Selecting the right wedding dress is one of the most important decisions for a bride. It’s a decision with endless factors, from the overall fit of the dress to cultural factors. Other decisions include mermaid or ball gown, vintage or modern, train or no train, lace or satin, pure white or with a splash of color, floor-length or short, and off-the-shoulder or strapless. The wedding dress is also one of the most expensive items in a wedding budget for the bride and groom, with costs ranging from the low hundreds and going all the way up to five figures for a designer brand.
As the wedding dress is such an important element of a wedding, capturing artistic images of wedding dresses is a critical skill for wedding photographers. To help out, here are 18 examples of stunning wedding dress pictures to inspire your photography. We’ll also provide some critical wedding dress tips along the way! For this post, we’ll focus on classic western wedding dresses and save cultural wedding dresses for another post.
The article is broken down into the following categories:
- Wedding Dresses with Symmetrical Compositions
- Wedding Dress Pictures Outdoors
- Wedding Dresses in Reflections
- Wedding Dresses With Views
- Wedding Dresses With Foreground Elements
- Wedding Dresses With The Bride
The following images are used with permission from Lin and Jirsa Photography. Do not copy or reuse these images without their permission.
Wedding Dresses with Symmetrical Compositions
The most common pictures of wedding dresses have symmetrical compositions. These pictures are often taken with the wedding dresses hanging from a window frame or on a curtain in or near the bridal suite. Since the dress is symmetrical itself, an overall symmetrical composition, with the dress right in the center of the photo, often makes the most sense.
Wedding Dress Pictures Outdoors
Sometimes the bridal suite is crowded, messy, or simply unappealing. These circumstances make outdoor wedding dress pictures a better option. Try to find natural greenery, perhaps hanging the wedding dress from a tree or from the side of a building. If you have absolutely nothing to hang the dress on, consider using one of your light stands that you normally use for your flashes.
Wedding Dresses in Reflections
After you have a standard shot of the wedding dress, such as a basic symmetrical photo, consider exploring other creative options in the room. If you see any mirrors in the bridal suite, consider taking a picture of the wedding dress in the mirror for a creative photo. Reflection wedding photography is an incredible way to add interest to a basic scene.
Wedding Dresses With Views
If the wedding venue has incredible views, consider hanging the dress, opening the curtains and showing off the beautiful scenery. Of course since the outside lighting is likely brighter than the inside of the room, you might need to add flash photography or consider an HDR photo.
Wedding Dresses With Foreground Elements
An easy way to add interest to a photo and avoid boring wedding dress images is to add in foreground elements. Try to stand behind objects in the room or door frames, focusing in on the wedding dress.
Wedding Dresses With The Bride
Of course for a most story driven approach, incorporate the bride into the photos of the wedding dress to tell the story of the day. If the bride is not looking into the camera, the viewer’s eyes will still be drawn to the dress itself.
See more wedding photography tips from our friends over at SLR Lounge and stay tuned for more photography inspiration and tips here at the Photo Argus.
