How to look your best in your wedding portraits

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Since 2004, Roberto Falck Photography has been documenting the best moments of life. Experience our passion, professionalism, and creativity on your wedding day.

Clean, Stylish, Creative

about roberto

Posing is an ART. But understandably it’s an art that a lot of couples are nervous about, and SADLY that a lot of so-called “professional” photographers actually don’t know how to direct correctly.

So if you happen to have a photographer who doesn’t know how to pose you with expertise and intention, what are a few things you should remember?

Here are a few pointers. I call these THE FOUNDATION of posing:

1. Weight Distribution:
You want your weight distribution to be uneven or else your pose will look unnatural.  One great way of achieving this is to put more weight on your back leg.  This also makes your hip go to one side creating a nice S shape to your body.  Even if a portrait is not full length your upper body will reflect your foot work.

Look at these photos below. Each of them are a different crop, but use the same principle.

 

2. Shoulders:
Push your shoulders 1 inch back. This will further bring confidence and beauty in your pose.

 

 

3. Imaginary String:
First off you want to ensure that your spine is straight, but NOT stiff and unnatural. I often ask my couples to act as if there is a string on the back/top of their head pull up. Have a straight spine and natural curve in you lumbar (lower back).



But What About Posing Your Arms and Hands?

I could write a book on how to pose hands and eyes… it’s the photographers job to not just “memorize” poses, but to learn how to “build” a pose for our brides and grooms.

But here a few pointers so you’ll know what to do on your wedding day.

Holding Something

When you hold something it naturally gives your hands something to do, creating a triangle shape which is more pleasing to the eye. This can be flowers, veils, jewelry, etc. If there is nothing to hold, you can place one or two hands at the waist.

Having your elbow at more than a 90 degree angle gives a more elegant pose than having it at 90 degrees or more.

 

Avoiding the “Floating Head”

Photographers who don’t know how to pose the hands and arms often give brides and grooms what is called the floating head (what you don’t want). It’s when you have a close up shot of the face, but no hands and arms in the photo.

You can use hands and fingers to lead attention to where you want with a close up. In this portrait I wanted to lead attention to the eyes and lips. So I gently directed her hands naturally in this position. As you can see, this portrait does not look forced or rigid even though the hands are in a place that you would not expect. This can enhance a close up portrait in a really beautiful way.

 

Posing The Eyes

So where should you look? Where you look can dramatically change the feel of the portrait. As you can see in the first two photos I had the brides look down, giving an almost candid feel of the portrait. But no matter where you look, you want to avoid only seeing the “white” part of your eye.


 

 

Here is a sample of a few of the things that I mentioned before all with one bride and done in just a couple of minutes.  Notice the weight distribution and the use hands? 

 

I hope you enjoyed these posing tips :). Look out for the next two emails because I’m going to be going all in sending you two more gifts!

Roberto

P.S. Be sure to check out some a bunch of our brides reviews by clicking here!

subscribe

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and instantly receive access to our library of resources, including:

- Cultural Wedding Guides
- Best Engagement Photo Locations
- 12 Essential Wedding Planning Tips

Join Our Newsletter

Hudson Valley

Thank You for joining our Newsletter!

A confirmation email will arrive soon in your inbox.


You will receive news, early bird promos and our monthly Image of the Month!

Indian Weddings

Jewish Weddings

Vineyard Weddings

popular tags

New Jersey

Long Island

Brooklyn

New York City

explore venues

request a quote here

Since 2004, Roberto Falck Photography has been documenting the best moments of life. Experience our passion, professionalism, and creativity on your wedding day.

Clean, Stylish, Creative

about roberto
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