Tips for a successful summer wedding photo shoot
- At this time of year it is better to take pictures in nature, but you can also get great pictures in the city if you approach the matter with imagination. In any case, leave the room, do not do it within four walls.
- Have a plan B in case of bad weather. You may be in hot and stuffy weather or torrential rain. Decide in advance where you will go with the photographer if you have to.
- Think about your looks - will you be photographed in your main wedding dress or will you wear a separate one specifically for the photo shoot? Should the groom change his clothes? Do you have cute umbrellas in case of rain?
- Opt for the famous "golden hour" with soft, pouring light, which occurs around 5pm. In addition, sunrise or sunset will suit you, especially at sea. If the sun is shining brightly, then taking pictures at the wrong time (such as midday) will not flatter you. Verified.
Zoe Steindl Photo
Country style
Connoisseurs of rural, country life will enjoy a photo shoot in country style.
Its attributes can be ethnographic costumes on the newlyweds , a wedding towel with embroidery, wooden barrels under the tabletop with treats, a village crane well, stacks or haystacks as a background.
Ideas for a photo shoot in the city
If you want nature even within the city, look for a park, a botanical garden or a small artificial pond. For interesting photos, have a picnic, feed the birds and squirrels, play games (badminton, Jenga, petanque) and lie on the grass.
Take a fresh look at familiar city buildings and landmarks – which ones will look different in photographs? Is it possible that for a wedding photo shoot in the summer it is worth looking at them from a different angle, going from a new angle, or just coming closer to see the barely noticeable details?
Rachel Photographs
Le Secret d'Audrey
Stroll through the streets of the city, choosing the most picturesque ones. It is better to do this early in the morning so that there are no strangers in the frame. Hold hands, sing, dance, kiss, enjoy this day! Pose for a photographer against the backdrop of shop windows and walls that you like, pet cats passing by, drink coffee and eat ice cream.
Carina Skrobecki
Stop at a cafe with cute tables and chairs outside. Relax and, of course, pose. Order coffee in photogenic coffee cups or a delicious-looking dessert - these will serve as good props.
Greg Finck
Nastia Vesna
Transport can also be considered a prop, so if you have the opportunity to use it, don’t miss it. When boarding an old tram, take a photo on the step or inside. Ride around the city on a moped or bicycle. Even a scooter with a hoverboard will bring your photos to life.
An abandoned area of the city will be an unusual place for photographs - such buildings and unused railway lines often look picturesque. But keep in mind that these places are not always safe. In addition, it is often dirty there, take care of your clothes.
Couple of Prague
The most romantic idea for a summer wedding photo shoot in your city is a rooftop at sunset. The two of you, the setting sun and a breathtaking view of the city. Check which rooftops you can go to and take escorts who know them.
Places for photos
Nature
— Park alleys and squares. Such corners of nature can be found in any locality. Each park has beautiful and well-groomed flower beds where roses, irises, petunias and other plants can coexist; they will add additional colors and shades to your photographs.
— Attractions. For thrill-seekers, there is an opportunity to get unique photos filled with positive emotions and real emotions while riding a roller coaster. This is a great opportunity to capture joyful moments both together and with guests who will happily share the fun with the lovers. You can choose quieter attractions that will serve as interesting decorations on a warm sunny day.
- Reservoirs. Any body of water (lake, pond, pool) will serve as an ideal backdrop for a photo shoot. In such places, as a rule, there are rental points for pleasure boats or catamarans. This is a great opportunity to diversify your photos. A photographer can take very romantic shots in the middle of a pond, for example, newlyweds kissing.
City
— Stadium or football field. Such photographs are always original. The newlyweds can “play” football with the guests, or one of the guests can score a goal against the goalkeeper-groom. You'll get funny shots.
- On the roof. This option is suitable for daredevils and adventurers. Professional photographers know which places to suggest. It's worth a try, because the photos will surely delight you. Very interesting shots are taken on the roofs of high-rise buildings, which are located in the city center, so that the entire stunning landscape can be seen. The photographer, of course, will offer the most advantageous angles, but you can choose interesting poses yourself. Newlyweds can look at each other, admire the beauty of the city, or capture a romantic kiss against the backdrop of a luxurious view.
