Ideas for Taking Getting Ready Photos at Weddings
Get excited about taking photos in the getting-ready room with these wedding day tips and ideas.
Today, I’m going to share some ideas that will help you get excited to take getting ready photos.
If you’re a wedding photographer, you already know that there are a lot of aspects of the wedding day that you need to capture.
The ceremony, speeches, and first dance can be the most stressful and important parts of the day.
During those moments, you’re sweating and crossing your fingers, hoping you got the key shots.
That’s why getting ready photos are an underrated and underappreciated time of the day for a photographer.
Not only can we use this portion of the day to bond with our couples but we can use it to kickstart our creativity during a less stressful time.
After over a decade of shooting weddings, the getting ready portion of the day has become one of my favorite aspects of wedding photography.
As you’ll hear in this article, it’s a time when I have the time and freedom to take risks, make mistakes, and learn.
Viewing Getting Ready Photos as an Opportunity
The first few years of my photography business I didn’t appreciate getting ready pictures.
As a bride myself, I didn’t appreciate them either.
I was under the impression that wedding photography was about key moments and key shots: the first kiss, the exchange of rings, and the first dance.
And while those photos are still defining photos in a wedding photography collection of images, I now have a much broader understanding of wedding photography as a whole.
With the rise of documentary wedding photography, being a wedding photographer has gotten more interesting to me.
Now, instead of just trying to check everything off the wedding photography shot list, I am focused on telling a story.
Every good story needs a good beginning; it needs you to set the stage by introducing the characters and showing the setting.
From there, we can watch the main character take a journey throughout their wedding day from the tearful first look to the celebratory wedding reception.
If you start viewing the getting ready part of the wedding day as the beginning of your story, your perspective might start to shift.
When you deliver a wedding gallery, slideshow, or album, the getting ready photos are an opportunity to kick off the story of the day.
In addition, your time in the preparation room is an opportunity to build rapport with the bridal party.
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The more comfortable everyone is with you, the better photos you’ll get.
And lastly, when it comes to getting ready photos, there are no strict expectations, so there are few moments that you have to worry about missing.
Therefore, you can use this time to play and take risks.
How Shooting Getting Ready Photos Can Be Fun
It’s risky to try something you don’t know will work during the ceremony, grand entrance, or first dance.
After all, those things happen fast and are over in the blink of an eye.
If you miss the shot, you don’t get a second chance.
However, during the getting ready portion of the day, things go a little slower, giving you time to push yourself creatively.
Instead of viewing getting ready photos as just waiting for the main event, I now view them as my warm-up.
I love using that time to get into the grove and start my creative juices flowing.
It’s also a time when I can immerse myself in the story and tap into my empathy.
When I see how excited or nervous or in love my couples are, I start to get more invested in the story I’m going to tell.
I always tell my brides that getting ready photos aren’t just about shots of putting on make-up or buttoning up a dress.
Instead, they’re about telling a story of anticipation, excitement, and camaraderie.
The people in the getting ready room are generally people that are really important to the couple and thus it’s an opportunity for moments more intimate than the rest of the day.
Creative Ideas for Getting Ready Photos
In this section, I’m going to introduce some of my favorite getting-ready photos to shoot.
Some of them are more meaningful, and some are more creative.
I find that it’s helpful to have a goal of photographing both. That way, you’re delivering a variety of images to your couples and challenging yourself in different ways.
Nail some classic shots and then push yourself to try something new and different.
That’s how we grow as photographers, by challenging ourselves to be better.
My advice is always to start simple, though, one new goal at a time.
So if these ideas are unfamiliar to you, pick one to try at your next wedding and then another to try at the following!
The getting-ready room is a great testing ground for new skills because getting the perfect image or exact moment isn’t as crucial as in other parts of the wedding day.
Candid Moments
You may have guessed that this would be my number one type of photo based on what I’ve been talking about in this article.
I want to capture laughter, hugs, and emotional moments with family and friends.
These photos are going to be storytelling images that go beyond just make-up or shoes and into the soul of the day.
