bride groom guide

8/3/2019 Bride Groom Guide

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Two.This is more for the urban bride. Find a garage door. Tellthe couple that they will be on opposite ends of each otheralmost doing the same exact thing. I tell the groom to leanagainst the garage, "swag it out."

If he seems stiff, I say SHAKE IT OUT. If he still seemsstiff... I tell him to walk towards me and literally have himshake it out. (I usually will shake too so he doesn't feel likea complete silly). Then have him put both hands in hispockets with the thumbs out of the pocket.

I say, "get some attitude and look at your girl." Oncegroom is in the same position have the bride do the same thing with her hand up in a feminine way. If the handlooks weird, have her pick it up and set it down again so it looks more relaxed. Have her put the other handholding the bouquet facing up with her arm relaxed. (See bouquet positioning).

Have groom look at his bride and have her look at you and smile. To relax her smile tell the groom to talk to herand say something goofy.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4.5, 1/640, ISO 500


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Four.

Yeah this pose is HOT. You can do it practically anywheretoo, which equals amazingness. Think benches, chairs,anywhere where the groom can sit, you can make this posehappen.

Have your groom sit on the bench. I think this works best with a bench without a back on it. Have him SWAG out hissitting style by holding his hands and leaning forward a bit.Have your bride stand behind him with one hand on hisshoulder and one hand on her hip, SASS. She needs to swagit out too. Tell her to give you some attitude because she'sHOT. I prefer them looking in opposite directions when they can't be looking at each other. Have the groom look at youand the bride look out.

Make sure that they looked relaxed. That's extremely important in this pose. If they don't relax it will look WAY traditionalso make sure they shake it out and they don't look like they've been holding their breath. If they look like they have been

holding their breath tell them to breathe, HE HE HU.

Canon 5d, 50/1.2, f/4.5, 1/600, ISO 800


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Five. Remember when you had the groom behind the bride? Wellthis one is pretty much the same but this works PERFECT

when you have a bride and groom with difficult heights and

body types.

Have the bride stand behind the groom and get real close. You

can tell them to put their faces close but not smooshing each

other, fake touch it out. Have them both look at you and smile.

REMEMBER no fake smiles. You can tell what a real smile is

from a fake one, if it's looking forced, tell them to shake it out.

When working with heights and different body types

remember, most people always look better from higher angles.

So get up high! That eliminates double chins and makes couples look HOT.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4.5, 1/640, ISO 500


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Six.I love LOVE love working with veils. There is so much you can do

with a good veil. For this one you'll need an assistant helping you

out.

Have your couple be stomach to stomach. Snuggle faces (eskimo

kiss) and be close. They can be kissing in this photo but it's easier

if they aren't really moving. The bouquet in this shot is give or

take. If she's having a hard time holding it up (those things can

be SO HEAVY) then she can put it on the ground and just hug it

out. Have your assistant take the veil and throw it almost like a

parachute up in the air. This may take a few times, it may take 10,

just keep doing it until you get the perfect shot. If your couple is

getting restless be like, "so sorry guys but this will be worth it!" Just keep telling them how awesome they are and how they

look perfect.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/3.2, 1/1250, ISO 800


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Nine.Once again you have to feel your couple out with this pose. Don't just think they are up for anything and everything. First rule - NEVER ASSUME. :) Another thing

I'd like to mention, look at the couple and see if this pose would even be

appropriate. I'm a bigger girl so clearly that probably wouldn't be a good idea. You

never want the groom to look like he's straining holding the bride up. So if you

feel iffy about it, just go with your GUT and move to the next pose.

Have your groom pick up your bride. Have her arm around his shoulder and have

them kiss. Make sure her feet are somewhat separated so that it's more dramatic.

To get the dress flowing like that, just have him twirl her around. The bouquet

positioning is important in this image. I like her to be holding it on her lap more in

a relaxed "L". If she doesn't have anything in that hand and it's just sitting there,

it's going to look bizarre and posed. No one wants bizarre and posed. :)

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4, 1/800, ISO 400


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Ten.If you can't ever remember any poses, remember this one. The walking pose.

