When you’re searching online for advice on how to look great in wedding photos, you’ll probably find a lot of information on how to look your best by watching your diet, working out, and getting enough sleep. While this is all solid advice, we turned to our ISPWP photographers to find out what they feel really impacts how people think about their wedding photos. What do they say you should really do before the wedding to help ensure you love your photos?
Talk to your significant other about how you feel about dedicating time for photos.
This was the number one bit of advice from photographers. Photographers sometimes find themselves navigating awkward situations where it was clear the couple just had a big fight about doing photos prior to their engagement session, or having to deal with a reluctant groom or upset bride on the wedding day when shooting portraits. If one of you wants lots of photos and the other hates having their photo taken, you need to work out a compromise before your wedding day. In many cases, people have a good reason for why they dislike being in photos, and if a photographer knows that they can sometimes help. It could be as simple as arranging the timeline, so the groom doesn’t have to have photos taken with other people present. Talk through your feelings together about the photos and what you hope to do with them after the wedding and share that information with your photographer.
Ladies: Have a friend take photos of you in your dress in different poses.
There’s nothing quite more discouraging to a photographer than a bride emailing after viewing her photos because she’s upset about how she looked in her dress. During the wedding day, you will be sitting, standing, hugging, bending, and dancing in your dress. If it’s not fitted correctly, there could be gaps or sags, or you may be uncomfortable with how the dress fits in different angles. Have a friend take photos of you in all these scenarios so that you have time to have the dress altered prior to the wedding, so you feel confident in it.
Guys: Invest in a great haircut and manicure.
Good grooming never goes out of style, but it’s especially important when the camera will be capturing you in close-up situations. Manicures are not just for women anymore, and you may find you enjoy the pampering. A great groom photo starts with a guy who is looking and feeling his best.
Ladies: Do a trial run with hair and makeup.
This is also standard advice, but one that bears repeating. A wedding day is special, so you should look like the best version of yourself. Your wedding day is not the day to find out that you are allergic to mascara, or that you hate your hair pinned up. Doing a trial run allows you to really take your time to evaluate if you like the look on you and to tweak things with your hairstylist or makeup artist prior to the wedding day. Feeling confident and beautiful shows through in your photos!
Looking for a wedding photographer who will make you look fantastic in photos? Check out our ISPWP wedding photographers in your area.