Ideas for an outdoor photo shoot
The obvious choice is what nature itself offers. The forest produces magical photographs if the light falls correctly. Take a walk in the forest, pick mushrooms and berries, sit on fallen trees.
JBM Weddings
The shore of a river or lake is usually spectacular on its own; you don't need any additional props. If you wish, you can find a boat and even decorate it. Don't forget about taking pictures with your reflections in the water.
An idea for a summer wedding photo shoot is a field with flowers or wheat. Here you can place and decorate a small table or do without it.
Megan Robinson
When organizing a wedding outdoors, choose a site where you can conduct part of the photo shoot. It’s good if there is a well-groomed clearing, gazebo, landscape design or a small artificial lake. The garden on the site or next to it should also attract attention and encourage you to go into it for a couple of bright photographs in which you are collecting apples in a wicker basket or admiring scarlet roses.
Many couples use a rural theme, arranging a photo shoot on village streets or on a farm. Be careful not to overdo it with realism. Photos by a haystack will look impressive, but a bride pretending to be a milkmaid or climbing onto a cart in her boots is overkill.
Autumn Nicole Photography
Another idea for a summer wedding photo shoot is to involve your pets. If you have a favorite dog or cat, take them with you. Or perhaps there is a horse stable near you?
Dreamers & Lovers/Christine Ta
Retro style
Retro lovers are happy to use props from the past: a top hat and a cane, a cape and a fan, a brimmed hat and a sun umbrella .
It is preferable to use items from the same era. And in this article you can learn how to organize an entire wedding in retro style.
Place the accessory in an unusual environment, for example, a chic Louis chair in the garden, a lace curtain on a branch, ladies' hats on the crown of a tree.
Thanks to experiments, photographs against this background can turn into real works of art!
Ideas for a photo shoot at sea
Are you going to a wedding in warm countries and planning to take a walk there with a photographer? Make sure that in the end you get not only standard photos on the beach at the edge of the surf, but something more interesting. A few ideas for a wedding photo shoot in the summer, breaking out of the usual sea-sand pattern:
- on or under a boardwalk pier
- near fallen trees
- next to a pile of boulders
- on a motor boat or yacht
- on decent looking sunbeds and umbrellas
- underwater photo shoot
Chelsea Erwin Photography
San Diego
Think about your clothes too - a bride in a fluffy wedding dress and a groom in a black suit look ridiculous in a tropical climate under palm trees, it’s painful to look at them. For yourself, choose a light, light outfit that would be appropriate at sea, and for the groom, choose cotton or linen trousers with a shirt. Take a set of beautiful swimsuits/swimming trunks to take photos in.
Filming friends
Give a worthy place to the friends of the newlyweds at the wedding photo shoot. Have a lot of fun by coming up with funny mise-en-scène together : smiling friends near a car; bridesmaids dressing the bride; company with decorative “hearts”, “mustaches” and “sponges”.
Put the same type of sunglasses on your girlfriends, the same bow ties on your friends , hand out large bright letters that make up the word “summer”, the common surname of the newlyweds or a wish of happiness!
Props for a photo shoot in summer
With the right location and well-thought-out images, there is no need for props. But if you want, think about food - cups of coffee, photogenic cakes, ice cream, lemonade in steamy glasses. Accessories that help you keep your hands occupied and relax if you get nervous are also suitable - soap bubbles, flowers, balls, colorful crayons, colored smoke or even Holi colors. Cool sunglasses will decorate more than one shot, and a large hat will be the hit of the shoot. And don't forget matching umbrellas in case of rain!
Olivia the wolf
Header photo by Megan Robinson.
Accessories
- Balloons - affordable, bright, cheerful - are the leader among wedding accessories. Give them to your guests, distribute them across the lawn, or you can stage a “flight” on a bunch of balls.
- Soap bubbles look romantic and mischievous in the photo . They come in all the colors of the rainbow, create a good mood, and cost pennies.
- young people treat each other to fruits (watermelon, pineapple) and berries are perceived as “delicious .
- The highlight of the session can be beautiful blueberry or cherry pies with rings or lovers' names fashioned from dough.
- Apples , decorative balls, houses or birds look unusual and festive
- A magical atmosphere in the frame will be created by rose petals scattered over the heads of the newlyweds or scattered on the path. The red rose is a flower of passion.
- You shouldn't spoil your shots with tacky artificial flowers , which some photographers practice.