The morning is full of nerves and anticipation and often some entertaining personalities.
It’s fun to immerse myself in those moments and try to capture the essence of a group of people before the main event.
Incorporate Details
Detail shots, to me, are less about the stuff and more about the story.
I like to photograph details in a way that helps tell a story or set the vibe of the wedding day.
If you think about how you would use detail images in a slideshow or album to show the way things looked or felt, that will give you a head start.
Maybe instead of a shot of just the shoes, you consider the shoes in the context of the getting ready room or the dress in the background of girls eating lunch.
Instead of focusing on the stuff, focus on how any personal elements reflect the style and personality of the couple or the setting of the day.
Play with Better Natural Light
Often, in getting-ready rooms, we focus on what’s happening and forget about the light because it’s not always controllable or flattering.
However, if we make use of natural light we can often enhance the quality of the images significantly.
Simply by positioning ourselves differently, we might go from harsh backlight to flattering window light.
Without too much interference, you can easily position things for more flattering light, which benefits the make-up artists, too.
Add Artificial Light
Or, there are times when adding artificial light allows you to eliminate distractions or spotlight your subjects.
If you’re new to off-camera flash techniques, the getting-ready time of the day is a great time to practice your skills.
It’s low pressure and your subjects are often sitting in one place getting their hair done.
This is an example of when it can be fun to take risks and try something new and creative, and it’s ok if you fail as long as you learn.
Utilize Your Settings (Aperture and Shutter Speed)
In a getting-ready room, we often focus on just using a fast lens so that things are sharp.
But what about intentionally choosing your aperture based on the impact you want from the image – bokeh, or everything sharp?
Or what about trying a slow shutter to intentionally capture action or motion like a twirling dress or a lot of frantic activity?
Playing with your settings can be fun and challenging, and there’s no better time than the start of the day.
Play with Better Composition
Experiment with different angles, perspectives, and compositions to make your images a little better.
Get high, low, near, or far, and notice how the composition impacts the image.
What elements of the background do you want to include or exclude?
It’s one thing to capture an intimate and touching moment, but it’s another to do so in great light and a thoughtful composition.
Use your composition techniques like patterns, leading lines, repetition, white space, and more to up your game.
Mirror Reflections
Since mirrors are often present in the getting-ready room, they are a great way to come up with a unique composition or perspective.
Sometimes, you can show something in the background, and other times, you can show what the mirror-viewer is seeing.
Mirror reflections are a fun challenge because you have to try to stay out of the frame while getting an interesting composition.
Combine a mirror reflection with artificial light for an extra challenge, too.
Utilize Windows for Reflections or Framing
I also love window reflections, especially because they can help give more context to the setting.
You can use windows to show a view from the outside looking in or the inside looking out.
Sometimes, getting ready rooms have a grand view, and other times, you might want to show that it’s raining outside.
Finding creative ways to use the window can be a nice challenge and really help you stretch your creativity.
Summary of Getting Excited About Getting Ready Photos
I genuinely hope these ideas help you shift your perspective when it comes to getting ready photos.
The beginning is an important part of the story and helps give context for the rest of the day.
If you’ve mastered your portraits and ceremony shots, it’s time to challenge yourself by upping your game with your getting-ready photos.
Whether you want to play with windows and mirrors or focus on candids and storytelling, the getting-ready room is full of great moments and details to capture.
Once you start to play with these techniques, you’ll see why the getting-ready room is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day.
I love building momentum and confidence as well as rapport with the clients.
By the time the processional song begins, my creativity is flowing and I’m on a roll.
Some of my favorite photos are from the getting-ready room because that’s when I’ve learned new techniques and challenged myself to grow as a photographer.
It’s a low-pressure, slower-paced part of the day when you can learn skills that you can then apply to the rest of your photography.
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Brenda Bergreen is a photographer, videographer, writer, and storyteller based in Colorado. She specializes in Colorado wedding photography and adventurous storytelling. When she’s not behind the camera or the keyboard, you can find her adventuring with her family.
