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How to choose the right background for wedding shots


To find a perfect background sometimes turns to be a struggle, nevertheless, you can choose the one you like best from the following options. In this article you will find the information which will help you to find out what background you need for your weddings.


Without a doubt, shooting weddings is the most rewarding photography genre. To find a perfect background sometimes turns to be a struggle, nevertheless, you can choose the one you like best from the following options. In this article you will find the information which will help you to find out what background you need for your weddings.

Who says simple is boring?

Outdoor shooting is amazing only when it's warm outside. Sometimes your wedding shooting turns out to be when it's a cold weather or raining, even snowing, and it becomes harder to take the photos you wanted. So, what should a photographer do in such a situation?

Simple colorful, black, and white backgrounds in the studios are a great choice for wedding shooting. They will pay attention to the bride and groom, and will make your photos fresher.

weddings background

Don't be upset if you don't have your studio space. There are many assorted ways to shoot in the house. When taking pictures of young couples don't forget that you can shoot them at their home. It is a nice choice, because of many reasons, one of them is that you won't find strangers on your shots going on the background.

It will minimalize your retouching work in changing the background. The most prominent characteristic of shooting weddings at home is that this is your models' comfortable place, so your clients can relax and feel free which will not only help them to feel less awkward, but also will show their real emotions in your shots, for sure.

Window is the best background

weddings backgroundWindow light is certainly one of the greatest photographer's assistant, especially when you shoot weddings. It is a funny and comfortable process of taking pictures both for your clients and you. There are three types of indoor shooting lightning: front lighting, side lighting, or backlighting. Choose one or play with each of them, and surprise your models with the extraordinary pictures of such a simple place. Remember about the magic power of catch lights. When you focus on your model's face, these catch lights in their eyes may strengthen the effect of a fairytale wedding, happiness, and love.

Consider the shape, size, and location of the windows. You know, multiple windows can show you stunning results. Warning! Sometimes white balancing is going to be a pain, so make sure that you use only one light source in order not to spoil the shots. To get high-quality pictures, you may also read Basic rules of a brilliant shot.

Outdoor shooting

Big city? National park? Mountains? Ocean? This list is unlimited. Create the portfolio of places you recommend your clients to visit and have their wedding photos in the local region. A wedding is the event on which a great amount of money will be spend, and it's obvious, that the newlyweds want to show it in their wedding album.

According to many professional wedding photographers' experience, the simpler a photo is the better result you will receive. When photographing a model your purpose is to find a background that complements your model, not competes with her/him. weddings backgroundNowadays it becomes common to shoot at a smooth field, which creates a great contrast between the sky and the grass.

Shooting indoors is great, but naturally there is the challenge of busy backgrounds. You should find the balance between showing the nature, but keeping it easy enough to maintain the focus on your models. Point out any objects that are strongly passing you off the models. The best solution here is to use wedding retouching services to get rid of such defects.

If you fail to find a simple background, try something that has a homonymic texture, allowing the backdrop to somewhat blend together. This can be a close one, like a door or hedge with many green or yellow leaves. Try a far backdrop such as wood or park with a lot of trees, bushes, and lamps. As a matter of fact, the backgrounds are both opportunities and challenges to professional photographers. Be careful! Your background doesn't have to take the viewer's attention away from the main point of your wedding couple photography.

Blurring is your BFF

weddings backgroundIf you change the depth of field, you will blur the background. This effect will make you photos look more personal and intimate. This type of background is wonderful for wedding photo editing.  Blurring gives your wedding pictures juicy colors, contrasts, and shapes. Also the main thing about this technique is that is singles out the models and doesn't distract the viewer's attention from them.

Background problems faced by photographers

wedding-retosh-photo

It is obvious, that the first thing is distracting objects and focal points. It has happened with each photographer and more than twice. You are focusing on the bride or the couple in order to take a portrait, and in the moment you press the shutter someone else shows their head up over their shoulder or head with a strange look. The result is we have the real focal point of the picture now, which is the face pulling person. This is one of the most frequent samples of distracting points in the background, but it's something that happens many times.

One more problem is protruding objects from the model's head. You consent that it looks funny when an awkward element on your background appears to look like a horn or something like that. This object can be trees, bushes, leaves, flowers, or anything. These photos are quite funny, but can spoil your wedding photo composition.

There are many ways to improve your background or to choose the best one for your wedding. Crop out distractions, blurring, look down and up, play with distance, place subjects in front of open spaces, and etc. But if you have taken a wonderful shot but there is some distracting element in the background, you may try wedding retouching services  to get rid of such objects. Pull out one or combine several tips, and you'll be able to quickly adapt to all kinds of lighting and subject situations and walk away with a wonderful wedding portrait.

Many of the techniques, however, work best with just one or two subjects. As a group becomes larger, you'll find your available options becoming fewer. Such is the life of a wedding photographer! Thus, for a reliable photo retouching prices. Wedding-retouching is always ready to help you.

If you have some tried-and-true techniques to add, let us know in the comments!

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I'm Nataly O'Neill, photographer and journalist. Discover all wedding photography news.... more

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