Ideas for Engagement and Bridal shoot?

[Johnboy2978]

Hello all. Some of you may remember a few months ago, I was asking about ideas for a wedding I had coming up where the B/G are both involved heavily in Civil War reinactments. The Wedding is next Saturday 10/27. This Saturday 10/20, we are planning on doing their engagement and bridal pics. They wanted to wait for some fall foliage for their engagement pics and the bride is making her own dress, thus we are down to the wire getting her dress done, and therefore, also the bridal shots.

I was posting for some pose ideas if anyone had any. The engagement pics will be in regular attire. They live on a farm however, and wanted kind of a country theme (hay bales, tractor, etc) included in the pics for props/background. I had a couple of ideas that they were into. One was trying to replicate a shot I saw in the pro section a few months back of shooting the couple through a wine glass (they also make their own wine) and I showed the bride and she was excited about that. I also had an idea of perhaps an "American Gothic" re-creation since they are a little different anyway, and want something different. Any other ideas? I've seen many excellent, good, bad and ugly engagement pics around the net from pros, and I never really think "this really says engagement to me". Not sure what it is, it seems they always fall a little short.

I'm also open to ideas for bridal shots. She wanted to shoot these at her parents house, which is apparently a big country plantation type home. What exactly is the purpose of bridal shots? I mean I get the general idea of trying to capture stunning shots of the bride, but what else? It seems that most of the pics I see are really a showcase for photographing the dress. Anyone shed more light on this? Any ideas for posing? I will try to replicate the usual stuff I see of shooting her from behind standing in front of an open door and window, etc. but other than that? She will be wearing her Civil War dress of course. I thought maybe also one w/ her covering part of her face with one of those paper fans sitting in a victorian type chair looking all coy. Any ideas are appreciated.

 

[lawlietL]

I can share some ideas on wedding shots as I did the photos on my friends wedding. Of course you have to be keen to shoot on very important moments. It is not only the bride that your focus. Of course you have to look also at the family of the bride and groom, the relative, every body’s reaction while the bride is walking down the aisle. Also, try to shoot different emotion on the newly wed couple. I hope it helps



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[Christie Photo]

What exactly is the purpose of bridal shots? I mean I get the general idea of trying to capture stunning shots of the bride, but what else? It seems that most of the pics I see are really a showcase for photographing the dress.

Yup. You understand it well. A bridal shoot is as much about the dress as it is the bride. Be sure to do some full length, including every inch of the dress. But do center the bride in the frame and not the dress. Also, do some ¾ length shots. Have the bride bring a bouquet (or at the very least, a single rose) for the session.

The bridal session is an old concept. We used to call them "pre-bridals." In keeping with the tradition of keeping the groom from seeing the bride's gown until that moment she walks into the church, portraits were made a soon as the final fitting was done. This allowed the photographer time to make prints for newspaper submission ahead of the wedding date. Since the newspaper had the materials in advance, the story would run the day after the wedding. That made the event more "newsworthy" and it was given better placement and a larger photograph. Theses days, not so much.

-Pete