On Camera Chemistry with Miranda and Tim
Miranda and Tim had a spark about them and it shone all the way through their wedding day. This was a couple that brought such vibrant life-filled personalities everywhere they went. On their wedding day, they were just smiling the entire day and bringing their family and friends along for the fun.
The two got ready in the homes of their respective parents in Mount Pleasant and Racine. We took portraits before the ceremony at Petrifying Springs Park. They then were married and had the reception at a farm of a friend in Sturtevant. It was an outdoors wedding on a beautiful sunny June day.
Chemistry on Camera
One thing I absolutely have to rave about from this wedding day is the incredible chemistry Tim and Miranda had on camera. This is something different than being photogenic, but it definitely makes them photogenic as a couple. And, it really made their wedding portraits some of my absolute favorites.
Every couple I work with naturally has good chemistry. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be getting married! However, once the camera comes out things can get a little awkward regarding to how do you two hold onto each other, how do you snuggle together, how do you kiss each other.
Feeling awkward can result in the photos have a nervous fun energy to them, but too much awkwardness can result in stiff hands and unnatural looks.
A lot of this is about having fun together. It’s fun as a man to give your soon-to-be wife a big squeeze or lift her up, give each other a peck on the cheek or stare into each other’s eyes until one of you burst out laughing.
Tim and Miranda had a lot of fun.
It’s also about having fun in a physical way that looks good on camera. This physicality can be either touching or facial expressions. As for what looks best, it’s all about creating more contact points or touch points. If you hold hands but stand apart you have one single touch point in the photo. If you snuggle together, then you may have a touch point at your knees, waist, hands on waist, hands on arm, shoulders together. It basically creates one continuous touch point. That shows more trust and intimacy in a portrait. If you do that then you do not even need to kiss in order to convey romance and intimacy.
Tim and Miranda were really great at this.
The best example was the first look.
Tim had a look that said ‘wow, girl you are fire’ when he first saw her. He then even walked around her while Miranda beamed and flushed like she was 1,000 feet tall. She did this by scrunching up her shoulders and rocking her head to the side with a big smile.
If you were directing actors and actresses to convey the perfect emotions for a fun romantic comedy, you could not have done better than what Tim and Miranda did naturally.
For the portrait session itself, they continued their excellence.
Miranda was about a head shorter than Tim, so Tim could really envelope her when he wanted to. They pulled off big showy poses with laughter and then they also pulled off simple shots like walking hand in hand. They also flawlessly executed dancing photos and dips and more serious romantic photos like they’ve been doing it for years.
Working together the way they did really made my job easy.
Photo Assistants versus Second Photographers
I started off this wedding day off with my assistant Danny at the home of Erin, Miranda’s mother. After a short amount of time taking photos of the rings, dress, shoes and other details we rolled over to the men getting ready at the home of Tim’s father, also named Tim.
There Danny stayed with the groomsmen all the way until portraits. I on the other hand, took only a few getting ready photos and left to go back to Miranda and the bridesmaids. This was a benefit of working with two people, in this case my assistant and I. We were able to split up and cover both the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
For my weddings, I principally use a photography assistant. This is a little different than having a full-time second photographer. A second photographer is a person who has experience being a lead photographer on a wedding day. They can be the person taking the main photos of any scene.
An assistant, on the other hand, is just what it sounds like. Most of the day they will assist me in taking photos. That might be: holding flowers, moving items out of the shot or in the shot, directing family members for family portraits and holding or moving the lights.
Anytime they take photos, it will be in a secondary role. For example, during the ceremony I’ll be taking photos with the mindset of needing to cover every important moment: the first kiss, the precessional and the exchanging of the rings to name a few. And, I’ll be taking these photos at the best angle whereas my assistant will be taking photos of everything from a side angle or taking photos that are nice to have for the couple, but not crucial. Everything they take is extra.
In the case for Tim and Miranda, it was really important to them to have someone just with the guys getting ready, so that was why Danny stayed with them. However, just in case I stayed at the beginning of the scene to cover all the basic getting ready photos before I left him alone.
Getting Ready at Home
A big question for most couples when planning out their wedding day is where to get ready? I know when my wife and I got married we spent a decent amount of time contemplating this. We thought about a hotel and then we looked into nearby airbnbs, but in the end we got married at my wife’s parents’ house.
I really like this move. For one, it saves money and second it also can make the getting ready photos more personal. The background of the photos will be a place that is near and dear to your heart. One day when my in-laws move away from their house, we’ll always have those getting ready photos to remember the house my wife grew up in.
You may think a hotel or airbnb is a better choice due to its fanciness or cleanliness, but a lot of time there’s no guarantee that the hotel or airbnb is a better venue for photos.
I’ve taken photos in a lot of hotel rooms and unless you splurge for a suite or they give you the actual bridal suite (more likely if the ceremony is there) then you’ll be in a cramp space for photos. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been contorting my body into corners or over dressers or beds to get a better portrait.
AirBNBs can be really nice, if you have the money to spend on a bigger place, but you have to be careful to really like their decor so that it’s a style that you appreciate being in the photos. A less expensive place than you’ll be running into space issues like a hotel room.
All of them can be great options, just don’t count out your own home, because it can really shine for you.
Verse of the day:
“Instead they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:16
