Bridal portrait Posing can be challenging, but may also be some of THE most important pictures you’ll take on the day of the wedding. No pressure, right? But in all seriousness, you will want to make sure you get your bride’s poses down perfectly.
So in order to help you achieve success when posing your brides, we’ve put together some posing techniques just for you!
Bridal Portrait Posing: 8 Techniques for Stunning Results
1. Pull a chair over to a window and position the bride in the chair. Shoot from above, looking down at her, focusing on her lips or lashes. If she has a veil, have her pull the veil over her face or over just one eye. This posing plus natural light can make for stand-out images.
2. For the indoor enthusiast — if the getting ready room doesn’t have a big bay window or sliding door with curtains, find a room that does. Either way, put the bride in the center of the window, facing out, and fluff out the back of her dress towards you. Then, take the photo to encompass the window, the bride, and the back of the dress. If there are curtains, she could hold on to them. If it’s just a window, she can place her hands on the window. You can also ask her to look over her right or left shoulder so you can get a profile image and turn it into a silhouette. So many options! Want more tips on Bridal Portrait Posing? Check out this post on 9 STELLAR BRIDAL PORTRAITS TO INSPIRE YOUR CREATIVITY
3. When doing bridal portrait posing, if you’re shooting outdoors, turn your bride to the sun, have her close her eyes and tilt her chin up to the sun — let her shine in this big moment! This can be a great wide-angle photo, taking in all the scenery. Then have her turn her back to the sun, hold out her veil behind her (if she has one) and use the sun to create backlight. This would be a great time to add a fill light to her front, if you have one!
4. Have your bride turn to the side, drop her front shoulder and pop one leg. This will help create angles and add dimension to the photo.
5. To help accentuate her curves (or give her more if she doesn’t have any), have her place her hands on her waist to create an hourglass shape.
6. If your bride’s shoulders are up, you’ll lose her neck in the shot. Ask her to stand or sit up straight and lower her shoulders to create a more elegant look.
7. When doing bridal portrait posing, in order to make the bride’s arms look closer to how she envisions them, there are some simple tricks that you can use:
- Create a distinction between her torso and arms by having your bride place her hands on her hips or have her stretch her arms and reach for part of her veil.
- If she is next to a wall, window or an object that she can touch, have her extend an arm and place her hand on it. Remember, it should look effortless. Otherwise, her hands and arms will distract from her face, which is the main focus of the shot.
- Check out this blog post on posing the Bride and Groom for even more tips!
8. Sometimes, the most natural and unique expressions come when the bride is doing something other than smiling. So try poses that allow the bride to look down or over her shoulder. You could also try a pose that allows her to look at her flowers or ring with admiration.
So now, with these eight techniques for Bridal Posing portraits under your belt, you can rest assured knowing your brides will love the portraits you take of them. You can go into the day with the confidence that you know what you’re doing when it comes to taking stunning bridal portraits!
Interested in learning more tips about bridal portrait posing? Check out this blog post about Challenges in Bridal Prep Photos