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4 Ways Light Can Affect Your Wedding Ceremony Pictures

November 6, 2019 | brooke


photo by Phan Tien

There’s one thing that can drastically affect your wedding ceremony pictures, and no, it’s not rain! We’re talking light and how it can totally make or break your photos. Of course, an experienced photographer will know how to navigate these tricky situations, but we want you to have the knowledge to avoid them all together. You may be thinking: How do I know what the light will look like on my wedding day? We recommend visiting your venue during the time of your ceremony or asking the venue to send you photos of it during that time and time of year. With a little creativity and help from your vendor team, we’re confident you can find a plan to navigate even the most adverse lighting situations!

PARTIAL SHADOWS

If you’re having an outdoor ceremony, this is the number one way lighting can significantly impact your photos. Partial shade can cause the light to hit one person’s face and the other could be a complete shadow, and we want to make sure we can see both you and your partner’s faces clearly in the photos.  On the other hand — shadows can make for rad, moody photos! If that’s your thing then we say, “rock it!”


photos by Lauren Mihae Photography; see more from this wedding here!

DIRECT SUNLIGHT

While direct sunlight is better than partial shadows, it can be really harsh. Not to mention, we don’t want you and your wedding party walking back down the aisle with sunburns! Understand that any type of direct sunlight (partial or full on sun) will also affect the coloring of your images — the sun brings in lots of golden brightness, which can be awesome! Just know what you’re getting into, and your rockstar photographer will surely deliver. Pro tip: To avoid partial shadows and get that direct sunlight look, move your ceremony space into the sun and leave your guests in the shadows. This way, you and your partner will be in the same light!


photos by Singler Photography; see more from this wedding here!

BACKLIGHTING

Indoor ceremony spaces often have beautiful windows directly behind the altar space. While this looks breathtaking in person, light coming from behind you and your partner during the ceremony will make for shadowed faces and, likely, a blown out background. An easy way to fix this is to flip the ceremony space or diffuse the light with pretty curtains.


photos by Melissa Marshall; see more from this wedding here!

ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

If you are opting for an indoor ceremony, beware of artificial lighting. We realize there are some spaces that might not have any windows, and that’s ok! Just make sure the lighting added isn’t florescent colors or shining right on someone’s face. If there are windows, your photographer may ask the venue to turn off all the lights — don’t be scared! Trust them. Creative tip: Go all-out and embrace dim lighting with candles or string lights. Just make sure your photog is aware so they can prepare accordingly!


photos by Kelley Deal Photography; see more from this wedding inspiration shoot here!

We hope these lighting tips have inspired you and helped make it easy for your photographer to totally rock your wedding ceremony pictures! For more wedding planning tips, check out:

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Wedding Venue

Searching for a Cheap Wedding Photographer? We’ve Got News for You!

How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer in 6 Steps

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28 Comments

  1. Such a great article! I will defiantly be sharing with my clients! Thank you!

  2. This is great! Thank you guys :) I’m sure my clients will enjoy reading this while they are planning their wedding!

  3. Those are some great ideas

  4. Wow! I bumped with your article while I’m planning my wedding. This is such a great help for me. Thank you so much!

  5. Perfect! I love everything! Thank you for sharing this idea. Keep it coming!

  6. Very true, lighting effects everything!

  7. Indeed! I agree with your ideas. This is such a great wedding!

  8. Seeing these photos and reading this blog makes me want to be married.

  9. Wow. These photos are taken beautifully! Amazing

  10. Mate, these are bombs! I like how you’ve taken these. Thanks for the tips!

  11. Definitely true. Good lighting basically means good pictures.

  12. Appreciate these pointers. I’m starting to venture into photography. Hope I am reminded of this.

  13. These are good suggestions for our wedding.

  14. Great shots! I love how you color the photos :)

  15. Nice post! Thanks for the share.

  16. I cannot wait for my wedding day! I have been waiting for it for so long.

  17. These pictures are perfect! Thanks for giving us the idea about the lighting effect. Very great!

  18. These are all beautiful. Love the idea!

  19. Indeed true! Pictures would become even more glowing and alive. It would also look brilliant.

  20. Wow! this is so sweet. Thanks

  21. This is such an interesting post and the photos are so great. I can’t wait to apply the ideas to my photographs.

  22. This page is really interesting

  23. If you are opting for an indoor ceremony, beware of artificial lighting.

  24. Love the whole content!

  25. What a very nice quality!

  26. This is really wonderful wedding quality! Thanks!

  27. It is really great to be reading and looking at this wedding ceremony. It is really wonderful! keep up the good quality. Thank you!

  28. You have a nice wedding! Congratulations to the newly wed! #greatlove You have a nice wedding! Congratulations to the newly wed! #greatlove

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