For more tips on wedding jewelry and details, check out Photographing the Bride in SLR Lounge Premium – your one stop shop for getting consistently incredible imagery of the bride on her wedding day.

Basic Wedding Ring Photography Tips

Let’s get started with a few basic wedding ring photography tips before jumping into the more detailed creative wedding ring photography tips.

• Use a Macro Lens – Macro Lenses aren’t the cheapest lenses, especially when you take into consideration that fact that you might only be using them for one or two shots throughout the entire day, but it’s very important to pick one up if you’re considering adding good wedding ring pictures to your wedding photography portfolio. If you’re on a Canon, you’re probably looking at the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro or the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS if you can afford it.  All other camera makers should have equivalents.
• Use Manual Focus and Take Multiple Shots – It’s going to be tough to rely on auto focus in this situation, as it’s just not accurate enough. Get used to focusing manually, take multiple shots, and make sure you zoom in as you’re checking the images on the LCD to make sure you come away with a sharp, perfect focus. There’s nothing worse than having a great shot set up and not coming away with a usable image.
• Use Additional Sharpening in Lightroom – Don’t forget to cheat a little bit and touch up/sharpen your rings in Photoshop to give them that extra pop.

Creative Wedding Ring Photography Ideas

Gone are the days of boring wedding ring pictures! The classic shot of the rings on top of the wedding day itineraryis overdone. And getting the candid moment of the ring exchange isn’t quite enough. It’s time to think creatively. It’s time to think of the wedding rings like you think of your bride and groom in that you want to deliver shots of your subjects with creative light, creative compositions and interesting backgrounds.

Find Reflections for Your Wedding Ring Photos

Find and utilize reflections to create vertical symmetry and add interest to a scene. This can be a glass table, a granite counter top, a piano or any other reflective surface. Wipe down the surface to ensure there are no marks or specs prior to placing the rings and use your phone to make sure they are in the same focal plane. If you don’t find a reflective surface, use your cell phone!

All of the photos used in this article are taken with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS in order to get a precise picture of the details of the rings and to achieve a greater compression than you would with a 35mm or 50mm. If you don’t have a backdrop available, Google an image of ‘bokeh’ or ‘Christmas lights’ on your phone and place it behind the rings so that it reflects onto the glass. Trust us, it works.

Try Creating A Wedding Ring Silhouette

Often times, wedding rings have intricate details carved into them or create unique silhouettes. While most of the time we focus on lighting them up to showcase the jewels or design, a silhouette brings the viewers attention to the shape of the ring which brings a unique perspective to the traditional ring shot.

Image by Jason Vinson – Website

Use Putty When You Need The Ring to Stand

In these shots, the groom’s ring is lying flat on the surface and the bride’s ring is standing up and pointing up to the heavens, showing off its glorious detail. So how do we keep the ring from falling over? The answer is simple. The secret behind our wedding detail shot is actually Elmer’s Putty. It is simple, effective, readily available in craft stores, and best of all, really inexpensive.

To use it, all you need to do is take a small piece of putty and make a little ball with it. You place the groom’s ring horizontally on a flat surface and the putty ball in the middle of that ring. Then, you place the bride’s ring standing up on the putty. The putty will hold up the ring and as long as you have a small enough piece, you won’t see it in your shots. You can buy the putty on Amazon for $5.

See Our Wedding Ring Putty Video Tutorial

Incorporate Personal Elements in Your Wedding Ring Photography

Find objects that are pertinent to your couples’ love story or relationship that can be incorporated into your wedding ring photos. This can even be something that you discuss with your clients beforehand to ensure that they bring something with them that is meaningful. Here are some examples of wedding ring photos incorporating props:

“The couple loves Swedish Fish and they had it out as the treat on the table settings so I tried thinking of something that would be meaningful to them and arranged the fish in a school and made the rings the air bubbles.”

Photographers Lissette & Orlando “definitely try to personalize wedding ring pictures for each client according to their interests”. After they get the traditional macro closeup ring shot, they “get a second ring shot catered just to the couple’s favorite things or to match the theme of their wedding.” In this case, the couple was a big fan of DC Comics.

Use the Bouquet as a backdrop for wedding ring photo

Bride’s love incorporating other elements of their wedding day in their photographs whether it be portraits or detail shots. Use the bouquet as a backdrop for wedding ring photos or place the ring inside one of the flowers.

Incorporate the Other Jewelry and Shoes

The more separation there is from the background the more compression you will have. You can see three different examples of how we used other jewelry as a background to create great compression & beautiful bokeh-balls.

Similarly to how we used the jewelry above, we chose to show off the bride’s shoes by placing the wedding rings on the heels. Double check before placing rings onto the bottoms of shoes because in some cultures this is frowned-upon.

Incorporate the Invitation in Your Wedding Ring Photography

For a more personalized wedding ring picture try utilizing your couple’s wedding invite. This is when Glue Dots come in handy to keep the rings in place without you having to try and spend 30 minutes trying to make them balance.

Use LED String Lights and/or LED Pen Lights

We’ve discussed using LED string lights in portraiture to emulate sun flare or golden hour, but just as we discussed earlier, the more compression when photographing wedding rings, the better. Place the spread apart lights behind close to a foot behind the rings to get the best bokeh.

For just a bit of rim light or even a little drama, we use LED pen lights to highlight our rings. By placing them on either side of the wedding rings you can change your in-camera color temperature to balance out your scene, or try a temperature throw by making the rings cooler and your background warmer.

Find or Create Interesting Wedding Ring Photography Backgrounds

Don’t have any cool lights or pens handy? Find a wallpaper or texture background to use as the backdrop of your wedding ring picture in order to create interest. Here, we added an off-camera flash to illuminate our background rather than use the ambient light in the room.

