The right lighting is key to a successful photo. The wedding photographer has the tough gig of capturing an important day in the lives of two people, and it would be a less than ideal to produce an album of unflattering photos due to poor lighting.

 

We’ve thrown together some tips to get you started on a ‘lit’ wedding album…

 

That natural light?

Many photographers want that ‘natural glow’. This is easier to achieve outdoors in the day time outdoors. However at night you won’t be seeing much with out a strobe.

 

Indoor lighting, for example at the church, may look ambient to the naked eye. Perhaps the DJ is flashing some great colours around the room. But these don’t necessarily mean good light for capturing facial expressions and details like the bridal dress. If you want clear photos, you’re going to need a flash.

 

Flash flash

Just press the flash button, they said. But did you know there are different flash techniques? Here are two good options for a wedding:

 

  • Bounce flash – to illuminate the indoors and light up the bride and groom’s face. Though, they’ll probably be ahead of you there. The trick is to angle your camera to bounce the flash off walls and ceilings to create a soft glow on your subjects. You don’t want light coming directly from from the front as this can appear harsh.

 

  • Kicker lights – separate lighting stands you can place behind subjects, and around the room. The flare makes the subject’s hairline stand out, and stops them getting consumed in white glow. The hue on these can be altered to complement or contrast the warm or cool lighting already in the room.

 

Outdoors

Position guests behind the sun or look for a shaded area if it’s too harsh to ensure soft even light. The couple will particularly be looking for facial expressions and fine details like neck ties to be clear as day in the album.

 

Lighting the reception

The formalities are over, and everyone is keen to let their hair down. Decorations and DJ lights will fill the room. When it comes to photos, they’ll present so much better if you can find a way to white balance these. Get your kicker lights out and place them around the room. Keep them in the background of photos and use them to enhance colours.