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5 Tips for Stunning Outdoor Wedding Photography

Your wedding is a really big deal. For the rest of your life, you will remember the day you got married as one of the most joyful and memorable moments of your life—and we’re not just saying that because we’re photographers, we’ve also been married ourselves!

Whether your wedding is indoors or outdoors, there’s something special about being able to capture those memories in photographs so that you can look back at them years later and remember how it felt to be standing there, looking into your partner’s eyes.

Taking outdoor wedding photography presents its own challenges. From wind to bright sunlight and harsh shadows, there are a lot of variables that can affect your shots (and we mean a lot). And so today, we’re going to share with you our tips for making beautiful photography work even in those extreme situations—or just on any sunny day!

5 Tips for Stunning Outdoor Wedding Photography

1) Discuss With the Bride and Groom on the Best Times of Day to Capture Every Precious Moment of Their Wedding

One of the most important things that you can do as a wedding photographer is to connect with your clients and ask them if they have any preferences or restrictions. For instance, when planning their wedding, many couples decide to get married during the “golden hour,” which is when the sun is low in the sky and casts a soft glow on everything. This is also one of the best times for taking pictures!

If you know that your couple want to get married during this time, then you can plan ahead and make sure that you’re able to use natural light for all of those beautiful sunset shots! Of course, it’s important not to limit yourself to one particular time because there are lots of great outdoor weddings taking place throughout the day—but having this information beforehand will certainly help make scheduling easier.

Semaphore Beach Sunset

2) Use Fill Flash to Compensate for Bad Lighting

No matter how hard you try, sometimes the lighting isn’t going to be the best. Maybe it’s a bright and sunny day, or maybe it’s cloudy and overcast. Maybe it’s just a little too dark for your liking, so it seems like there’s no easy fix. Well, whether you’re dealing with poor lighting conditions or just want to add some extra flair to your pictures, fill flash is a great option.

Fill flash is when you use a flash on your camera that is set at lower power than the ambient light. It will help illuminate the parts of your subject that are in shadow from the main light source.

This helps create a natural look, which you can see in a lot of outdoor photography. For instance, if you’re photographing a couple on a beach during sunset, but it’s still very bright outside, and there are shadows covering their faces—and you want to brighten them up—just pop on your flash. It’s a quick fix that doesn’t take too much time.

Penneshaw beach Wedding

3) Use a Polarizing Filter to Make the Sky Pop

We could go on for hours about using polarizing filters, but here’s the simple version: if you’re trying to take a picture of a scene that includes the sky, or lots of reflections – a polarizer helps.

Why? Because without one, you can get a washed-out white sky. Not always the most flattering background for your wedding photos!

A polarizer works by cutting out any light that is not polarized and absorbing it into the filter. This leaves behind only polarized light, which is what gives color to your image.

For example, when you look at a cloudless blue sky on a sunny day, that beautiful blue color is what’s being left behind by the polarizing filter—if you were looking through one!

This isn’t to say that you must have a filter to get this effect – only that it does help – and if you have time on a wedding day to make use of one, it does give an effect that is very pleasing.

Wedding photo at Pt Willunga Beach wedding

4) Showcase The Wedding Venue with Wide Shots

The wide shot is a powerful tool that can add dramatic impact to your photos. They help establish context, scale, and scope while also building excitement and anticipation. You see them in all kinds of movies and television shows—but you’ll also find them in wedding photography! So, if you’re looking to wow your audience with beautiful pictures from your outdoor wedding photography, be sure to take some time capturing wide shots before settling into medium or close-up shots!

This is one aspect of wedding photography I am super passionate about – my background is in landscape and science photography, so telling a story with the landscape, and tying it together with wedding photography I feel is very important – doubly so when talking about outdoor wedding photography!

Groom leading bride through forest

5) Use Foregrounds to Give Wedding Photos Context

The magic of wedding photography lies in capturing the fleeting moments between people, and if you can do that without making it obvious that you’re taking their photos, then so much the better. But one thing that will help your images is to make sure they have a context. You want to make sure they are not just a portrait of two people but actually show how they fit into the world around them.

How do you do this? Simple: Use foregrounds. Not only does this give your photos a sense of scale, but it also helps to draw people into your images. And by playing around with different foreground elements, you can add an extra element of interest to your shots. Also, don’t forget to use the bride and groom as additional foreground elements. You can also use them as focal points by placing them in front of something interesting and then using a shallow depth of field to blur out the background.

Bride and groom under a fallen tree

feel free to get in contact to have a bit of a chat for your vision of your outdoor wedding photography – it’s something I really enjoy doing and love to talk about!

