The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

LEFT—Marcus Bell created this handsome portrait of the groom using available light from both directions. The backlight creates delicate highlights
on the forehead and cheekbone. Notice that the pose is in the seven-eighths view, where the far ear is just out of view of the camera lens. The
lighting, for available light, is quite elegant. RIGHT—The profile is one of the most fascinating and dramatic posing positions. Here Becky Burgin
front-focused so that the near eye and ringlets of the bride’s hair are in focus but everything past the bridge of the nose is pleasantly soft. The
result is a telling and insightful portrait of the bride. Notice that the camera angle is above eye height, accentuating the bride’s beautiful hair.
way into the pocket puts a space between the elbow and
the torso. This creates a flattering line and helps to prevent
your subject(s) from looking overly “thick.”
With a standing woman, one hand on a hip and the
other at her side is a good standard pose. Don’t let the free
hand dangle, but rather have her twist the hand so that the
outer edge shows to the camera. Always create a break in
the wrist for a more dynamic line.
As generalizations go, the hands of a woman should
have grace, and the hands of a man should have strength.
WEIGHT ON THE BACK FOOT
The basic rule of thumb is that no one should be standing
at attention with both feet together. Instead, the shoulders
should be at a slight angle to the camera, as previously
50 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
described, and the front foot should be brought forward
slightly. The subject’s weight should always be on the back
foot. This has the effect of creating a bend in the front
knee and dropping the rear shoulder to a position lower
than the forward one. When used in full-length bridal portraits,
a bent forward knee will lend an elegant shape to
the dress. With one statement—“Weight on your back
foot, please”—you can introduce a series of dynamic lines
into an otherwise average composition
JOINTS
Never frame the portrait so that a joint—an elbow, knee,
or ankle, for example—is cut off at the edge of the frame.
This sometimes happens when a portrait is cropped. Instead,
crop between joints, at mid-thigh or mid-calf, for