Note: Photographers’ Friday is a weekly blog series directed toward professional photographers, and in some instances, serious amateur photographers. All Photographers’ Friday blog posts will assume that readers have a basic working knowledge of digital SLR cameras, but if you’re left with questions or don’t understand any of the information, don’t hesitate to ask. We love e-mails!

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Getting people — especially brides — looking effortlessly elegant and relaxed in front of the camera has always been one of my favorite parts of being a photographer. I love helping my clients feel good about themselves — and then letting them see how good they look in their photographs.

But learning how to pose brides comfortably, naturally, and elegantly has been (and still is) an ongoing process. There’s always so much to learn! For now though, here are a few principles I follow whenever I’m photographing brides.

Make her comfortable quickly.
Early on when you’re shooting, flip the camera around to let her see your camera LCD screen after you capture a particularly beautiful portrait. She’ll immediately feel more confident once she’s seen for herself that she looks marvelous. At a recent wedding when I did this, the bride actually said, “I don’t even look like me!” She couldn’t believe how glamorous she looked — without trying.
Even slender brides should be posed for maximum slimming effect.
Any woman, regardless of size, will look smaller or larger, depending on how you pose her. Remind your bride to put a slight bend in her elbows while holding her bouquet (it’ll make her waist look smaller); remind her to stand or sit straight, roll her shoulders back; always have your bride cross her legs away from the camera (which makes her legs look slimmer).
Photograph closeups of the bride from slightly above.
Not only is this slimming to your bride’s face, but it’s a great opportunity to capture her beautiful eyelashes. (And if you’ve been following my work at all, you know I’m kind of addicted to photographing eyelashes.)
Go with her personality.
Let your bride’s personality dictate how she poses — just watch her before she gets in front of the camera to get a good idea of how she naturally moves, sits, stands, and smiles. If she’s quiet and reserved, pose her very classically. If she’s a little bit sassy and a little bit spunky, embrace it in her portraits. If she can’t stop laughing, don’t try to make her. Let her be herself, and the results will be natural, unforced, and timeless.Let her have fun.
If your bride is having a good time, it will show in the photographs. Have her twirl, play with her veil, dance around in her swingy skirt and killer heels. Spontaneous movement is great for editorial style portraits that let the bride relive the experience when she looks at her pictures.Capture her at her happiest.
Your bride is going to glow on her wedding day — really, it’s not just a saying. Make the most of it! As you work with her before the ceremony, talk about how thrilled her groom will be to see her, and ask her to verbalize what it feels like to have finally reached the wedding day after months of dreaming and planning; after the ceremony, ask her what her favorite moment of the day so far has been and why, and tell her about special emotional moments you witnessed. Help her build and sustain that feeling of dizzying happiness. Your bride will be even more excited, and your portraits will benefit from it greatly.

I hope this helps next time you’re working with a beautiful bride! Anything you’d add to the list? Shoot me an email or leave a comment below!

~ Laura