Just like a wedding, you can plan everything except the weather... the rain cleared as we arrived & the sun shone through. A full raging tide with white tops, though little wind, perfect.
Pre-wedding shoots, it's important to let the couple be themselves. That is the style of wedding photography I do, so it makes sense to allow them space & time to be natural.
With little more than me picking the location a suggestion of a stance - be together, close - there are no wrong or right ways to be yourself & the more natural you feel together - even with a random wedding photographer close by - you get a much more natural & real photo.
Here Laura & Carl are relaxed in the moment & allows me to dial in some settings to make the bight daylight into an early evening look with enhanced detail in the sky yet keeping their skin tones a natural colour.
When Jessica & Kyle picked out Saltburn Pier, way after sunset, I thought... ok, brave... as I knew it would require a little more setting up & posing. Without natural light - it was pitch black & a little rain in the air - I try & make couples focus on each other, it allows for natural expressions & means they can entertain each other while I dial the settings in for both lights & camera. Obviously this one was a chilly evening & I always recommend: clothes & footwear for the conditions.
The colourful beach cabins at Saltburn, the colours matched the rainbow of the first image & was taken on the same pre-wedding shoot. Having photographed Gemma's sisters wedding years ago, she & Craig we're a little more aware of how I worked & super relaxed with the style I shoot.
We had some fun with the cabins their colours & shapes, though this is a style I particularly like to shoot with them. I'm several cabins away taking candid photos - ordinarily something that might get my collar felt - the repetition of the colours, shapes & particular choice of lens to give compression creates a stage for some fun natural images.
The whole point of the pre-wedding shoot is for couples to relax, experience how natural & fun having their photo taken - should & can be - as I hear many couples saying how they don't like having their photos taken.
After their wedding many couples comment they were so glad they did the pre-wedding shoot as on the day they just didn't even feel they were having their picture taken.
I may have a few technical wedding photos that I create, however the vast majority of wedding day photos are all natural & as events happen; yet even any very slightly posed shots should still be fun & real for the couple - each wedding I photograph I strive to capture the personalities & character of both the couple & their guests - make my wedding photography about them & their wedding.
So if you want a natural style & look to your wedding photography, it often starts with a little pre-wedding shoot to really help you relax & have some fun - give me a call or email to check my availability & discuss your wedding plans.