Use Water/Liquid to Add Interest

This setup requires a bit more time and patience but yields in some pretty spectacular results. In the image below, Nik used a bottle of water to create this splashing effect and paired it with an off-camera flash to freeze the motion of the water. The key to getting the right type of action is to take multiple shots to get a variety of options and then choose the best version in post.

Find Creative Compositions with Objects Around You

While you are on the hunt to find that perfect stream of light, take a look at what objects you have around you that give context to the wedding. Sometimes this means grabbing a magazine or coffee table book and browsing to see what you can use that can aide in your composition.

“We try to integrate something important or relevant to the client in detail shots. In this case, they were total fitness nuts.”

Find Balanced Backgrounds

Symmetry and balance are the key to certain types of wedding ring pictures. Since you’re dealing with such intricate detail, the slightest shift can throw your whole image off. For example, if the image has a focus directly down the center, make sure everything is aligned. If your image has prefect symmetry, adjust it so that it’s as close to perfect as your lighting and time will allow.

Create Light Patterns with Natural Light or OCF

Photography is simply the study and understanding of light. We are constantly in search of perfect light to help shape, define, and highlight our subjects, and it’s no different when it comes to the objects we shoot. Get creative by finding a small sliver of light that creates a leading line or create a complex light pattern with off-camera flashes.

“In between two walls, I saw the angle of the light and the thought just came to me,” says Michael Ramos.  It’s images like this that make you want to pause and study the light around you to see if you can making something ordinary into extraordinary!

Find Colorful or Interesting Backgrounds & Textures

Interesting colors and textures are things we as photographers are trained to always be on the lookout for. But on a normal, non-macrophotography basis, we’re usually thinking of walls, sunsets, or other large backdrops. Keep in mind that, with your wedding ring pictures, you now have the luxury of taking almost anything and making it a background, from a piece of cloth to a purse to a party favor to a bouquet.

More Information

Which wedding ring photo technique was your favorite? Let us know in the comments down below! We hope this article helped to inspire you to create outstanding wedding ring photos and maybe push you outside the box to start thinking of creative ways to compose and photograph a very important detail at your next wedding! Start streaming Photographing the Bride in SLR Lounge Premium

For more helpful tips to boost your wedding ring photography, check out this list of 10 tips and creative ideas for better wedding ring photos that we put together for our friends at Adorama.  You can check out more of our work on our wedding photography blog and our wedding photography portfolio.

Understand and Manage The Timeline

As with most cultural traditions, each couple and each family may take a unique approach to cultural traditions.  For example, some Vietnamese couples will have two ceremonies, one at the bride’s house and then another one at the groom’s home.  Other times, they only have one, and sometimes they skip the event all together. In another example, when a Chinese or Vietnamese bride or groom is marrying someone from another culture, it’s not uncommon to see the tea ceremony incorporated into the wedding ceremony itself rather than as a separate event.

As the creative on the job, be sure to memorize and understand the timeline and be flexible for any last second changes or requests. If there are going to be multiple tea ceremonies and outfit changes, make sure the timeline is adequate for full coverage, especially if you’re covering prep for each outfit. Travel time can also add up quickly in densely populated areas. It is not unusual for Chinese or Vietnamese wedding coverage to run between 12 and 18 hours.

Here is a typical order of events for a tea ceremony:

1. Groom and his family/friends arrive at bride’s home
2. Door games (more common in Chinese weddings)
3. Bride makes an entrance
4. Welcome Speech or toast (often by father of the bride)
5. Brewing of Tea (Bridesmaid or sibling)
6. Tea served by bride and groom to relatives  (often in order or seniority)
7. Gifts provided to the bride and groom (often jewelry)
8. Food (Often a roasted pig)

Be Prepared for “Everyday” Surroundings

As mentioned, most tea ceremonies take place in the bride’s living room.  Sometimes these can be beautifully decorated and photogenic and other times, they can be everyday living rooms, with potentially distracting elements like televisions, kids’ toys and more.  Be prepared for any type of environment and utilize your composition and lighting skills to deemphasize unattractive parts of the scene.

Be Prepared for Tight Spaces

Many tea ceremonies have dozens or even hundreds of relatives and friends gathered in a living room or hotel suite.  Be prepared for tight spaces and be sure to stay assertive, while remaining polite, in getting to the optimal positions.  Consider medium zoom lenses, such as a 24-70mm lens for maximum versatility.

Plan Your Angles

If you’re shooting alone and can only get one perspective, it’s usually more important to get an angle that features the people the bride and groom are serving, as opposed to the bride and groom. For coverage with multiple shooters, capture both the bride and groom as well as the guests they’re serving.

Crop in Tight and Remember the Details

Remember to capture a variety of angles and perspectives.  The most creative and interesting crops are sometimes the tight ones.  This is particularly true if the environment is messy or unappealing.

In addition, tight crops of the action, such as the image of just the hands holding the tea or putting on jewelry can help tell a story.  See the images below.

Focus on Emotion

In many traditional Asian cultures, the tea ceremony is the actual moment that the bride and groom are married.  Traditionally, it signifies the moment that the bride is leaving her home and joining the groom in a new life.  As you can expect, this can trigger some strong emotions of joy and sadness for the couple and their family members.  Be prepared to capture the action.

Carve Out Time Before or After the Ceremony for Portraits

Many times, the bride and groom will be changing out of their traditional attire into a white “Western” wedding dress after the tea ceremony.  So be sure to capture all of the individual and couples portraits that you and your clients want before this happens.  Tea ceremonies are often followed by lunch, so you may have some time there to pull the couple out while everyone else is eating.

