The Hidden Secrets behind Bridal Portraits
Are your wedding detail shots looking so-so? Yes, it is not just you; it is all of us. In this blog post, we will share our top tips for shooting wedding details that rock with you.
Wedding detail shots are sometimes one of the last things that photographers think about on the wedding day. Still, they are integral to telling the whole story for a bride from start to finish. We’re going to share our top styling secrets in this article. By the end of it, you will be able to implement them on a wedding day yourself, but make sure you stick around till the very end for our bonus tip.
Styling mat
Our first secret tool is a styling mat. A bride will often pick a beautiful venue, but their getting-ready space where they are shooting the details is awful, and that’s not their fault. They just didn’t have an ideal getting-ready space. As a photographer, our job is to create beautiful detail images that correspond with the feel and the look of the rest of the day. What do you do when you have a junky location?
You get a styling mat, and you can either make them (which we don’t recommend because they’re cumbersome and it is kind of tedious to make them yourself) or purchase one. These things are foldable, they’re washable, and you can pick multiple colors, so they’re two-sided. That’s a win-win because we already carry enough gear on the wedding day, and we don’t need to be taking oversized, bulky items, so this thing folds small.
Mrs. Box
The following styling secret rule that we have in our arsenal is the Mrs. Box, and they are an heirloom, velvet ring box that we carry on the wedding day. We have three just in case a bride doesn’t have her own. We never rely on a bride to have a beautiful ring box because frequently, it’s one of the last things she thinks of. Still, it’s one of the first things that we need as photographers to elevate the look of her detail on the wedding day.
In addition to that, it’s less time we have to spend trying to balance and stack rings that are tiny and very delicate. We love these because they come in different colors. You can use them in multiple ways because they have beautiful gold foil on the interior, and they come in two shapes.
There’s Standard Square, and then they just recently released their bevel box, which you can custom engrave either for your brand. Furthermore, if you want to gift something to your bride and add to that experience, you can get it engraved for her. So, why not?
French silk ribbon
Our secret tool number three is the French silk ribbon. This ribbon is not your standard Hobby Lobby or Michaels’ ribbon. This is typically antique and is a more expensive piece of fabric. It can either be hand-dyed, or you can buy it as is.
This is just one more thing that adds that color, texture, and added layer of interest to your details, allowing you to elevate them from being ho-hum to be wow. Many photographers will reach out to a full designer and ask them to include additional ribbons matching the bouquet, but they often forget. Again, we don’t want to be left just having only half of what we need, so we include this in our styling kit.
Miscellaneous small styling details
Our fourth secret tool is small styling details. What does that even mean? For us, they’re small antique pieces like a piece of lace or a small hand mirror. If your bride doesn’t have anything special to her, you may want to carry one or two of these small items on the wedding day. They’re great.
It just elevates everything you’re doing one more level because you have taken the time to think ahead and bring these little items in for her. If you would like us to write a blog post on how we style the details on the wedding day, do let us know.
Bonus tip
Now for our bonus styling tooltip. It may surprise you, but it is dental wax. That’s right; you remember it fondly from being in middle school. It’s that wax you would stick on your braces, but in this case, we’re using it to hold up the rings.
You’ve seen those beautifully stacked wedding rings before, leaving you wondering how in the world that photographer has defied gravity and gotten those suckers to sit still and stand up. The secret is dental wax, and so you can find it at any CVS Pharmacy. It’s super cheap, and it’s effortless to keep in your bag of tricks to make your details stand out.
That’s it from our side for now. We’ve shared our top tips on what we keep in our styling tool kit, but if you’re wondering now how to light those beautiful details on the wedding day, then make sure that you read to this blog post right here so that you can improve your off-camera flash skills on the wedding day while you’re shooting those details.
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If you want to hire a US-based photography team, we are available to pump things up. Book with us today to get a FLAT 15% OFF on your first order with us. If you want a sample of our portfolio, feel free to inquire about it.
About Us: Based in Missouri, Bright Focus Photography is a name of excellence in providing excellent photography services. Our exuberant services, dipped with a punch of humor, will be everything you need for your big day. By adding a hint of honesty, kindness, hard work, and fairness to our work, we stand out among many others for the effort we put into our work.