Dramatic, romantic, intricate, delicate, feminine, elegant – a bridal veil can be any or all of these things. A wedding accessory with historical and traditional significance, not every bride chooses to wear a veil, but if you’ve got a bride who does opt to add a veil to her attire, try to make sure it gets the spotlight it deserves. Even if the veil is simple, use your creative vision to find a way to make it stand out. Plus, veils are a great way to add some variety to the bridal portraits too! Some brides also choose to wear a veil that was worn by their mother or grandmother, so make sure you know if this is the case with your bride. If you are running low on ideas and inspiration on how to photograph the wedding veil, we (and some of our customers) have got you covered. Read along to see some prime examples of the different techniques you could use to photograph the wedding veil.
Creative Ways to Photograph Your Bridal Veil
1. Bride Under The Veil
Photographing your bride under the veil is a classic bridal portrait and a great way to get the bridal veil in the shot too. Just place the veil over the bride’s face and guide her through different expressions. She could smile, laugh, look at the camera, look away – there’s so much you can do. Just make sure you adjust the focus accordingly.
2. The Veil Toss
The veil toss is another classic bridal veil photography technique, especially if your bride has chosen a statement-making veil. And, it’s a surefire way to add drama to the photograph too. You could do this indoors or outdoors but just make sure that there’s enough space for you to photograph that veil in all its glory. While you could take some solo shots of the bride using the veil toss technique, you could also photograph the couple together. If practical, your bride could toss the veil herself or have your assistant gently toss the veil and step away just as you get ready to shoot. Capture the photo as the veil falls naturally. Use backlight, side light, front light, or silhouette your bride/couple for this one.
3. Couple Under The Veil/Using The Veil As a Cover
The couple under the veil makes for romantic wedding day couples portraits. You could also be on the outside and shoot through the veil. It’s fun to try a variety of different lighting scenarios for this shot – to include backlight, front light, side light, or natural light, but watch out for the shadows and strange shapes that can turn up on the client’s faces when light is refracted through or on a veil. When it comes to posing, you could guide your couple through different poses like forehead to forehead, a kissing shot, laughing, or capture that moment between a kiss.
Suggested Read: Portrait Poses 101: How To Pose Your Brides, Couples, & Their Families
4. Wedding Veil Details
Bridal veils can have intricate embroideries or beading on them, or they could be made of elegant lace, or the veil could be the most delicate piece of tulle – whatever the material, taking some detail photos of the wedding veil could help you add some amazing shots (and details) to your couple’s wedding day story. You could take these detail shots while your bride is wearing the veil, or you could get a little creative and place the veil against a bright or pastel backdrop, and perhaps even add some elements like the bride’s perfume, shoes, jewelry, or bouquet in the shot too.
5. Use Darkness & Shadow
Whether your bridal veil is long or short, playing around with darkness and shadow could allow you to photograph it creatively, too. Silhouette the couple with the bride wearing the veil, and then create a shadow photo where the veil shows. In both cases, allowing the veil to be more full than bunched up will let the layers of lace or material show best.
Quick Tips To Get Creative With The Bridal Veil
- If you are outdoors and it starts to get windy, have the bride hold the veil behind her. This could work with both short and long veils. She can also slightly flap it like a cape to create some movement. Just make sure it’s securely placed in her hair!
- If the veil comes off, have the bride hold it, play with it, twist it around her. Along these same lines, you can even do a few boudoir-style shots in the getting-ready room with the veil before your bride is fully dressed.
- If your bride and groom are game and not too worried about the veil getting dirty, do something unique and lay the veil out on the ground or stairs and put the bride or couple on or around it.
Suggested Read: 10 Must-Have Detail Photos For Every Wedding
Plan Ahead
While these techniques could help you photograph the bridal veil in different ways, it’s always a good idea to discuss the details about the veil with your bride beforehand. This way, you will already have an idea of what the bridal veil looks like, which will enable you to prepare a shot list for it in advance. Ask your bride about the wedding veil’s length, material, whether it features any personal touches or any other details that she’d like to see in the photographs. You could then perhaps even discuss the different ways you’d be photographing the veil with your bride. So next time you have a client who is planning to wear a wedding veil, remember the techniques we’ve stated above and be prepared to let the veil shine!
Further Read: Wide-Angle Wedding Photo Inspiration From ShootDotEdit Customers
At ShootDotEdit, we love offering wedding photographers tips that could help them hone their skills and impress their clients. We are also passionate about helping you dedicate more time to doing things you love, so we offer professional photo editing services to help you lessen your post-production workload. To learn more about how we can help your wedding photography business, check out our pricing plans.