5 Steps To Wonderful Wedding Photographs

There’s a lot more to achieving picture perfect wedding photographs than practicing your pose in the mirror. Here are a few tips to get you started…

1. Book a photographer who shoots images you love. Do a lot of research. If you cringe once, while browsing their site, they’re not for you.

2. Trust them. You booked them for a reason. Don’t second guess or over-direct. They know their craft much better than you do.

3. Have an engagement shoot – this gets you both used to being in front of the camera and helps the photographer figure out your best side.

4. Book your hair & makeup trial for the same day as this – that way you get to see how that shocking pick lipstick looks on camera.

5. Consider light when making?the event schedule.?If?you dream of light-filled photographs, be sure to kick the ceremony?off while there’s still a sun in the sky. Otherwise, embrace that dark romance.

But for the ultimate guide to wedding album hotness, book your tickets for September’s?BRIDEprep,?now, where leading wedding photographer, Aga Maru of White Tea,?will share her behind-the-lens view,?including a live couple demo?- so that flicking through the wedding album, in years to come,?brings tears of joy, rather than the bitter sting of regret… not that we’d ever take it that seriously. No, not us.

But first, meet Aga…

What is it about wedding photography that you love?

A lot of the couples I photograph are quite shy and reserved. I like when I earn their trust and they allow me to get closer and tell their story. It is a very vulnerable moment for both photographer and the person being photographed. Magical.?I also love that through wedding photography I get to work with ordinary people. When you take a gorgeous photo of a model or celebrity, it is not going to make much of a difference to them. They probably have hundreds of beautiful photos of themselves already. If you take a gorgeous portrait of a normal girl there is a good chance she will cherish it for the rest of her life.

Are you seeing any key photography trends, this year?

I don’t put much effort in observing trends. I generally try to just do my own thing. What I did notice is that every year photography styles are becoming more and more specific. We are far beyond days where ?traditional or reportage? were the only choice much like ?beef or salmon?. These days you can see how wedding photography mimics not only fine art, fashion or photo-journalistic photography styles, but also genres like cinematography or painting. Personally, I’m particularly fond of experimenting with darker imagery, inspired by Dutch Golden Age painters like Rembrandt or Vermeer. You can hardly call it a new invention, but I like how this style works particularly well with soft Irish light.

What are the biggest mistakes couples make in their photos?

I think one of the biggest mistakes is bad communication. Take time to find a photographer who’s style appeals to you the most. When you find the right one don’t shower them with shot lists, but rather when you meet them talk about what elements on the day are important to you and what you are looking forward to the most. That will allow them to understand how you see the day and capture it from that angle.

Also, set some time aside for your photography session, just the two of you. I think wedding photographers got a bit of a bad rap back in the day when all the couples were awkwardly posing for 3hrs missing their entire drinks reception. These days it seems like many couples want to spend only 10-15min on their photographs which I think is the other extreme. I usually recommend somewhere around 45min-1h. That will let you relax, have fun, run around, chat. It could be one of the most enjoyable parts of your day and looking back at the images it is what you are going to remember. Banking this time?also allows for?any delays earlier in the day – if this happens, everything won’t suddenly become stressful, because you have a little bit of a time margin.

For the full event lineup and how to book (tickets are only €30 – what a bargain!) – pop over?here

Photographs by Aga Maru at White Tea