Conclusion

We hope that this helps prepare you to capture better tea ceremony images.   If you’re interested in more wedding photography education, we have a full training system that teaches you every aspect of wedding photography, including how to capture cultural weddings such as the tea ceremony.  For more information, check out the Wedding Photography Training System.  If you’re interested in learning about other cultural weddings, you may be interested in the following articles:

• Jewish Wedding Photography Tips
• Persian Wedding Photography Guide
• Hindu Wedding Photography Guide
• Mormon Wedding Photography Guide
• Catholic Wedding Photography Guide

Decide on a Purpose

Photo by Larsen Photo Co (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Before diving into the world of faceless portraits, it is crucial to determine the purpose behind your composition. Ask yourself: What are you seeking to highlight or evoke in the viewer? Are you focusing on a specific object or element, aiming to add an aura of mystery, intimacy, or another specific feeling or theme to the photograph? Clarifying your purpose will guide your creative decisions and ensure a cohesive visual story.

Photo by Laurentiu Nica (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Capture Movement and Action Portraits without Faces

Photo by Natasha Lamalle (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

One of the exciting possibilities of faceless portraits is their ability to capture movement and action in a captivating manner. Without the distraction of facial expressions, viewers are drawn to the dynamic energy and gestures conveyed through body language. Experiment with candid moments, dance poses, or even playful interactions that tell a story without relying on facial cues.

Photo by Sofia Camplioni (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Highlight a Beautiful Background

Excluding faces from the composition allows the background to take center stage. Whether it’s a breathtaking natural landscape, an architectural marvel, or an intricately designed venue, this technique enables viewers to fully appreciate the backdrop and its significance within the context of the wedding. Play with framing and composition to ensure the background becomes a compelling part of the visual narrative.  See some of examples below:

Photo by JCM Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by We The Light (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Focus on Intricacies and Details

Photo by Tove Lundquist (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

The absence of faces offers an opportunity to draw attention to the intricate details that make a wedding special. From the delicate lacework on the wedding dress to the exquisite arrangement of the bouquet, or the sparkle of the wedding ring, emphasizing these elements without distraction can create powerful, evocative images. Zoom in, experiment with different angles, and capture the essence of these details, allowing them to tell their own enchanting story.

Wedding Rings

Notice how the crop below puts the focus on the wedding ring.

Photo by PMC Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Wedding Dresses

The absence of faces allows the viewer to focus on the details of the wedding dress.

Photo by Maddness Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Wedding Bouquets

The crop below showcases the wedding bouquet.

Photo by Vow of the Wild (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Wedding shoes

The composition below showcases the bride’s shoes.

Photo by Images by Nic (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Wedding Tux

This composition focuses the viewer on the groom’s tux and wedding ring.

Photo by Sonju Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Remember Your Posing Rules

In faceless portraits, subtle posing nuances become paramount. Since the face is excluded, other aspects, such as hands or body positioning, take on a more prominent storytelling role. For instance, if you’re focusing on the hands, their placement and natural fluidity become vital to convey emotion and enhance the narrative. Pay attention to the lines, shapes, and overall composition of your subjects to create visually compelling images.

Photo by Courtland Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Roc Focus (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Consider Black and White Photo Editing

Black and white editing can elevate the mystery and overall appeal of faceless wedding portraits. By removing the distraction of color, you can emphasize the tonal contrast, textures, and play with light and shadows to add depth and drama to your images. Experiment with different black and white editing techniques to enhance the storytelling potential of your faceless portraits.

Photo by Dan Sauer (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Consider using silhouettes to tell the story

Silhouette portraits offer a distinct and artistic approach to wedding photography. By capturing the outline and shape of the couple against a luminous backdrop, photographers can create powerful and evocative images that tell a story without revealing facial features. Silhouettes are particularly effective during sunset or twilight, where the interplay of light and shadow adds a touch of drama and romance. The absence of facial details allows viewers to focus on the couple’s embrace, their body language, and the emotions conveyed through their gestures.

Photo by Dino Jeram (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Use light flares to create faceless portraits

Light flares can add a touch of enchantment and mystery to wedding portraits, allowing photographers to create unique faceless compositions. By intentionally incorporating flares into the frame, photographers can obscure or partially conceal the couple’s faces, adding an ethereal quality to the image. The interplay between light and shadow, combined with the soft glow of the flares, creates a dreamlike atmosphere that invites viewers to focus on the overall mood and emotion conveyed by the scene.

Photo by Michelle Arlotta (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

More Examples for Your Inspiration

To fuel your creative journey, we have curated a collection of stunning faceless wedding portraits that showcase the limitless possibilities within this unique genre of photography. Explore these examples to glean inspiration and expand your creative horizons.

Photo by SMJ Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by John Foley (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Jacqueline Benet (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Stefani Ciotti (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Kivus and Camera (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by The Hazel Club (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Nicole Amanda (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by BridgetQ Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Laura Skebba Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Andreas Pollok (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Picturist Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Party of Two (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Zack Bradley (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Danni Lea Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Matlai Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Shukhrat Kamalov (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Jorge Santiago (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by Frank Balzan (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Hallie Sigwing (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)
Photo by One Love Texas (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Matthias Richter (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Photo by Daniel Nydick (Website | Wedding Maps Profile)

Conclusion

Creating wedding portraits without faces opens up a world of artistic expression and storytelling. By purposefully excluding the face, photographers can highlight specific elements, evoke emotions, and weave narratives that captivate viewers. Remember to consider your purpose, experiment with movement, leverage backgrounds, focus on details, adhere to posing rules, and consider black and white editing to enhance the allure of your faceless portraits. Embrace this technique as a powerful tool in your repertoire, and watch as your wedding photography transcends traditional boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on all who behold your artistry.

