A Pro Photographer shares her best tips and secrets for unique wedding photos. She tells her favorite bride and groom poses and prompts to get artistic wedding photos.
Best Wedding Camera & Lenses
#1: The camera I use when taking unique wedding photos is the Canon 6D mark ii.
#2: When it comes to lenses I choose to use lenses that may not be the normal when it comes to wedding photography. My go to lens is either the 85 mm or the 35 mm, depending on how big the aisle is during the ceremony. I love the bokeh that comes from a prime lens compared to a zoom and I adjust accordingly. I don’t like to carry a lot of equipment throughout the day, so I like to pick things that I can use for multiple things and get creative.
#3: I rarely use a tripod, because I enjoy having the freedom to get into odd positions to get the shot (and end up getting a workout in sometimes too, ha-ha!)
Artistic Wedding Photography
#4: One of my favorite things to photograph on wedding days (and in all sessions) is the tiny details. I search for the things that make that wedding day unique. Which is usually all in the details of the wedding day. This truly helps getting those shots that are truly artistic wedding photos.
- Think about the goody bags for the guests
- The donut stands at the dessert table.
- The brides cake and grooms cake: I love how cakes are never the exact same, and each wedding has a unique touch on them. They are also delicious looking, and the photos always turn out great!
- Ring shots: I’ll make sure to have at least a few minutes with both the rings (remembering to grab the engagement ring off the bride’s finger as well to get a full set!)
- Flowers and Bouquets
- Table Centerpieces
- Invitation Sets
- Bride’s Hair
- Brides Dress – details
- Tux Details
- Cufflinks
- Boutonnieres
#5: Often I won’t bring a lot of extra things, like canvases for backgrounds, because I like to use the wedding space as much as possible. This ensures that each wedding is truly unique. Some backgrounds I have used before for ring shots are flowers from the bouquet or table centerpieces, Invitations sets, or even the floor or a windowsill.
#6: One thing I have made sure to keep in mind in my wedding photography experience, is the vendors who make the big day happen. For example, I try to make sure I take detail photos of the bouquet only (maybe sitting in a chair on a path), the bride’s hair, and details of the dress. These are just a few, others include the boutonniere and the tux details or cufflinks.
#7: I always try to encourage my brides to take time adding in unique details for their wedding day, one of the big things being the invitations. Publications like a lot of details, and unique invitations can make a special addition to the final gallery when submitting! I try to remind my brides to bring an extra invitation set for me to photograph during the wedding day.
Bride and Groom Photos
#8: Sunset portraits – This is probably my very favorite, at the top of the list during wedding days. This is the perfect time for the bride and groom to get some air, take a quick break and enjoy some last-minute time together before the sun goes down. I usually don’t like to steal the bride and groom away for too long for this, maybe 15 or 20 minutes is all I need.
#9: I always make sure to get the sun behind the bride and groom, because I like the light coming from behind them instead of the light being on their faces. Checking out the background is important when doing sunset shots. The sun is so great alone, that the backgrounds can be very minimal and turn out amazing. I personally love open fields and paths. If you can snag a silhouette shot, those are always gorgeous as well. Hands down these create stunning and unique wedding photos.
#10: Things to look for when taking bride and groom photos and to dodge in camera are trashcans, benches, weird poles and other people in the background. A good tip if its difficult to doge, is to get closer to the models and use them to block whatever it is you don’t want in the image.
#11: I will usually look at some unique wedding photos before hand to gather some poses that I can put in my notes on my phone. Right before I grab the couple I will look over these to make sure I’m prepared. I’m a visual person, and I enjoy being able to show the bride and groom the pose beforehand to easily explain what I’m trying to achieve.
#12: If I happen to run out of wedding pose ideas and I have some time leftover, I’ll usually recreate some poses we did earlier in the day to get a different background with better lighting. They don’t call it golden hour for nothing!
Wedding Pose Ideas
- Foreheads together
- Holding hands and kissing
- Walking towards me, holding hands and looking at each other
- Groom kissing bride’s cheek and bride looking over her shoulder
- A great last-minute ring shot before the days done! Maybe bride hugging groom and zooming in on the ring.
#13: I like to use these popular prompts to get the bride and groom feeling comfortable for their portraits – all while being able to capture unique wedding photos for them.
- Kiss with your teeth
- Whisper in her ear what you had for breakfast in your sexiest voice
- Show me your surprised face
- Dance with each other
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I live in Columbus (canal Winchester) with my husband and little 2-year-old boy named Atticus!
I have been published by multiple publications, including wedding day magazine, Columbus weddings and southern celebrations magazine and have won the top editors pick in wedding day magazine for one of my styled shoot images in 2018.
Kaitie Leist Photography
Chloe Horvath Photography
I enjoy coffee (a little too much), talking about life and Jesus, and making new friends. My favorite sport is tennis, and I can’t ever have enough blue crabs! We are a military veteran family and are proud of our country and everything it stands for! Fall is my favorite season, and I prefer pumpkin over apple cider (and wish pumpkins were around all year long!) I’m the type of person that you can call when you need to talk or just want to hang out anytime. I believe in community over competition and am always willing to help a friend in need.
My note to other photographers: I would love to meet up and swap head shots and explore new places! I’m always up for giving advice and learning from fellow artists!
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