Let’s continue on with our previous blog post on How to Look Amazing on your wedding pay pictures. For those of you who missed it numbers 1-5, check them out here: How to look gorgeous in wedding pictures- Part 1
And here we go:
6. Don’t always look at the camera, talk to your groom and laugh
I usually ask people to do this when I’m shooting their wedding portraits or engagement sessions, but some photographers may forget to tell you to do this. Make sure you follow this tip on your own anyways, since it allows for some natural moments to be captured. 9 out of 10 times you or your groom will say something silly and you’ll both laugh, and it’ll make a great shot!
7. A Fake Haha can go a long way:
I ask for this especially when taking bridal party portraits, to avoid the traditional “looking all serious, and directly at the camera” look. I’ve noticed that usually when everybody looks at each other and lets out a fake laughter, it sounds so ridiculous that it eventually it turns into a real laughter, and everybody looks like they are genuinely having the time of their lives; and that is when I snap my perfect shot.
8. Whiten your teeth
This is probably the easiest on the list. Get the 3D Crest strips and whiten your smile (and your Groom’s) before the wedding. They come in different strengths: express, and the longer acting. Make sure to plan this ahead and get the ones that require you to wear them spread out on more days. Not only they are less harmful for your teeth, they also create a more noticeable whitening effect over time, as opposed to the express strips that whiten in 30 minutes (not quite as much), and end up causing more damage to your teeth.
9. No double-chin:
It doesn’t matter how slim you are; you can always be haunted by a double-chin if you hold your head in the wrong way. To get rid of it, make sure you bring your head slightly forward, thereby extending your neck. Turning your head slightly to one side can also reduce a double-chin. One more trick that I have in my bag for you is to touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth (Try swallowing while placing your finger on your double-chin and find that sweet-spot when your double-chin disappears as you move your chin and neck muscles). Again make sure you do not sacrifice being relaxed while doing this.
10. Don’t get a tan at all for at least 2-3 months before your wedding:
This one shouldn’t even be on the list, but I see so often that brides come up to me and ask: “I was just down at the beach and got these tan lines which won’t be covered by my dress. Can you Photoshop them?” The answer is yes and no. Photoshop is one solution if you are talking about 2 or 3 images (max 10), but on your wedding day we will end up with way more memorable shots of you than that (try 300-600 images) and there is absolutely no way that is economically feasible for us to Photoshop all of them without having you pay a few thousands of dollars more. It will cost a lot of money and time and you just don’t want to do that. And let’s not mention the fact that all your guests will be looking at your tan lines live during your wedding day. It is simply best to avoid tanning in the few months leading up to your wedding day to allow your skin to return to its natural tone.
11. No orange makeup please:
You may look amazing with a tanned look or an orange makeup in real life, but trust me, in the camera it is a different story. DSLR’s which are the professional-grade cameras used by professional wedding photographers, tend to pick up the orange light easier than others. If you don’t follow this simple rule you may end up looking more like a carrot than a beautiful tanned bride, especially if your bridesmaids haven’t matched your tone of make up or kept up with their tanning, you will REALLY stand out in a bad, “carroty” way.
And that’s it for the 2nd part of these tips on How to look good in wedding pictures. Tune in a few days from now for part 3. As always if there is anything I can help you with, don’t hesitate to shoot me a text or email.
-Robert Sadri is a Professional Wedding Photographer in Lehigh Valley, PA Reach Robert Today at robert@twilightphotovideo.com
