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A lot of wedding photography is actually about where you are standing. Being in the right place at the right time.

So, photographers spend most of our time NEXT to the couple. At eye level. Right in the action.

And that’s great. But there are SO many incredible photographs waiting for you if you start thinking beyond the obvious positions. Looking up, stepping back and finding a completely different vantage point. NOT just next to the couple please.

The trick? These photographs don't always just happen. They take a little vision and planning.

So today, we have some pro tips on finding, planning and preparing to capturing images from a different vantage point.

Thinking further away. Next time you go scout a venue, don't just look for the nice light and the portrait locations.

Think sideways, up and around.
Think like an architect.

Take your time and walk around look for balconies, staircases, rooftops, upper windows and terraces.

Where can I get a great view of that??! Then look around. Is there a vantage point to use during the entry or exit to the reception? A shot from above during the cocktail hour? A shot where you can make the couple look tiny and show off the location?

The real trick is imagining the photograph BEFORE the moment happens. That empty courtyard might look completely different when 100 guests arrive for cocktail hour.

This is the seconds real job. Your second photographer shouldn't just be there for MORE coverage.

More candids, extra moments. Sure, that are nice. But what if their job was to create photographs you couldn't possibly make yourself?

While you are in the action your second (or third) can find another VANTAGE point, place themselves there and wait for the moment to happen.

Even if it’s just one photo they get, it might be the one.

The ceremony is the perfect time to do this. Case and point above. It’s not just an image from behind, it’s from a completely different perspective. With all the layers, through the bush, showing off the venue, the moment and everything at once. A vantage winner.

And here's a little PRO TIP for anyone wanting to do these kinds of shots solo.

Because we know sprinting around a venue is HARD.

You can achieve the same thing with a second camera, tripod and interval timer.

Let’s call it the tripod trick (and can we make tripods normal for wedding photographers???)

Find your vantage point, compose the frame, pre-focus where the action will happen and set your camera to shoot at intervals.

Every 1, 3, 5 seconds. Whatever (Every second or two for the action. Longer intervals if you're capturing a scene unfolding slowly.)

Meanwhile, you're down below capturing the moment as normal. Make it look like there were 10 of you there capturing the day.

THE TAKEAWAY

So at your next wedding, take five minutes to go scout ONE vantage point you wouldn't normally shoot from.

Ask your second to be there, wait and plan to capture it right.
OR set up your tripod, make a plan and capture that new angle.

Because sometimes the best photograph is the one you planned to be somewhere else for. READ THAT AGAIN.

THIS photographer scans every frame of film herself. And it shows.

We feature this stunning wedding by Valerie Thompson and she walks us through her choices behind the camera and the scanning process that lets her fine-tune each film image.

“Scanning your own film is a time-consumptive but incredibly rewarding process. I know it’s not for everyone, but I am a slow, methodical worker by nature and I’ve always enjoyed the act of losing an afternoon making something. It has allowed me to be so much more connected to the image-making process, from reading lighting, metering and making exposure choices through to how that shows up in the final image in measured ways.”

See the full BTS of this wedding featured now on lensel.com

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This goes way beyond “just charge more” and thinks seriously about how you price and present your options to potential clients.

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In this wedding the couple had strong ideas and directions for the photography on the day. And… their ideas were ACTUALLY GOOD.

Dive into this wedding to see how photographer Jorge Vela translated this couple vision into the final images.

“We had this frame in mind since our very first video call, as the couple was fascinated by this architectural corner. I designed the composition to guide the viewer’s eye downward through the light: starting at the top with the groom in shadow, and descending to the bride”

Kind of wild to be imagining shots on the first video call, but we love it.

See the full BTS of this wedding featured now on lensel.com

⬇️ Just a lot of love for the couple kissing in the corner image. Plus this whole set from Jillian Mitchell.

⬇️ “All I do is put a little rectangle around a moment” THIS is what it looks like when you bring that attitude to shooting a wedding and it’s beautiful, very beautiful.

⬇️ Seriously The Ferros keep raising the bar of creative direction at weddings. Working with the vendors like a real team to create something special in Venice.

⬇️ What a round up of guest photos. And yes, you should go curate posts like this together too.