I had the privilege of photographing an amazing wedding yesterday. We had the perfect conditions too. Lots of cloud cover so the loveliest, softest light a photographer could hope for.
The subject came up during the bridal prep about bright sunny days and how a lot of wedding photographers hate them. The highlights are too bright. The shadows are too dark. People squint. Etc. etc.
Well, guess what…
If you’re a wedding photographer or any other kind of photographer for that matter, that’s the light you’ve been given so that’s the light you have to work with. If you’re a wedding photographer you don’t really have a choice. There are lots of other genres where you can pick the time of day to get the best possible available light. Not with wedding photography. Most of the time you’ll be working in the afternoon. If it’s not pouring with rain it’s very likely going to be bright blue skies and very hard, contrasty light.
Is that bad news? Yes. But there is little point complaining about it. That’s the light you’ve got. There’s not much flexibility on time. You simply have to work with it.
That doesn’t mean simply sticking the Bride and Groom in bright sunshine though. Learn how to work with the light. Learn how to look for better light. Learn how to control, modify, shape and bend the light.
After all, you’re a professional photographer. Light is a tool and far more important than any whizzy gadget in your kit bag.
If you can master how to work with this kind of light you’ll be the happiest wedding photographer on the planet.
theLightMatters.com is the official blog of Gavin Thorn Photography. To find out more about my Wedding Photography service, follow this link.
