Your sisters getting married, your daughters getting engaged, or you’ve been picked as the best man in your friend’s wedding. What these scenarios have in common is that they all need a good picture of the new couple to hand out to friends and relatives. Studio pictures are fine, but a good, flattering candid is better.
First, advise the couple to wear a sweater or blouse with no pattern and with sleeves. Dark colors produce a low-key photo that emphasizes the faces with contrasting tones.
Medium subtle tones are safe but boring. High-key portraits require light pastels or off-white. Round necklines are to be avoided. Shiny materials photograph well and textured sweaters :(not a pattern) add interest to a portrait without taking over.
When planning your shot, think in terms of diagonals. If you draw a line from one nose to the other, it should form a diagonal in the picture. An ideal relationship between two faces is one in which the man’s eyes are even with the woman’s mouth or vice versa. Hand position is very important to the composition. She can go behind him and hug him, clasping her hands in front. Always be sure to show the ring. She can place both hands on his shoulder and lean on her hands. He can sit on the floor and she can put her head on his shoulder.
The pose should be natural and fun, as long as the rules of composition are followed: heads close or touching, the woman’s hands viewed (edge on 0, the eyes approximately one-third of the way from the top of the photo, and both subjects looking in the same direction or at each other. When centering a couple in the frame, measure an equal distance from the eyes, not from the shoulders. Cropping looks best when centered just below the elbows or at the waist. Never crop at the wrist or ankles. Keep up a steady stream of conversation to put the couple at ease and to prevent eye blinks, distracting them from the moment of exposure.
Indoors, window light is the most flattering light and quite dramatic at the same time. Only the lower window should be used for the portrait. The light from the upper panes should be blocked out so as not to produce dark eye pockets. A reflector can be used for lightening the dark side of the picture. Any white surface will do a tablecloth, a white towel, or a silver professional reflector if you have one.
Expressions can range from a nice smile to a serious one, as long as both subjects agree on the mood. Take a few pictures of the couple looking at each other. Touching is nice: he can lift her chin for a kiss or she can touch his cheek tenderly with a serious expression.
Outdoors, and woodsy pictures work well, especially when photographed at the edge of the woods in the early evening light. Indoors, the flashlight bounced to the side and back with an open lens creating a wonderful portrait effect. Be creative it’s not as difficult as you think!