As a wedding photographer, one of my favorite things to capture are the details of the day. I think they play just as big of a part in telling a couple’s story as pictures of the couple themselves. Think about it, the bride and groom has spent months planning a wedding day to ensure every single little thing is perfect, so as their wedding photographer it’s important you capture every single part of the day.
The wedding rings
Capturing the wedding rings is actually the favorite part of my day. I’ve caught myself spending way too much time taking pictures of the wedding rings because there are just so many possibilities.
I shoot most of my details shots of the wedding rings with my Canon 100 2.8 EF macro lens. It’s a very affordable lens and works well for both details shots and portrait shots. This image was shot at ISO 2000, SS 1/200 and f/3.2. Most details shots are done at a higher f-stop as the depth of field with these lenses are extremely shallow. But it allows you to get sharp pictures of rings while maintaining the blurry, soft and romantic background.
I also like to incorporate some of the other details from the wedding in the ring shots. For example using the flowers as a background give dimension while also showcasing the color scheme of the wedding.
Or maybe the couple have some really unique, personal details like this adorable book for their vows that you can incorporate with the ring shots. The use of veils, flowers, shoes or the other jewelry the bride is wearing for the day helps telling their personal story.
The Wedding Dress
She gets the ring first and then she gets to go dress shopping, which for most girls is a dream come true. Getting to try on elegant, stunning, gorgeous wedding dresses and find the dress of her dreams. The one that makes her cry. The one that makes her smile from ear to ear.
For the wedding dress I like to do a couple of different pictures to really showcase it in all its glory. For the dress shots I like to use my 35mm or 50mm lens. It helps give a nice background while allowing for a full length, wide shot of the dress.
I also like to shoot close ups of the top and bottom of the dress to show the detailing as well as shooting from different angles. Straight on, from a slight angle and from behind. And then most importantly, a shot with the bride in her dress!!
The Wedding Flowers
The wedding bouquet I shoot a little differently than the other details. I like using a wide angle lens, like the 24-70 or the 35, and shooting up close. I like the slight distortion the wide angle provides when shooting the wedding flowers.
I love shooting the bride’s bouquet along with the bridesmaid bouquets. They were designed to look good together and I think it’s important to show them off as one. For these images I tell the girls to get as close together as possible, hold their flowers out in front of them and then I tell the girls to look at each other and make the bride laugh. While the flowers are the main focus, it create a fun interactive background.
While I love getting pictures of the bride’s bouquet with the bridesmaid flowers, or with the bride herself, I also like to take the bouquet out on its own for some pictures. For these pictures I shoot with a wide angle lens at several different angles. Far away, close up, from the side or from above. This provides the bride several views to put in a wedding album and it also gives some stunning images for the florist to use in their portfolio.
The same goes for the reception flowers. These are shot at multiple different angles; shot up close by themselves and shot at a wide angle to show the entire table scape.
The Reception Details
This is both fun and challenging. While the other details usually have a lot of natural light you can utilize for sharp, crisp pictures, you never know what to expect from a reception hall. It can be bright and airy or it can be dark and enclosed. Having knowledge of off camera flash (OCF) is good for the reception details (and the reception itself as well).
This location was absolutely stunning, but rather dark so I set up two flashes around the room to give me some extra light. The reception images are shot with either a wide angel lens, like the 35 or the 24-70, if the space is tight, or with my 50 or 85 if the space allows for it to give me a nice depth of field.
I like shooting the desserts at a very shallow depth of field. Enough to still show the gorgeous cake or cupcakes, but shallow enough to create a little mystery behind the image. This image was shot with a macro lens at an f/3.0.
Lastly, make sure to take over view shots of the tables and the room to show all of the details. Play with your lights to create depth and interest, while keeping the colors true to what they are. This was a difficult reception to shoot as the walls and ceilings were all black. I had to bump my ISO pretty high, and had 4 different flashes setup across the room since bouncing was not an option.
Studio Freyja is a professional and experienced wedding photographer serving the San Diego, CA and its surrounding areas.
Photography should be personal, it should reflect you and your loved ones. That is why I take time to ensure that during your session and wedding day, everything is being captured. From the posed moments to the casual interactions, to the nice smiles and the silly faces, it all should be documented.
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