Simply have your bride and groom walk towards you. I like the groom to have his hand

in pocket thumb out (HIPTO). Have them look at each other. Make sure they shake it

out and relax their shoulders. Tell them to talk to each other. Normally, they are like

ughhh.. what do we talk about? Then they end up smiling and laughing from the

awkwardness of the situation. I don't give direction on the bouquet here because I want

it to look more natural and less posey. I probably have them walk back and forth in

different areas 3 or 4 times depending on time constraints. This is when you can get

creative with the angles and it is always a big fav!

Canon 5d, 50/1.2, f/4, 1/800, ISO 800


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Eleven.This image is perfect! I love capturing candid moments like this andthey are very easy to set up. Here's the thing, you have to set them

up and act like you're done shooting.

I say, "hey guys I'm going to shoot down there so head that way and

I'll catch up." More than likely, what you'll see is something like this

or the groom will help the bride with her dress, normally it is a very

special moment. The great thing about this is, you actually don't

have to do anything. Just tell them you're done shooting. I would

suggest using a telephoto lens for this shot so they can't hear your

camera. I'm pretty sure that would give you away!

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/3.2, 1/800, ISO 1600


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Twelve.Oh, the art of the half hug. I know it well. What's the half hug? This is the half hug.This is usually the first pose I start out with. This is how you're going to get your

traditional shots. Yes, you're a modern photographer, but we need to see some faces

every once in awhile.

Have your bride and groom wrap one arm around each other and put their faces close,

fake touch faces. Fake touch faces means you're not going to have their faces so close

together that their cheeks are out of control and you're not going to have the groom

face planted into the brides hair. The bride's arm will be in a relaxed L. Now this

couple I opted to shoot the half hug from higher up giving them a more flattering

image. Also the groom was TALL. Way tall. I'm 5'2" so clearly when I have tall couples

I have to find ways to shoot them from higher up or they are going to hate all their

photos because they are going to have double chins galore and NO one wants double

chins. So that he wouldn't be a foot taller than his beautiful bride, I had him SPLIT it

out. Literally have him make his legs like he's doing the splits so he's slightly taller

than the bride. He'll feel awkward but tell him it's hot and he'll get over it. NOTE: Thisis an excellent thing to do (split it out) - for brides who are taller than the grooms.

What groom wouldn't want to look taller than the bride on his wedding day. Uhhuh, I rest my case.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/3.2, 1/1000, ISO 1600


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Fourteen.I really think having at least 3-4 "face shots" is key to any wedding. This is a traditionalshot, but c'mon if this was you and your hubby, you'd love it.

Ok, so have the groom behind the bride. Now if he's taller have him split it out so he's

closer to her face. This groom is doing the splits, but I bet you couldn't tell that. :) Have

him wrap his arms around her. NOW be very careful that he isn't holding onto the

middle of her stomach that's the prego pose and should NEVER ever be used posing

bride and grooms. His hands will be more in the hip area. Have her hold her bouquet in

the middle, fake touch their faces and smile for the camera. Make sure their faces are

on the same plane. Meaning the groom isn't slightly father back, have him get into his

bride. Think side by side. The bride should never move her head back to get on the

same plane as the groom. They always try to do this and it makes their faces look

WEIRD. So that's when I say, "why do you make her do all the work?" I usually then

start talking about planning the wedding, child birth... anything else I can think of that

women do until he realizes he needs to get closer. BAM! Super easy, couple is happy

and SO is mom!

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4.5, 1/500, ISO 800


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Fifteen.Here's another spin off a formal shot that's super easy to do.

Have your bride and groom be stomach to stomach. Have them hug it out around

the waist. NOW I hate the way my arms look and anything I can do to make them

look better I'd do. That's the reason I like the groom's arm over the bride's. Just

helps detract attention away from all the exposed skin in the image. Their faces

once again will need to be on the same plane and fake touch. Look at the camera

and smile. :)

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4.5, 1/400, ISO 800


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Sixteen.This shot is a great shot when you have those hard to pose couples. Theones that struggle with kissing or where to put their hands, or you know

touching in general.

I love to use different objects and then blur them in the background.

This shot is so easy and always comes across as "creative."

Position your couple stomach to stomach. They can be looking at each

other or at you. Just depends on how comfy they are with PDA.Speaking of PDA always ask a couple how comfy they are with it at the

beginning. Nothing worse than shooting a couple for 20 mins only to

find out they think kissing in public is worse than going to the dentist.

