Wedding with a Large Bridal Party
It's when there is a large bridal party to photograph at a wedding that ours years of wedding photography experience really pays off! It takes planning to be able to create a group photo of a lot of people, especially when it can involve some pageboys and flowergirls! So today we are showing some examples of how we set up larger group photos at weddings.
When photographing bridal parties, we always like to capture a formal photograph where everyone is standing, so that way you can clearly see the details including the dresses and flowers. We try to find an area that provides some natural framing around the group, and once we have the photo of everyone looking at the camera, we can also create some more natural images by getting everyone to get in really tight together, and also have a quick chat. The pressure of trying to think of something to say with no warning can make for some great laughter in itself!
Then it's time to get creative! The secret to larger bridal parties is being able to stagger everyone, so that you can still see everyone clearly when you have different layers and positions. There are some photo locations which we use quite often with larger groups, as I put this together I realised just how much we use UWA! The arches at UWA are a great example of a location that lends itself to setting up with lots of people. You have the two different levels, and then the arches also provide some lovely framing where you can then spread people out. You don't have to have everyone standing next to each other, or doing the same thing in your group photos. A location that has stairs, or also some benches is a great starting point to then build a group photo. We also like to make sure that there is plenty of space for us to move back to photograph you - there's no point having everyone on a staircase when we have to shoot up your noses, not a flattering look!
We also look at different posing for people, to create an overall sense of balance to an image. Sometimes this isn't possible with the style of dress that bridesmaids have, but the majority of the time we can position people in a flattering position, and then the variety is what makes the image.
It's also really important to get everyone interacting with each other. This makes it more enjoyable when you are the person working hard as our models in the images, plus it makes it so much more effective when you see the image afterwards and it's real emotion that is being shown. So there is a quick run down of what goes through our heads when we are photographing on a wedding day - you don't have to be afraid when letting us know how many people are in your bridal party, we just plan for it properly and allow enough time to create some really great images of you all together.