Video: 10 Tips for Editing Wedding Photos in Less Than 1 Hour!

1. Shoot Compressed RAW
2. Shoot in Manual Mode
3. In-Camera Color Temperature
4. Use a High Speed Card/Reader
5. How You Import Matters!
6. Import to a Fast Internal Drive
7. Simplify Your Culling
8. Use AI-based Editors
9. Sync Photos Per Scene
10. Final Review & Signature Edit

Step #1: Shoot Compressed RAW

The first step to editing wedding photos begins before you shoot a single photograph. If your camera has the option, shoot medium or compressed RAW. Shooting in RAW is a given for its flexibility in post. However, today’s cameras often come with 50+ megapixels, but for portrait work, you don’t need more than 20-30.

By scaling down, you’ll not only save a ton of storage space, but your editing machine will run faster due to the smaller file sizes without a reduction in quality.

Step #2: Shoot in Manual Mode

Having consistent exposures is critical for batch processing and shooting in manual mode is your best bet for achieving this. Aperture/Shutter priority still rely on some level of auto-exposure that varies depending on what your camera is pointing at. These exposure differences will bog down your editing workflow since you’ll need to individually correct each image that is off.

Adjusting your camera settings on the fly to changing scenes gets easier with time. Once adjusted, you’ll get consistent exposures every time regardless of where you are.

Step #3: Adjust Color Temperature/Tint In-Camera

Once you’re comfortable with manual exposure, start adjusting your color temperature/tint in-camera. Much like having consistent exposures, having your color temperature already set will save a ton of time in post.

On top of that, it’ll help your AI-based editor immediately understand your intentions with your image. More on that later.

Step #4: Use a High Speed Card & Reader

While we’re waiting for direct-to-cloud capture, we’re stuck with memory cards. It’s important to keep in mind that memory cards and card readers are not created equally. Make sure you’re using a high speed memory card as well as a high speed memory card reader. Having a high speed memory card reader can save you 10 minutes just from the import process. Even more so if you’re uploading multiple full cards.

Step #5: How You Import Matters!

Use these settings when importing into Lightroom:

1. Build Preview > Minimal
2. Check “Build Smart Previews”
3. Check “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates”
4. Leave other two options unchecked.
5. Select your baseline look or preset if you’re planning on editing manually.
6. Select “None” if you plan to edit using an AI-based editor.

Step #6: Import to Your Fastest Internal Drive

Don’t use external hard drives. Sorting through and editing high volumes of high-resolution images requires a ton of data bandwidth. An external hard drive will likely slow down that process (though if you must, make sure it’s an SSD connected to the fastest port available).

Ideally, you’ll want to import your images and keep your catalogs on a local SSD drive.

Step #7: Simplify Your Culling

I’ve seen many photographers assign specific meanings to their star-rating system. I’d advise against this as doing so only complicates your culling process.

Instead of having to spend more time on these complex judgment calls, try out what we call “Culling-In.” This means that you’re going to assume that every image is going to be rejected unless you flag it as a keeper. As you move through each image, you’ll only be thinking one thing: Do I want to deliver this image?

For added efficiency, turn on “Auto Advance” which will automatically move you to the next image after flagging, saving keystrokes.

Step #8: Use AI-Based Editors

Here, I want to introduce Impossible Things, our new AI-based Lightroom native plugin. It’s the only AI editor (that I know of) that can be used with your own presets.

After installing, simply go to Plug-in Extras > Edit Photos. From there, select your preset, select your additional settings such as AI Portrait Retouching, and hit proceed. Impossible things will do the rest and after a brief moment, your work will essentially be done.

If you choose to use an AI-based editor, you can skip to Step #10.

Step #9: Sync Your Photos Per Scene

If you’re editing wedding photos manually, you should have your preset applied on import. From here, I suggest that you work by camera and by scene.

Make your adjustments to the first image of a given scene. Then, select the last image in that scene, and copy all of your adjustments over. Repeat for each new scene until all of your images are edited.

If you’re working with multiple cameras, filter through your cameras by selecting “Camera Serial Number” (In case there are more than one of the same camera). Follow the steps to edit the first scene, then move to the same scene on the next camera(s), ensuring that any differences in camera profiles are corrected. Follow the same steps for each scene.

Note that AI-based editing tools such as Impossible Things will actually sync all of your cameras for you!

Related Reading: 4 Steps for Cohesive Editing in Lightroom

Step #10: Final Review & Signature Edits

Whether you’re editing wedding photos manually or using AI, always review for consistency and make any necessary minor adjustments. As you review, mark your favorites to add in your signature look. These are the images you’ll want to have featured in albums and blog posts so be sure to give them some extra love at the end.

Conclusion

That’s it! From there, export and prepare your images for delivery.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to check out our complete Mastering Lightroom course on SLR Lounge Premium. You can also visit Visual Flow for our entire library of Lightroom presets and retouching tools. Lastly, check out Impossible Things and how you can integrate them into your own professional workflow.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Direct and Position Everyone Involved

If you take the complete “fly-on-the-wall” approach to these moments, you might get caught out of position with a blocked angle.  You might also have lighting issues, with insufficient lighting or shadows for parts of the scene. Take control and place everyone into the ideal locations for the best photos and video.  That might mean having to “stop” the action or move large groups of people.  But the results will be well worth it. Photo by M and G Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Little Wold Vineyard Yorkshire England Photo by Andreas Pollok (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) Schloss Heinsheim Baden Württemberg Germany

Get the Photography Team in the Right Positions

If you have multiple photographers, you have a chance to get multiple angles to help tell a complete story.  These other angles also serve as a backup in case either of you have any unexpected issues with your angles, your lighting, or your gear. Lead Photographer – The lead photographer should be directly in front of the bride or groom with the bride or groom as the main focal point.  The group of people catching the bouquet or garter should be in the background, as you see in the image below.

