After last week’s post about indoor portraits, I promised a blog post dedicated to the importance of having outdoor portraits on a wedding day (if possible), so here it is — the reasons why I think outdoor portraits are an essential part of (almost) every wedding day’s photography coverage.1.) Light, glorious light! Is there anything more beautiful than golden hour portraits? Meagan didn’t think so — she scheduled her entire wedding day this past weekend around making sure she and Vince would be free for their bride and groom portraits during golden hour. And it was an incredibly golden golden hour! The way the sun glows in the last minutes before it dips behind the treeline is super dreamy, romantic, and picture perfect. Even if there isn’t a golden hour on your wedding day, portraits taken under a soft, overcast sky are timelessly gorgeous, and very intimate. We’re happy to shoot under either conditions!2.) On your wedding day, you’re going to be surrounded by your family, your bridal party, and your guests — and for just a few minutes, it’s nice to duck away alone for some peace and quiet, and to do your portraits without an audience. It’s much easier to put some distance between you and your guests if you head out of doors.
3.) You definitely can’t find this kind of scenic, dramatic backdrop indoors!4.) Once again, variety is almost always a good thing. It’s much easier to add variety to your portraits by heading outside — there are only so many angles and looks you can get a church altar or in a ballroom.5.) Unless you’re averse to nature, chances are you’re going to be glad to have some portraits of you both in the beautiful outdoors.Most couples don’t need a reason for outdoor portraits — they just want them. We want to shoot them, too; we have more freedom and find more inspiration when we have the option to work with our couples outside, and we can shoot a greater number of high quality portraits quickly. So as you’re planning your wedding, make sure that you have time for portraits during daylight optimal hours — and enjoy your results!

~ Laura