Wedding Photography: Bridal Portraits

Photographer, author, and teacher Chris Orwig shares his creative insights for creating natural-light bridal portraits.

Introduction

• Welcome
• A roadmap overview to the course

1. Preplanning for the Shoot

• The art and craft of bridal portraiture
• Crafting a vision
• Evaluating the gear: Is it good enough?
• Choosing your essential gear
• Considering other gear
• Working with an assistant

2. Working with the Location

• Introducing location
• The art of previsualization
• Scouting the location

3. The Early Stages of the Shoot

• Getting ready and capturing candid moments
• Photographing the details
• Setting the tone with a conversational approach

4. Crafting the Bridal Portrait

• Using natural locations
• Working with window light
• Working with open shade
• Sitting versus standing
• Working with poses, posture, and poise
• The importance of authentic eye contact
• Using the bouquet in the shoot
• Working with multidirectional natural light

5. Going Beyond the Basic Bridal Portrait

• Capturing images that are quirky and fun
• Introducing props
• Working with props
• Taking images with a vintage truck
• Working with the makeup artist
• Looking at the dress and veil options
• Working with a backlit scene

6. Creating a Rhythm and Flow for the Shoot

• Understanding the rhythm of the shoot
• Wrapping up the shoot

7. Reflections and Lessons Learned

• The quality and feeling of natural light
• Working with the bride
• Reviewing mistakes and lessons learned
• Reviewing tips for working with natural light

8. Reviewing the Photographs

• Reviewing what worked and what didn't
• Reviewing images from the beginning of the shoot
• Reviewing images from the middle of the shoot
• Reviewing the end of the shoot
• Reviewing the film images
• Comparing before and after
• Making selects: A few words of advice

9. Final Summary and Resources

• Reviewing final tips for bridal portraits
• Exploring the next steps