Natural Light Photography

I've talked about it at length over the last few years, but the timeline of a wedding day is a HUGE factor to consider when planning out the day. And one issue I have found that comes up frequently is that couples can often forget to factor in things like sunrise and sunset. Meaning they'll try to plan for pictures when we simply cannot take them or during a time that is just not optimal.

Because I am a natural light shooter, meaning I like to use natural light instead of things like flash (artificial light), there are certain times of day that I can shoot. And while I have all the gear and knowledge to use artificial light if we needed it, it's simply not my preferred style and NOT what couples expect of my work from their wedding day. It's incredibly important to plan around the best possible natural light during the wedding day so that we can ensure any couple that they'll have the kind of images they are expecting from their day.

Long before the wedding day we need to be communicating about the timeline, times for sunrise and sunset, and exactly how much time we'll need for photography on the day of. This is especially true for those getting married in the winter or fall months here in New England. During the spring and summer, the sun sets quite late and it's very lovely! Meaning that a couple could have a later ceremony while still having enough time for photographs (with good light!) in between the ceremony and reception. But in those finicky winter and fall months the sunsets VERY quickly and VERY early in the day. So if a ceremony is planned for later in the day our opportunities for natural light following the ceremony are extremely limited, if non existent.

It is my job to know good light and to also help educate the Bride and Groom on what to expect on their wedding day! This means that I need to help them look at their timeline and explain exactly what I need in order to create beautiful images!! This communication (that is often happening MONTHS before the wedding day) allows us to change any thing we need to while giving the couple a clear idea of what their day will look like. If they cannot move things around, I've already communicated to them what this means photographically and how their images may be affected by this.

To recap, I'm a natural light photographer. This doesn't mean that I only shoot outdoors. It just means that I use whatever natural light I have available to me, especially during the portrait times of a wedding day. My style is clean, fresh and natural and natural light is my favorite way to accomplish that style. What this means for your wedding day, is that we need to plan ahead for the best natural light during the day. Of course I can work in ANY lighting condition and I have! But what you see on my blog and on my website is primarily portraits and images created by using natural light.

The best way to create a GREAT experience on your wedding day and to capture beautiful images for your clients is to have clear communication before the wedding day. Helping to manage expectations from a Bride's perspective and also from a photographer's can go a long way to ensuring that you both get exactly what you want from the day! So as you plan out the day, remember to factor in how long something takes, where it will be taking place and just exactly where the sun will be in the sky!

If you have any questions about how I plan out the day or WHY I need a certain amount of time for something please feel free to leave any comments or questions below! Happy Wednesday!!