  2nd Shooter (Option 1) – The second photographer can be in a similar position but focused on the guests catching the bouquet or garter.  Technically this photo can be captured by the lead photographer as well.  However, switching focus from the bride or groom to the group catching the items is difficult to time, so having multiple photographers is more ideal.   Photo by Jessie and Dallin (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Oak Hills Layton, UT USA

Photo by Joanna and Brett (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Storybook Gardens Rochelle, Illinois United States 2nd Shooter (Option 2) – Alternatively, you can have the second photographer perpendicular to the action to catch the entire scene. Or you can have him or her on the side with a close up of the guests catching the bouquet or garter. Photo by Dan Dalstra (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) 3rd Shooter – If you have a third photographer, have him or her take one of the two positions mentioned above.

Watch Your Flash Power

Be sure your flash is recycling fast enough to fire multiple shots per second.  This usually means firing at a flash power of 1/16th or lower depending on the type of flash unit, the available light, and the environment.  The slower your flash is recycling, the more accurate you’ll have to time your shot for the right moment. Photo by Mauricio Urena (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Santa Rosa Ruins Antigua Guatemala

Photo by 1836 Photographie (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Milestone in New Braunfels, TX Photo by Cameron Martinez (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Copperleaf Garden And Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado

Shoot The Before and After

Remember to keep your camera up before and after the bouquet toss or garter toss. In these in-between movements, you’ll have great opportunities for fun, candid reactions. Photo by Cameron Martinez (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Copperleaf Garden And Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado

Use the Right Lenses

For these types of scenes, zoom lenses (such as a 24-70mm) work well because they allow photographers to capture both wide and tight angles of the action. Bouquet and garter tosses usually draw large groups of “single” participants, so 24mm focal length should work for capturing the entire group while the 70mm focal length will allow for closer shots of expressions, which are usually pretty funny (as illustrated below in the example from the video of the girls diving for the bouquet).

Conclusion and More info

These tips should help you capture some great memories of this fun tradition!  Check out our article on Wedding Maps for more bouquet and garter toss photos,   Also, if you have any additional thoughts or tips, please mention them in the comments below!  For more wedding photography education, be sure to see our Wedding Photography Training System within SLR Lounge Premium.

More Bouquet Toss Inspiration

Photo by Andy Sidders Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Gatsby Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire UK

Photo by Danieka at Picturist Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Beloftebos in Cape Town South Africa

Photo by Jeroen Savelkouls (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Klooster Bethlehem in Haren, The Netherlands

Photo by M and G Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Crayke Manor in Yorkshire England

Photo by JCM Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Parker Mill Whittier, NC United States

Photo by Courtland Photography (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Harmony Ridge Lodge in Nevada City, California

Photo by Creando Fotos (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Las Pampas Monterrey, Mexico

Photo by Party of Two (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Triple C Barrel Room Charlotte, NC USA

Garter Toss Photo Inspiration

Here are examples of fun and exciting Garter Toss Photos:

Photo by Kivus and Camera (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms Spring Hill, North Carolina Photo by Tracy Jenkins (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Squantum Association in East Providence, RI Photo by Dan Dalstra (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Laboratory Mill in Charlotte, NC

Photo by Kristin Cheatwood (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at The Valley Club in Hailey, Idaho Photo by Zack Bradley (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Parker-Binns Vineyard in Mill Spring, North Carolina Photo by Stefani Ciotti (Website | Wedding Maps Profile) at Montclair Wedding & Event Venue Colleyville, TX

Video: 5 Best & Worst Things About Being a Professional Wedding Photographer

Pro #1: Your Weekday Schedule is Flexible
Con #1: Your Weekends Are Gone
Pro #2: You Can Make Great Money
Con #2: Your Income Fluctuates
Pro #3: Work is Meaningful & Enjoyable
Con #3: You Are Running a Business
Pro #4: Travel & Meet Tons of New People
Con #4: It’s Tough on the Body
Pro #5: The Sky is Your Limit
Con #5: You Create Your Structure

Related Reading: 10 Critical Tips for First-Time Wedding Photographers

Pro #1: Your Weekday Schedule is Flexible

Most weddings are on the weekends. That means your weekdays are free for you to design as you see fit. That doesn’t mean your weekdays will be completely free. You’ll have editing, client meetings, and likely local portrait sessions to take care of. However, you will have the flexibility to create your schedule, which is perfect if you have a family or other business ventures.

Con #1: Your Weekends Are Gone

While it’s awesome to have a flexible weekday schedule, the downside is that your weekends are almost exclusively reserved for bookings. This is especially the case earlier in your career when you aren’t yet able to command a premium rate. For the first few years as a professional wedding photographer, every weekend will likely be a grind. Once you hit those higher rates, you can start pulling back on the number of bookings. For reference, it took me 5 years to hit that $10K mark. At that rate, you can make a great living shooting only 10-20 weddings a year.

Pro #2: You Can Make GREAT Money

I still pinch myself that I make a fantastic income traveling and photographing large parties. As an established wedding photographer, this can be great money. However, I want to be realistic. All too often, we only talk about how much money we want to make. We don’t talk enough about what it takes to get there.