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13 Tips For a Successful Family Photoshoot

Family photoshoots are supposed to be a lot of fun. It’s an activity that you get to enjoy with the people you care about the most in the world, all while preserving shared memories that you may cherish for the rest of your life.

You may be wondering what to bring, how long the shoot will take if you can bring your dog, how hair and makeup are done, and if venues can be switched! 

There are so many details to work out before the scheduled day. So we compiled a list of thirteen tips for a successful family photoshoot to help you get ready for your big day.

13 Tips For a Successful Family Photoshoot

Prior to the shoot, you must:

  • Brainstorm Ideas

The great thing about family photoshoots is that they can be a huge collaborative effort amongst you and your relatives. You must first let them know what you are planning for everybody and get them excited to brainstorm ideas with you. Let them contribute poses, themes, and costume ideas. And remember, this is part of all the fun!

Know that whatever works for your family will be your own unique style. The shoot is something you all should look up to, so frame the experience in a brilliant and positive light.

family sitting on a log
  • Plan Everything Accordingly

We can’t stress this enough: you have to plan ahead and accordingly to have a successful family photoshoot. No matter the size of your family, it’s important to set everything up from scheduling, wardrobe changes, grooming, food or catering, and so on. 

Fix your clothing the day before your shoot, for example, and make sure all required things are dry cleaned/ironed. Set aside time the day before the shoot to have everyone conditioned and ready. Also, allow plenty of time if you’re getting your hair or cosmetics done. You don’t want to be rushed and flustered when you arrive.

Mt Compass Family photography
  • Get Some Beauty Rest

A big part of photoshoot preparations is setting the mood for the entire day. And to achieve a successful family photoshoot, everybody in your family must be well-rested, energetic, hydrated, and well-fed. Eight hours of sleep, lots of water, a big breakfast, and an uplifted mood sure can go a long way.

Family walking along the pond

Things to Pack

  • Healthy Snacks

No, we’re not just talking about chips and junk food. We’re talking about jelly beans, cheese cubes, light crackers, and dried food. Avoid foods that could stain or get stuck in your teeth like chocolate, candies, coloured beverages, and anything that consumes too much time to devour.

Food platter on display
  • Extra Clothes

It’s always a good idea to pack extra clothes and backup outfits for everybody, young and old. This tip is especially advantageous if, let’s say, you’re bringing a bunch of kids along. With almost any type of photoshoot, expect spills and stains to go wrong! It wouldn’t hurt to be a little bit overprepared.

I have a cake!
  • Fun Activities

Breakout sessions in between photoshoot layouts are a must. This is a way to inject fun as the day progresses. This is not really a requirement, but it can relax your whole team and loosen up your family members

In addition, fun activities like blowing bubbles, and playing with toys and balls can be added to your themed shoot.

Family photo in Pine Reserve
  • The Furry Friend

If you bring your dog, please consider bringing a dedicated walker to look after it throughout the shoot. This way, you can keep your dog secure and comfortable while not interfering with the shot. Also, before bringing your dog to the shoot, evaluate her disposition. How will it be able to pose for photos if it is typically wild and rowdy? Finally, provide dog treats and toys for the dog so that he would comply.

bride groom and dog
  •  Outdoor Items

Best place to hold a natural family photography session is to hold it outside – rather than in a studio. For example, heading to the beach? bring beach towels, sunscreen, coolers, umbrellas, and more! Treat it the way you would for any beach trip. How about a forest? maybe bring a picnic setup, some games? frisbee?

Family sitting together on rock
  • Grooming Tools for Hair and Makeup

Perhaps grooming for hair and makeup aren’t requirements either, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring your own tools. This way, you can touch up in between layouts and keep it all hygienic as well. But beyond hair and makeup, you may also want to bring a sewing kit for emergencies. And if you’re feeling quite extravagant, feel free to hire your family’s own glam team!

Running in front of the family

Reminders During the Shoot

  •  Make the Most Out of It

We’ll say it again: A family photoshoot is a perfect excuse to bond with your loved ones. So, use this time wisely. This is a time to learn new things through new experiences, together.

Family looking through the bushes
  •  Grab a Solo Portrait for Everyone

Show off everybody’s beauty. One by one, allow every member of your family to have their own time to shine. Let them show off their hobbies, their talents, and their unique styles.

Portrait
  •  Give Room for Goofy Shots

You can culminate the shoot by taking a goofy group family pic which you can blow up and hang on your wall! This is a way for you to truly cherish your close family ties, unbreakable bonds, and sense of humour! There are no wrong answers when it comes to taking goofy family portraits.

