
Ready to Create Some Magic Together? I’m Ready to Capture Your love through documentary style wedding photography
Now that you know and understand documentary style wedding photography, know the difference between posing and directing, that you shouldn't skip an engagement session, and that you really must trust your photographer, you're well on your way to natural and effortless-looking photos. Wedding photography is closely tied to self-image, emotions, and art, so realizing that looking natural in front of a camera is complicated. Forgive yourself, stop worrying about the outcome, and enjoy the emotional journey.
Looking for a Texas wedding photographer or documentary style wedding photographer? I’d love to be a part of your day and direct you in achieving natural looking wedding photos and capture you through documentary style wedding photography so that you’ll look back on your wedding photos for years to come and be excited to share them with future generations. You can learn more about me here. If I sound like the perfect wedding photographer for you, then get in touch with me here about documenting your day, no matter how big or small. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can! In the meantime, check out our Pinterest for more inspiration for your wedding day.
