How to Nail Wedding Reception Photography: Trends and Tips
Are you feeling puzzled about the important highlights that you must consider for the best reception couple photography? Or are you a bride-to-be or groom-to-be who is digging deep for tips and tricks for your reception candid photography? Our team has curated an inclusive guide to vanish all your dilemmas and queries with some must-try tips and tricks. From funny games to stage performances bursting with energy, nailing the best reception wedding photos can be hectic and tiring. Let’s discover some cool hacks about the wedding reception photography trends!
Essential Reception Portraiture and Rituals
Classic Groom Portraits
Classic portrait poses for grooms include a variety of poses that can be easily nailed by even camera-shy people. The standard side poses and straight shots are mandatory clicks that shall be captured to lock in the catchy details of the groom’s attire. Sit-down poses where the groom looks away from the camera could also be tried in different angles. Clearly, the reception makeover for grooms is much louder and detailed as compared to the wedding makeover.
Graceful Bridal Portraits
When it comes to bridal portraits, the reception look is one of the most celebrated looks. From glorious party gowns and designer lehengas to contemporary dreamy attires and Kanjeevaram sarees, it’s absolutely thrilling to capture all that grace into gorgeous portraits. Clearly, the bride’s attire plays an important role in curating the best reception poses for bride. Sparkly lehengas and heavy studded party gowns deserve special attention while framing the portraits.
The Grand Entry and Rituals
Wedding receptions or wedding after-parties are celebrated with a grand couple wedding entry by the newlyweds. Often accompanied by bursting crackers and an energetic dance team, it’s quite a merry moment to capture the best wedding entry bride and groom in pure candids. Followed by the grand entry, after-wedding rituals such as cutting the cake and wine tasting would be taking place in the presence of close family. As there is a list of events to be performed in a pre-planned order, the photographer may position the crew and be ready to capture the beautiful moments in candids as well as semi candids.
Trendy Flash Photography Techniques
Nostalgia is back in style! Those incredibly stark flash photos, popular in the 1990s, are trending, so let’s give you the steps you need to create dramatic, direct flash photos of your own. To create the most dramatic direct-flash images, you want the background in your images to be darker so your client looks brighter by comparison. You’ll need to lower all your camera settings so they’re letting in as little light as possible.
Technical Guide for Trendy Direct Flash
| Step | Component | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Camera Settings | Start with your shutter speed at 1/200, your ISO at 100, and narrow aperture. |
| Step 2 | Flash Power | Increase your power levels to ½ or ¼ and see how it looks. |
| Step 3 | Modifier | Use a MagSphere modifier to spread the light and soften shadows. |
| Step 4 | Extra Drama | Lower your shutter speed anywhere from ⅕ to 1/30 to create motion blur. |
On your on-camera flash, increase your power levels based on how much available light there is and how close you are to your client. If they’re close to you, your flash power can be 1/16. If they’re further away, you’ll need a higher flash power, like ½, in order for the light to reach them. This look will give you the nostalgic 90’s vibe for sure!
The Guest Perspective: Being the Perfect Wedding Guest
Attending so many weddings, photographers often see guests doing things (usually unwittingly) that can adversely affect the photos. This guide is a polite way for couples to inform their guests ahead of the wedding. The bride and groom have paid for a professional photographer to capture the day – they want to see guests being present and in the moment, they want to see smiling faces in the background of their photos.
Professional Etiquette for Guests
- Using your phone: Take as many pictures as you can throughout the day, but the most important thing is to be subtle about it. Don’t be that guest who pokes an iPad out into the aisle as the bride walks down, ruining a magical moment.
- Bringing the big camera: Please don’t shoot over the photographer's shoulder for group shots; guests often don’t know where to look and get confused who they should be smiling at.
- Be present: Get up and surround the dancefloor for the first dance; the photos will look a hundred times better with smiling faces of friends and family.
- Social Media: If you are a day guest, try and keep your stories or shots limited to nothing that will give away any of the venue or couple details until the evening.
Couples often request that nobody shares photos of the bride and groom until they have had the chance to do so. I realise that everyone is keen to share photos of the day, but please let the couple have that pleasure first. Turn your phone on silent for the key moments like ceremony and speeches.