Family portrait under gum trees

Keep Your Photographer Team in the Loop

  •  The Editing Process

As with any photoshoot, the images are thoroughly retouched. For this process, you have to let your photographer and their assistant know what you’d like the outcome of the pictures to be. 

If you feel conscious about something, raise it. They can keep everything natural, with a bit of tweaking when it comes to reducing wrinkles, toning down puffiness around the face, lightening the eye bags, etc.

Let us know if you’re planning something special too – perhaps an engagement? We are good at keeping secrets, and if we know about it beforehand we can be sure to look out for the cues!

Santorini Couple Shoot

Thirteen tips may sound like a large amount of advice for a successful family photoshoot, but one can never be too sure about family activities and gatherings! Being prepared and knowing what to expect can save you and your family members a lot of stress, arguments, and unnecessary pressure. That said, make sure you plan ahead, prepare, and enjoy every second. Take this chance to capture special shared moments while you still can!

Are you looking for a family photographer in Adelaide? Sven Studios offers professional photography services that are intricately crafted to capture your most special moments. Contact us now at sven@svenstudios.com and make your dream family photoshoot happen!

 

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Relive your wedding day, your way with Wedding re-LIVE

I’m sure you’ve all heard stories of bridal couples who have had some small hiccup, or story from their big day in which they wish they could do something differently. Well, that need not be you for your own wedding!

The product development team at Svenstudios have been hard at work building upon our already impressive array of technologies developed in order to better enjoy the memories from your big day. From the developers of Instant wedding photography, robotic wedding ceremonies, a fan favourite odorgraphy and many more – comes ‘Wedding re-LIVE’.

Wedding re-LIVE

With the incredible Wedding re-LIVE service exclusively from SvenStudios, you are able to utilise the very latest in virtual reality and deep fake technologies to not only relive your wedding day – but actually interact with what happens on your day as if it were a computer game.

Using a Virtual Reality headset you basically take control of your own self as recorded on your wedding day, and walk around your wedding venue as if you were a marionette puppeteer. In this way you’re able to talk to your guests – visit areas you never did, or perhaps watch uncle Jim drunkenly meander out the gate as you had heard it was hilarious from your geusts but you missed it as you were busy with your first dance!

How does it work?

Before your day, I will dillegently scan your wedding venue using the latest in 360 degree cameras and mapping hardware in order to produce an intricately detailed 3D map of the entire space. This involves running about with a camera on a pole. The more I scan, the father you can walk around in virtual reality with your self as your ‘game’ character!

I then import all the data I created into the Unreal Engine – which is software that underpins many modern games to a degree that reality and gaming becomes blurred due to the realistic textures I captured while scanning your venue.

Unreal Ed

Finally all I need is to have you, as the bride and/or groom wear a discreet 360 camera on a pole that sticks out of your back, all day. You wont even know it’s there! This camera records your movements, speech patterns and personality in such a way that SvenStudios can now use that data to program how your guests interact with your virtual avatar when using the Wedding re-LIVE service!

The result being a completely immersive, and highly customiseable way to relive your day, in the way you want!

Perhaps you said something stupid to the wait staff? We’ve all been there – Enjoy your meal sir! “YOU TOO!” – god what an idiot! Relive your wedding with Wedding re-LIVE and that sort of thing won’t happen again!

Bride and groom through the pine trees

This service of course extends on the already ground breaking 360 degree filming of your wedding ceremony that we offer for free with any wedding we cover as either your wedding photograoher or videographer and we feel as though this is the next logical step in better recording your wedding day and your memories in the most realistic way possible.

Be sure to get in contact to have us utilise this pioneering new service at your own wedding day. You certainly will not regret it – just as long as you don’t look at the date and are willing to have a bit of a laugh at your own expense!

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How to plan a picture perfect proposal

Your proposal is a magical moment, one that you will likely tell all your family and friends about. Having photos of this once in a lifetime experience will make the story even better, and if you have any loved ones who live further away, it will allow you to show them the engagement ring in all its glory.

But how can you plan a picture-perfect proposal without raising your partner’s suspicions? Whilst they might have an inkling of what is going to happen, keeping it a surprise can make for the best photos, as you’ll capture the look of shock (and hopefully joy) on their face as you get down on one knee. Follow our tips and make sure your proposal is memorable for all the right reasons, so that you can cherish your photos forever.

How to plan a picture perfect proposal

Get the ring ready

The crucial element of any proposal is the engagement ring. After all, this is the traditional symbol of love that shows your partner just how much they mean to you, and that you want to spend the rest of your life with them. There’s no need to go flashy just because you’re having photos taken, though – the best ring is one that suits your partner well, and ultimately one that they’ll be happy with, whether that’s a huge diamond or a small band of gemstones.

