How to Turn an Ugly Location Into Beautiful Wedding Portraits
Let’s face it, not every wedding venue is created equally. Some venues have ornate landscaped gardens, or eye-catching architectural designs that make photographing a wedding a breeze.
So what happens when your client is getting married on a tight budget and their venue isn’t the most attractive for photography purposes? Every wedding photographer will experience this at some point in their career and these are my tips to create stunning photography, no matter where you are.
Rely heavily on lighting. After all, photography is the art of light, so use light to your favor. For instance, if it’s a sunny day, wait until golden hour to take portraits outside. Other options are using an external light or flash so you have more control of the overall look of your images.
Focus up close to your subjects. This goes back to making sure the lighting is idle, but overall, the closer you get to your subject, the less background you have to worry about.
Give yourself a lay of the land prior to the big day. Understand where the sun sets and scope out the best places to photos outdoors. This will give you an idea of what to expect the day of and free up some time for your couple.
Use props such a sun catcher, copper pipe or reflective surface such as a phone/mirror to enhance your images. This will create a dreamy effect and get rid of some of the background interference.
The photos below were taken in a parking lot behind a hotel, with the highway in the background and an old decrepit cemetery in our side.
