How to Pose Yourself During Wedding Portraits

The majority of photos captured by modern, contemporary Australian wedding photographers tend to be photojournalistic in nature. That means they are candid photos capturing moments without setting up shots or posing subjects.

But there are two key stages throughout a typical wedding day where your photographer will most likely be directing and posing you for the best possible outcomes.

Those two stages are ‘Getting Ready’ photos, and of course the ‘Bridal and Couples Portrait’ session.

By keeping these tips in mind, your photographer should automatically be able to capture a larger quantity and variety of shots, especially if your portrait session is shorter than intended (due to delays or the weather).

For same sex couples, there are sometimes two grooms or two brides or variations of this. The same principles apply, it just depends what those individuals wish to project.

Trust your Photographer!

It’s not uncommon that a portrait session starts a bit later than expected. Don’t worry about this, as your photographer should have scoped out the best locations in advance so will know exactly where to take you.

Running a bit late is not a big deal, it is more important that you just trust your photographer and run with their suggestions throughout any portrait sessions. There are many factors that go into choosing a scene for portraits that include the ambient lighting, backgrounds, privacy (or lack thereof) the inclusion of interesting background elements such as car headlights/traffic lights, capturing photos with beautiful bokeh etc.

There is definitely not enough time, nor is it easy to explain the justification often for a suggestion from your photographer to visit a particular scene, at any given time.

By trusting your photographer and limiting your suggestions for scenes, locations and shot lists you will free your photographer to creatively and logically direct you to the best possible scenes and get the most amazing photos.

I once had a couple that presented me with a 24 page shot list of poses they wanted during the portrait session. The Bride spent a good proportion of the time during the shoot just looking through this list and deciding which photos she wanted, and those she didn’t. If there are any must-have shots or poses, whether they be serious, silly, quirky or whatever - discuss and request these with your photographer during the pre-wedding consultation, but limit them to a few absolute must-haves.

The same applies to scenes or suggestions for scenes. A scene or location which you feel might be ideal for photos could actually be inappropriate at that time of the day, for all sorts of reasons. So the same thing applies with scenes, try to keep any suggestions for scenes limited as it will make your job, and your photographer's job that much easier!

This also goes to deciding the best general location for portraits. Discuss this with your wedding photographer, and allow them to suggest locations that they feel will be superior on the day (at the time your portraits are being captured). After all, they have probably shot at those locations before and know what it’s really like to shoot there.

A classic example of this is Brisbane Botanic Gardens. While it’s not a terrible location for portraits later in the day, most of the park is in the shade by golden hour leaving the lighting flat and dull (especially near the river). A much better location is Roma Street Parklands or Mt Coot-Tha gardens which both receive sun throughout the parks in various locations, providing unlimited ‘epic’ spots.

Mix it Up!

The default for most men in a posing situation or when asked to interact with their partner is to go in for a kiss. It’s simple, almost always works well and gives them something to do. It can also get repetitive and lead to most of your photos being kissing shots, which in the end is not ideal.

Try to resist the temptation to kiss at every scene by thinking about other actions that can be done which will result in a greater variety of photos.

This means thinking about (and practicing helps) holding hands and walking together while smiling, looking at the rings, kissing a hand, kissing the side of your partner's neck, kissing on the forehead, wrapping your arms around your joyously. Twirling, dancing, dipping, carrying you name it. Practice any of these so they don’t feel awkward on the day, and most of all just mix it up in terms of your movement.

Unless your photographer has specifically asked you to remain still due to the direction of light or a very low light scenario, you will get way more great portrait photos the more you both interact with each other in different ways, without waiting to be directed by your photographer (which takes time and energy away from capturing photos).

Modern cameras work very efficiently in low light, so it’s unlikely you actually need to remain perfectly still to get a nice sharp photo. Keep moving, keep interacting and keep mixing it up while smiling naturally.

Hands in Pockets

Without question, the most common request I provide Grooms when setting up posed shots is to put their hands in pockets. Grooms aren’t normally carrying bouquets or something to clutch onto, so their hands just sort of automatically get placed often awkwardly on their sides somewhere.

This almost never looks great in a final photo, and it’s a dead giveaway in many respects that the photo was not a naturally captured moment.

TIP: Practice interacting with your partner and automatically placing one of your hands in a suit trouser pocket, or doing something with your hand. This will make it easier and quicker on the wedding day to get into the groove.

STAY Happy, Close & Connected

At all times throughout the shoot, you will want to be looking happy, close and connected to your partner. In practical terms, that means keep your heads much closer for longer periods of time that you normally would. Staying happy and looking happy is essential, so try to have fun and enjoy the experience for the most natural expressions.

Staying connected with your partner means some sort of physical connection, whether that be a kiss on the forehead, touching the small of your partners back or just holding hands.

Discuss Preferences Beforehand

During the pre-wedding consultation, make sure you discuss with your photographer anything that you feel is relevant to the portrait session. For example, if you don’t want to smile because you hate your teeth for whatever reason, discuss that with your photographer ahead of time.

You may have a preferred side, but in most cases it will be easier and quicker for you to be aware of this rather than asking your photographer to capture your ‘best side’ which might not always be possible depending on the direction of light.

I once had a couple who declared they were ‘hipsters’ about halfway through the shoot and that they absolutely adored photos where they were not smiling. If you have a preference or tendency to prefer a certain look (not smiling, serious, funny/quirky) then by all means discuss with your photographer before the day so this can be factored in and planned.