Whatever style of ring you choose, making sure that it fits well can be crucial to a successful proposal. Nothing will ruin the ultimate shot of you sliding the ring onto your new fiancée’s finger than it getting stuck at the first knuckle, or twisting around because it’s too big. If you’re uncertain on your partner’s ring size, try measuring an existing ring at home, or asking their friends and family, providing you trust them to keep the secret. If you still don’t know, then you can usually ask the jeweller to opt for a standard ring size, but just check that they’ll be able to adjust it after purchase.

Bride and Bridesmaids looking at ring

Choose your outfits

Being able to do this will really depend on whether your partner will be happy for you to choose their outfit for them. If they are, then choose an outfit that is complementary to your own for the most cohesive shot. If they would find it odd if you suddenly developed a fashion sense, then you can try and match your clothes to theirs instead, or opt for neturals so that you don’t clash.

It’s likely that your outfits will fit in with whatever you’re doing the day of the proposal, so make sure to take this into consideration. Remember that you can always have an engagement photoshoot afterwards if you really want to have photos in more formal clothing.

Engagement

Think about location and timing

Working with a photographer does require a bit of preparation and setup, but it also means that you’ll get the best advice on the scenery and lighting for your proposal photos. Talk with your photographer when you plan a picture perfect proposal to come up with a plan of action, and check in with them again on the day to make sure that the weather hasn’t changed your plans.

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Proposal

Taking advice from a professional photographer is a sure-fire way to plan a picture perfect proposal that you’ll cherish for the rest of your lives together.

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The best spot for your ‘trash the dress’ wedding photos

After the big day, brides are presented with a dilemma – what to do with their wedding dress? It’s a tough question; after all, this is probably the most expensive item of clothing you will ever own, but the chances are you are only going to wear it once! Some brides like to hang on to their dresses for sentimental reasons, or to pass it on to younger members of their family. However, there is a third, more dramatic, theatrical, and photogenic option – a ‘Trash the Dress’ photoshoot!

If you’ve not heard of the concept, ‘trashing the dress’ does pretty much exactly what it says. ‘Trashing the Dress’ photos are when the bride (and often the groom) get together for one final shoot after the wedding, and quite literally trash the dress. Whether it’s playing together in the surf at a beach wedding, slinging paint bombs at each other, or even getting wet and wild under a waterfall, trashing the dress is enormous fun, and makes for some spectacular wedding snaps.

Bride and groom walking in waters of Lake Louise

Trashing the dress often goes hand to hand with beach or outdoor weddings, as there’s a certain romance and drama in getting up close and personal with nature directly after your nuptials. So if your destination wedding this year involves taking a western Caribbean cruise or hiking up a mountain, why not consider a ‘trash the dress’ wedding photoshoot! Take a look at the following ideas and get inspired!

The best spot for your ‘trash the dress’

Standing in the surf

An absolute classic beach wedding shot, a photo with the couple standing in the surf as the waves roll in (ideally at sunset) is absolutely stunning. If you are going full on in your trash the dress shoot, you can wade in a little further, away from the sure, for extra drama.

Bride and groom on Maslins Beach

In a cloud of color

Smoke and paint bombs are an amazingly photogenic way to create a cloud of color, and shower your shots in joy and vibrancy. Normally used in the Hindu festival of Holi, paint bombs are non-toxic yet stunningly dramatic, surrounding bride and groom in a halo of gorgeous hues, and contrasting beautifully with the sheer white of your dress!

First dancing in smoke

Beneath the waves

If you are getting married by the sea, why not go one step further and get a few photos underneath the waves? Diving underwater and taking some careful, clever shots is an amazing way to create magical memories. The otherworldly vibe of the ocean floor creates an atmosphere that is hard to match, and once again the contrast between turquoise or deep marine blue of the water and the white of your dress makes for an amazing image.

pt willunga jetty wedding photo

Under a waterfall

If your wedding is outside in the great outdoors, in a forest, a National Park, or up a mountain, why not try and find the nearest cascade and create some truly memorable photos? It is hard to think of a more romantic image than a kiss between bride and groom under the raging torrent of a glittering waterfall, and you can really conjure up some passionate, poignant photos that will stay with you forever.

Waterfall wedding photographer Hobart

Covered in paint

While smoke and paint bombs are the fun, simple, and easy way to go, why not go full Jackson Pollock and cover each other with splashes of neon paint? For starters, it will give you an incredibly fun experience that might release some of the tension of the big day, plus it will create awesome, color-filled photos. What is a better canvas for your artistic skills than your bridal gown?

Stangate House wedding Light Painting