Well, lets be honest folks…the show stopper is the bride and her maids, and this can also be a bit of a problem. How does one shoot a subject that has been the main subject since weddings were invented? How does one produce that bride shot that stands out from the millions of shots of brides we see whenever we see images of weddings?
Sadly there is no easy answer to this, but allow me to share a few thoughts on how I try to manage this centerpiece shot of the entire wedding.
Unlike the groom who I script the crap out of, I treat the bride very differently. I get the in-between moments when it comes to the bride and her maids. I like to capture the excitement, the anticipation, the joy and fear that a bride experiences all at once on her wedding day.
Such unscripted moments require a photographer to have his/her A-game on lock because of the speed and uncertainty involved, so have your camera settings set right and if possible, have two cameras on hand with different settings, as light and focal lengths will be changing constantly.
Also such moments will require you to have a spirit of expectation, being keenly aware of the narrative playing out before you and intuitively anticipating the next move! You must be in rhythm with what is playing out before you without distracting the bridal party with the intrusion of a “stranger” in their midst.
Being a bride’s photographer requires patience and shooting intuitively will come with time, but in time you will be rewarded with that one shot or two shots that no one will have even seen before!
