How to look your best in your wedding photos

It goes without saying that on your wedding day you want to look your very best and you definitely want that to be reflected in your wedding photos! So what can you do to ensure you look, was well as feel, a million dollars both on the day and in the photos?

Professional Wedding Hair & Make-Up

Firstly your wedding day is a very special day and even if you, like me, prefer your make-up to look natural it’s still very much worth getting it done by an experienced professional. They are experts in covering blemishes, matching and blending skin tones and making your eyes look amazing (amongst everything else!).  It is not only applied to suit you but it lasts all day when done correctly and all you’ll need to do is touch up with lipstick and you’ll look great until well into the early hours!

So why is this important for a photographer you may well be thinking? I have already mentioned the longevity of the professionally applied make-up so this ensures you look as good in your wedding photos at the end of the day as you did at the beginning. Also it will help prevent that ‘shine’ on the skin that is never a good look as you start to get a little nervous before the ceremony! Flash can also be a little unforgiving on the skin so although you may want that ‘natural’ look, a little more make-up than you normally wear on a daily bases is required to achieve that result and will look stunning.

Always have a make-up trial to ensure you get the look you’re happy with on your wedding day. To find out names of trusted make-up artists I’ve worked with and other suppliers please check out my Wedding Resources page.

Advice regarding lighting and posing for your wedding photos

The idea of a pre wedding photo shoot isn’t everyones cup of tea but it can be so useful particularly if you don’t like having your photograph taken. If I had a pound for every person who said to me they are just not photogenic I could have saved a small fortune very quickly! As an experienced wedding photographer I know ways to use the light and position people to ensure they look their best so they are pleasantly surprised by the results and realise that they look better than they thought they did!

Naturally at a wedding the times where the photographer positions you as a couple is during your group photos and couple photos, other than that, as a documentary style photographer I am capturing the scene and what goes on in it without interfering. I will still consider the light while framing the picture but sometimes I have to work with what I am given, for example during the ceremony.

Some venues, including churches have some very unflattering lighting so be aware of that when choosing where to get married. I understand church weddings are decided on due to faith, location and tradition for example, so lighting may not be a consideration but it helps to manage peoples expectations.

So what else can you do about light and how to ensure you still look your best in your wedding photos? The majority of people in the UK have summer weddings when the sun is high in the sky which isn’t the most flattering, just by stopping this top light can improve how you look in your photo enormously. Schedule your couple photos into the day when the light is most beautiful, the ‘golden hour’ is the hour before the sun sets and is perfect for your couple photos at any time of the year.

As a wedding photographer I work to deliver you photos that spark emotion as well as flatter and so if you would like to discuss your wedding day plans please do get in touch via my Contact page with your date to check my availability.