Basically, pick any pose where the couple are close together and then focus on a different thing, ie car.

Canon 5d, 50/1.2, f/3.2, 1/1000, ISO 800


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Seventeen.This is a great pose when you have a bench, pew, couch, etc.

Have the couple sit super close together. It might help if the bride

crosses her legs so she can angle more towards the groom. Have their

faces close and look at each other. They can do some Eskimo kisses or

just smile at each other. Have the groom rest his arm on the back of the

bench and the bride's arm will rest naturally on his leg.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4.5, 1/400, ISO 800


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Eighteen.This one is one of my favs as well. So easy.

Have them be a bit of a distance away from each other. The groom is going to be

slightly to the right of the bride so that she doesn't hide him when you're shooting.

Have the bride hold her bouquet in front, looking back at him. The groom will be

looking in her general direction with his hands in his pockets. I do more smiley poses

but this one is an excellent pose to do as a "serious" pose. The next shot in this series is

having the bride in focus and the groom blurry. 2 great photos that take hardly no time

at all!

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 800


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Nineteen.This is one of those images where you have to make sure the couple

is ok with sitting on the grass. Try to have something under the

bride. You definitely don't want anything to get on that dress.

Have the groom sit first with one leg slightly up and his arm resting

on his knee looking out. Have the bride lay down and prop herself

up using his other knee. Groom will look away and bride will look

directly at you. I took this shot sitting on the ground. I don't think it

would have looked right had I been shooting from a higher angle. I

wanted the viewer to feel as if they were right there with the couple.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 800


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Twenty-One. Signs are so in right now. I never provide the signs for the clients,always have them do it. You don't ever want to be held responsiblefor that if you accidently forget or they aren't "perfect."

Have bride and groom stand on the same plane, side by side. Holdsigns and look out. I tell them to look up and out even if they can'tsee the other person, it'll still look good.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4, 1/500, ISO 800


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Twenty-Three. If I can't ever think of anymore poses, I always go for thesilhouettes. I love silhouettes, who doesn't love a good silhouette. :)

The key to a good silhouette is making sure you can distinguish the

faces when they are blacked out. If they are similar heights, say,

"act like you're kissing, but don't kiss" so you can see the space

between them. Another thing you can do is have them snuggle

their faces. I prefer silhouettes where they are stomach to stomach

and in this case groom is kissing the bride.

I always like silhouettes where the background is empty (directly

behind the bride and groom). You don't want anything distracting from the background. Imagine if there was a tree right

in between their faces, that just wouldn't look right. :)

Canon 5d, 50/1.2, f/3.2, 1/5000, ISO 400


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Twenty-Five. If you want to switch it up a bit this is a great one.

Have your groom on a railing of some sort, arms relaxing on it from side to

side. Have your bride have her hand on her shoulder and kiss his cheek. Have

groom look at you.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/4, 1/200, ISO 1000


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Twenty-Six.This pose is perfect for the not so PDA couple.

Have bride and groom stand side by side and hold hands. Groom hand in

pocket thumb out, have the bride hold her bouquet down and have them

look out opposite directions.

Canon 5d, 17-35/2.8, f/3.2, 1/1000, ISO 1600


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Twenty-Eight. Ok so you have a couple, you got the face shots out of the way but they seem to look awkward no matter what you do, when you try somethingdifferent... do this.

Have them sitting and kissing but shoot them from the back or fromcompletely overhead. This will be the same exact pose but look a milliontimes different. Want to add more emotion? Have the bride or groom holdthe other one's face, or back of the head.

Canon 5d, 17-35/2.8, f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 1600


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Twenty-Nine. Hands DOWN the most requested shot I get.

Have the couple stomach to stomach, usually I have them kissing (imagine that).

Have the bride hold her flowers from behind with both hands. You will be shooting

this depending on the bride's height, sitting or laying on the ground shooting up.

Canon 5d, 17-35/2.8, f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 800


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Thirty.Start out with the couple side by side holding hands. Have groom, hands in pocket

thumb out and have the bride hold her bouquet straight down. Then have them angle

towards each other and kiss.

For these poses, I love to have some nice greenery in the background just to enhance

contrast, but not be distracting.

Canon 5d, 70-200/2.8, f/3.2, 1/800, ISO 1600


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