An established photographer or studio can charge over $10K per wedding. It just might take 5-10 years to get there. If you’re just starting out, you should expect to make just enough to cover basic expenses. At $1500 per event, you’ll need to shoot 30 weddings to net $45,000, and that’s before subtracting expenses. However, as you continue to grow, you can raise your rates. Stick it out, and you will make great money.

Con #2: Your Income Fluctuates

In this industry, it’s often either feast or famine. During the first few years as a professional wedding photographer, it’ll likely be a lot of famine. The key is to live frugally until you make it to the other side. Once you’ve made it, it’s still unlikely that you’ll have bookings every day. Even for established photographers who book 10-20 weddings a year, that income comes in spurts. One month can yield $40K while the next brings in nothing. This is where many wedding photographers go wrong and spend the money as it comes in, rather than budgeting for the periods they’re not booking.

Pro #3: Work is Meaningful & Enjoyable

Regardless of your niche as a photographer, you’re in a position to create work that is meaningful and enjoyable. Personally, I’ve tried it all: Automotive, commercial, fashion… In the end, I chose weddings because that’s what’s meaningful to me. I highly value family and the people I spend time around. As a wedding photographer, I get to create incredible artworks of my clients’ lives and amazing moments.

Con #3: You Are Running a Business

If you got into photography as a hobby, you have to understand that running a business is an entirely different game. As a hobbyist, you choose when and what you want to shoot. Wedding photography is a client serving industry. As a professional wedding photographer, you’re beholden to your clients and what they want. To be successful, you have to step out of thinking exclusively about your own creative process. When you’re relying on photography to pay for your rent and provide for your family, it’s no longer just about when you want to shoot.

Pro #4: Travel & Meet Tons of New People

If you love travel and love meeting new people, this is the job for you. I’ve visited so many incredible places and met so many incredible people on this journey. Many of them have become my lifelong friends. To me, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do.

Con #4: It’s Tough on the Body

Wedding photography is challenging. To begin, you’re constantly traveling and always carrying around heavy and expensive gear. Then, the wedding days themselves can be 12-18 hours of nonstop hustling. On top of all that running around, you’re constantly interacting with other people and exercising your creativity. Simply put, wedding days are intense and can wreak havoc on your body.

Here are my tips for alleviating some of the stress:

1. Stay fit. Not only will staying fit and healthy make weddings much easier, post-wedding hangovers will soon become a thing of the past.
2. Drink lots of water and bring snacks that are easy to eat on the go. You might not always get time to stop to eat or they might just forget to feed you altogether. My snacks of choice are almonds and protein bars.
3. Wear good shoes and bring comfortable clothes.

Pro #5: The Sky is Your Limit

Unlike a corporate structure where you just grind and put in your time, as a professional wedding photographer, you’re an entrepreneur. The sky is your limit! How much you make in the end will be about you and the effort that you’re willing to put in. On top of shooting weddings, once you’re established, you can create other revenue streams. Example are workshops, education, and speaking engagements.

Not only did we scale Lin & Jirsa to one of the largest boutique wedding studios, we built SLR Lounge to teach others to do the same.

Con #5: YOU Create Your Structure

The other side of the limitless opportunities is that no one is there to tell you what to do. You’re free to sleep in, waste time watching Netflix, or procrastinate. There are no immediate repercussions such as getting a strike or even fired. You’re in charge of your own schedule and career trajectory and this is a weakness for many creatives. However, to make this work, you have to make it your strength. Once you create the structure, you have to then stick to it, even if the motivation isn’t there.

Conclusion

If your dream is to become a professional wedding photographer, check out SLR Lounge Premium. There, you’ll find everything you need to start your photography career, from the fundamentals and Lighting, to Editing, the Business of Photography, and an entire course dedicated to Wedding Photography itself!

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Video: 10 Critical Tips for First Time Wedding Photographers

1. Charge Something
2. Set the Right Expectations
3. Know Your Client’s Values
4. Prioritize Your Client’s Values
5. Shoot RAW
6. C.Y.A
7. Take Control and Be the Director
8. Wide, Medium, Tight
9. Create a List for Family Portraits
10. Hire an Experienced Second Shooter

Tip #1: Charge Something

Since you’re new, you might be able to charge a premium, but charge something. It doesn’t matter if it’s $500 or $1000. The truth is that people don’t appreciate things that they don’t pay for. If you don’t place any value on your time, your clients will likely take advantage of you.

Tip #2: Set the Right Expectations

Your work may be worth higher than you’re charging, but be honest with your client that you’re new to this. It’s hard to justify prices without prior experience and your clients are taking a risk by hiring a new photographer. Set the proper expectations and then blow them out of the water with incredible results. By providing more value than your clients are paying for, they’re likely to rave about your services. This is your ticket to higher paying clients as you gain experience. However, remember to always keep your rates below the value of the service you’re providing.

Tip #3: Know Your Client’s Values

Since you’re new to this, you’re likely at it alone or with only a second shooter. A wedding can get pretty hectic and as one or two people, you have to make sure that what you’re capturing is what your client actually values. We have an exercise for discovering exactly this in our Wedding Photography Training System at SLR Lounge Premium.

To keep it short here, sit down with your clients. Stop asking about their wedding plans. Save them for later. Instead, ask them open ended questions to get them to tell stories and reveal what’s truly important to them. An example would be, “What are you looking forward to most on your wedding day?” Listen closely and remember their answer when the time comes to photograph their wedding.

Related Reading: The Role of Psychology in a Photography Business

Tip #4: Prioritize Your Client’s Values

I know you want to get creative and show off some mind-blowing shots on your portfolio. However, if those shots are not what your client values, hold them off until after you’ve covered the must-have shots.

