How I achieve natural, relaxed & authentic portraits | North East Wedding Photographer
Estimated reading time 7 minutes
Table of Contents:
1 - Direction, not posing.
2 - Nothing but Yourselves.
3 - Meeting before hand.
4 - No audience.
5 - Capture the in-between’s & the afters.
Conclusion.
Most of my clients seem to comment on how relaxed and natural my work is, and how I can capture the emotion between people authentically. In all honestly, it’s down to my wonderful clients and them putting their trust in me to guide them, but there’s some main pointers I follow in all my shoots which I thought I’d run through for any of those wanting to understand how it all works.
1 - Direction, not posing.
I totally get it, it’s nerve-wracking stuff to just get in front of a camera and try to look natural. And the thought of being posed and fake sends a shiver up your spine. This is why I will gently direct you, not pose you. I know you need some direction in how you stand, what to do with your arms (you’ve no idea how many hanging hands I have taken photos of!) and ways you can show connection in an image and I am here to help you with this. Then it’s time to let those lovely personalities shine through!
2 - Nothing but Yourselves.
The truth is, I want you to be nothing but yourselves. That is exactly what I am trying to capture. So if that’s constant cuddling, cracking jokes or eskimo kissing all day please carry on doing just that. You’ll feel like yourselves, and your photos will represent you guys.
3 - Meeting before hand.
9 times out of 10 I have met my couples before their Wedding day or we’ve built a great relationship from chatting. I think feeling comfortable with each other is the key to working together well and me being able to capture these intimate moments. For my Wedding clients I do my best to meet them for coffee in the initial stages of enquiring, and then I do my best to plan a venue visit with them before the big day too. I hope it feels less like your taking photos with a photographer and more like you’re hanging out with a friend by meeting before hand.
4 - No audience.
Where possible, and it’s not always possible, I plan to take you for photos where there is no audience. I can’t imagine how you could feel relaxed during portraits whilst all of your Wedding guests or half the park are looking at you, so I do try to plan portraits in places that are quiet and less crowded. Now some couples and families aren’t phased by this and are happy to get shooting in a busy place or with a crowd, and that is great and can make for some incredible photos, but not everyone feels this way. So I do my best to take this in to consideration and adapt the session for you guys and what I think suits you best.
5 - Capture the in-between’s & the afters.
Those in-between moments are GOLDEN! Sometimes I ask my couples to almost kiss, and while this does look very sweet, it often sets off the giggles and the natural emotion I can capture is beautiful. Those little kisses in between poses, sweeping the hair out of her eyes, adjusting his tie, carrying her train so can she walk across the grass, the giggle at a bad joke, this is the stuff.
Conclusion
All in all I’m looking to capture your most authentic selves, so pushing you in to uncomfortable territory is not going to happen. You can be confident that with me it will feel easy-going and relaxed.
So if it’s natural authentic & relaxed Wedding photos or portraits you’re looking for then I really do think I could be the girl for you 😊
