weddings: photographing with the sun

Ask anyone and everyone who has ever asked me about the best time of the day to photograph a couple on their wedding day, or for an engagement session, and I will tell you - it's all about the evening light. And while we can be picky about the time of day to shoot your engagement photos, and sneak outside just before sunset at your wedding reception (more on that in another post), the wedding day schedule doesn't always allow for the majority of the portraits to be taken during that time. From day one of my photography career, one of the most important things to me to succeed at is using beautiful, natural light in a way that it makes the image all the more lovely because of it . . . Here is a selection of photographs taken by yours truly that show the light either directly above the subject, directly behind, or somewhere in between . . . I adore this photo of Nisha and Matt, taken this past April in Charleston, South Carolina . . . one thing this photo reminds me of on a technical level is the challenge of photographing in a heavily-treed area - there are lots and lots of shadows that may or may not be in favorable locations to what you want in your background, so it is important to put the subjects in either full shade or, preferably, full light where the sun is either above or behind them. A little evening light and flare . . . Backlight can look just as beautiful in black and white . . . And when you can get the low sun into your image without obstructing the subjects, all the better . . . I always work with my clients on the timing of the wedding day to ensure that we can work with the best light possible combined with the setting and where the majority of the photographs will be taken . . . but don't fret. If your wedding day is overcast, that light is just as delicious for a totally different set of reasons, and those images will come to you in a separate blog post. :) Happy Monday!