Here’s another scenario. There’s a crazy guest on the dance floor. It’s amazing and interesting so you focus in on that moment. However, when you deliver the photos, your client asks if you had a chance to photograph their grandmother, who was next to the dance floor at that time. You check your catalog and sure enough, no portraits of grandma. This is why it’s important to remember that despite what other interesting opportunities arise during a wedding, always focus on what your client values.

Tip #5: Shoot RAW

Shooting RAW allows for much more flexibility in post-production. Weddings are often so fast-paced that it’s not uncommon to dial in the wrong settings. Shooting RAW will give you a good chance of being able to recover details that would’ve otherwise been lost had you been shooting JPEG’s.

Along with this, use a camera that has dual-memory card slots and make sure your images are being saved into both memory cards. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event (in most cases) and having an in-camera backup as you shoot will save a ton of heartache down the road.

Bonus Tip: When we leave a wedding, we send the primary cards with the lead shooter and secondary cards with the second shooter. This way, two copies of the entire wedding exist at all times just in case of an accident or stolen gear situation. We also don’t clear those cards until we verify that all of the images are on the server and the cloud.

Tip #6: C.Y.A. (Cover Your Assets)

If you don’t know whether you should capture something or not, shoot it anyway. These could be some random wedding details or the food. Even if you don’t know if your client will want those images, capture them anyway. It won’t cost you anything to capture extra images. However, it will cost you a lot if you don’t capture enough.

Tip #7: Take Control and Be The Director

A lot of photographers are uncertain and timid, especially early in their career. They have a hard time directing a group of people to pose or going up to ask if a stranger would like to be photographed.

As creatives, many of us are introverted. However, a camera in our hand is a passport into the moment. You are being paid to ask to take photos and you have the permission to direct and pose (kindly, of course).

So long as you’re holding the camera, embrace the role and don’t let it go until you’ve put down your camera for the night.

Tip #8: Wide, Medium, Tight

Early on in your career, it’ll be difficult to be creative on the spot and focus on the story while under pressure. Don’t worry, everyone struggles with this you’ll gain the comfort and ability to think creatively in a pinch over time.

For now, remember Wide, Medium, Tight. In order to properly tell a story through wall art, albums, or blog spreads, we need a variety of images. A wide shot establishes the overall scene of the story. A medium shot shows who’s involved in the story. Then, the tight shots focus in the key memories and moments.

This framework appears in TV and films everywhere, so keep an eye out to see how it’s used in your favorite show or movie!

Tip #9: Create a List for Family Portraits

Even if the photographs are incredible and epic, the most common area for client complaints is family portraits. This boils down to one of two:

1. You didn’t get a certain portrait.
2. You didn’t get a certain combination.

Maybe you photographed the entire bride’s side of the family, but maybe they wanted separate shots of just the girls and guys. We discourage detailed shot lists because it often takes away from your ability to capture what’s happening in front of you, but at least have a shot list for family portraits. The shot list should show who and in what combination. Let the family know that each combination will take 2-3 minutes each and make sure you have enough room in the wedding timeline to capture those portraits.

Tip #10: Hire a Second Shooter With Experience

If you want to fast-track your career, I highly recommend this tip. Yes, you may be only getting $500-$1500 for the wedding and an experienced second shooter will cost around $500. For some of you, this could be your entire revenue for the job, so why do this?

Treat your early weddings as live educational events. Live workshops can can cost you more than $2000, but an experienced second shooter at around $500 will not only instantly level up the quality of your work, they bring just that: Experience. You’ll have access to someone who knows what they’re doing and that you can ask for advice on the spot. You’ll also have all of their images in your catalog which you can study after the shoot.

If you don’t need the money urgently, hiring a second shooter will amplify your career five to tenfold. In a year’s time, you’ll be far ahead from having learned on the job from more experienced photographers.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed these tips for first time wedding photographers! If you’d like to learn all there is to know about how to photograph every aspect of a wedding, check out our Wedding Photography Training System on SLR Lounge Premium. This is the same training system that our photographers at Lin & Jirsa use and is created from over 10 years of experience in this field. You’ll also find a ton of other photography related courses such as the Flash Photography and  Photography Business Training Systems, so be sure to check them out.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

What is Environmental Portrait Photography?

Often times we’ve seen that in our communities there are some skeptical photographers that don’t quite see the purpose of creating images like this when the subject(s) is such a small feature of the photograph, however, they obviously chose this location for their shoot for a reason, right? It would only be apt to feature it for a couple of shots to really develop the story/scene. Although there are some that classify themselves as environmental portrait photographers, many use the technique as one part of their storytelling method – pulling out wide to see the entire scene and then slowly working their way closer and closer to the subject.

How to Create an Environmental Portrait

Now that we’ve got a basic definition, let’s go over how exactly you can create your own environmental portraits. The first requirement is to grab a wide-angle lens, and there is no correct answer as to which lens is best for this, however, you’ll want a lens that doesn’t have crazy edge distortion in case you have your subjects close to the edge of the frame.

Step 1: Scout Your Location to Find the Best Angle

The toughest part of an environmental portrait is your composition. Since environmental portraits feature both your subject and the surroundings, it can be hard to determine what the right ratio or proportion of your image seems right. You’ll see in our examples that there are a plethora of ways to compose your subject(s) in your frame that still distinguish who they are while a large portion of the image features the surroundings. The fun part about environmental portraits is being able to squat down low or climb higher to find an interesting vantage point that isn’t immediately apparent to the naked eye.

Put your camera down and take a glance around the scene. Often you’ll find that just a quick location scouting session prior to shooting will give you the most unique perspectives. Planning for a shot like this requires a deep understanding of the landscape which takes time, and sometimes even incorporating spontaneous elements like these kayakers in the distance. Keep an eye out for the following things when location scouting:

• Leading lines
• Foreground objects
• Interesting shapes
• Unique angles

Step 2: Dial-In Your Ambient Light Exposure

Next, determine your  Camera Settings For Environmental Portraits.

Decide whether or not you want to create a dramatic image or a natural image but brightening or darkening or your ambient light exposure. Since our goal here is to showcase the environment you’ll want to watch your shadows on your Histogram to ensure you aren’t clipping them so that you have as much potential in post-production to play with the image.

When photographing in a large landscape you need to make the decision of whether or not you will be using off-camera lighting to assist in bringing out the subject in the frame. Then dial in the appropriate camera settings depending on the look you are trying to achieve.

Step 3: Add in Off-Camera Lighting (Optional)

Once you’ve dialed in your camera settings you’ll need to decide whether or not your subject(s) needs more highlighting within the frame. Adding in off-camera lighting help distinguish the subject(s) in frame, especially if there is a ton going on in the actual environment. Some photographers have such a trained eye that they can spot natural highlights or rays of sunlight within their frame and place their subject(s) there to start with.

Rewind: Advanced Flash Photography Technique – Environmental Backlight

Step 4: Cue the Action & Photograph!

Once you’ve locked down your position and framing, all that’s left to do is pose your subject(s) and shoot! Be cautious of having your subject(s) look towards your camera if you are photographing them from a far distance – this can have a sort of ‘peeping tom’ like effect that doesn’t translate well into an image and you’re better off having them look at each other or at their surroundings.

Post-Production For Environmental Portraits

Environmental portraits require a compositing technique due to the fact that you are shooting in a wide landscape with an off-camera light. Using a Layer Mask in Photoshop will allow you to mask out your assistant or off-camera light in the frame.

Environmental Portrait Photography Examples

When we asked our Facebook Group to share their favorite environmental portraits we were overwhelmed with the response we got. Hopefully these images inspire you to think outside the box the next time you start photographing a scene because these photographers used a variety of techniques to showcase their environment and subjects. The infinite talent within our Facebook Communities is truly a reason why we love our industry – it reinstates that we can all learn and grow so much just be helping one another. Here is a selection of environmental portrait photography from our community:

“I had a Profoto B10 with a 1/2 CTO and a 20-degree grid about 15 feet behind the couple and just below shoulder height. They are up on a rock so I had the light up at about ten feet high. These were my settings: 1/125, f/2, ISO 800. The bride’s sister came along with us for the sunset photos and she helped finesse the flash and she tossed the veil for me until we got it in the right spot.”

“This couple’s wedding was at a ranch and the longhorns are one of the signature features of the property. Most photographers avoid using flash as they’re worried about being speared (a valid concern at that) but I knew that I had to use flash to get the sky to look the way I wanted it to. We pulled this off in about 30 seconds as the longhorn wasn’t too crazy about me being so close to him (shot at 16mm). All of the stress was worth it though as I feel like we created a photo that perfectly captures the couple’s day.” This image was taken with a Sony A9 w/ Sony 16-35 f/4 @ 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 50 Light (camera left): MagBox w/ FocusDiffuser + 1/4 CTO w/ 2x Godox AD200.

“Environmental Portraits are my fav! Embracing the elements, location and light to show off the subject! My husband always laughs at me every time we’re in a beautiful scenic location and I say- “you know what this needs?” and he replies “a couple?” He knows me so well! Ha ha!”

“We had already shot so cool natural light shots in the tree tunnel giving it that cool leading line effect and as we approached this spot, we saw that the sun was shining through subtly. We wanted to enhance the light that was already there so we decided to add a half CTO gel and backlight the couple for a warm highlight to make them pop. We actually look for this lighting situation any time we’re in an area with a natural tunnel. In addition to the half CTO gel, we also utilized a MagSphere and these were placed on a Godox AD200 at 1/8 power about 4-5ft behind the couple, waist level, with a slight tilt up.”

“Erika and I love pulling back to reveal the scale & enormity of the bigger scene, to remind our human audience about their fundamental connection to nature, and to place the viewer’s mind on the surface of our awesome planet. Mother Earth is extraordinary – let’s treat her that way.”

“Hawaii is basically Neverland. From the moment I set foot on this island, I knew I was bearing witness to real-life magic. I still get goosebumps when there’s a good sunset. I still cheer when a whale jumps. And my absolute favorite thing in the whole world is sharing this place with my friends, family, and clients.”

It can be easy to fall into the trap of getting ultra-wide images where your subject is so small in the frame you can’t even see them. This portrait by Matt is a great balance of the scene and the couple. He adds: “I believe you can still show off the environment and tell the story, even if the couple is closer and larger in the frame. This image was taken before sunset on a cloudy day. I killed most of the ambient light and used a MagBox to make the couple stand out.”

“She grew up at the vineyard we were shooting in and this was the windmill she used to climb as a child. She always got in trouble for being up there, so it was the number one shot on my list for the day.”

Learn More About Creating an Environmental Portrait

We went on Facebook Live to discuss how we create some of our extraordinary portraits featuring subjects within a wide environmental landscape. We covered how to light, compose, shoot and edit these images to make the subject stand out amongst a busy and vast scene, watch it here:

With portraits such as these, our main goal is to ensure that the subjects stand out amongst the large landscape they’re in, and to do that requires a greater understanding of off-camera lighting and knowing just how far you can push your camera. You can see more in-depth tutorials and techniques on how to achieve this look in SLR Lounge Premium!

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