Top Tips for capturing perfect wedding photography from Gin Fizz Photographic

Helen from Gin Fizz Photographic shares the qualities and know-how that every wedding photographer needs for capturing the perfect photographs on your big day…

Capturing key moments

The photographs that are full of emotion; laughter, love, tears, and joy are the images you and your partner will love the most. ‘The best wedding photographs give you an idea of a couple’s personalities and make you feel like you know them just from looking at a photograph.

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Beautiful use of light

Use of lighting is so important. Photography is painting with light and beautifully lit photographs are testament to true skill. Whether it be capturing a couple kiss in front of a solstice sunset, back-lit with a gorgeous halo of light; or a couple laughing whilst cutting a cake, lit by the flicker of a single candle to capture that wonderful filmic quality, good use of the light can absolutely make a photograph.

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Using great composition

A good wedding photographer will capture images with really great composition, knowing where they want people to be in the frame at that exact moment.

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Telling a story

A photojournalist or documentary photographer tells stories through photography and will use the same approach with their wedding work, telling the story of your day, your story; capturing all the details, the moments, and the emotion in their images. As a documentary photographer who has shot for publications worldwide, this is one of my key skills and something that couples really love about my work.

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A love of people

The best photographers are those who are able to blend in with your guests and become one with the wedding party, getting on with everyone and making your guests feel at ease so that they are unaware of being photographed. A love of people is very important, as is the ability to get on with people from all walks of life.

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Being passionate

This one is imperative. A great photographer will be extremely passionate about their work and will always be working towards making the very best images from every single shoot they do.

Choosing a wedding photographer is one of the most important parts of your wedding planning. Get it wrong and your day can be spoiled. But get it right, and you can have some of the most fantastic visual memories of your big day that will last forever.

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 And in case you didn’t know Helen, here’s a mini Q & A Session we did so you can get to know her before the show!

Hi Helen! Tell us about yourself

When I am not working or travelling, which is another great love of mine, then you will most likely find me dancing, often in stunning Art Deco ballrooms around London, as I am an avid Lindy Hopper. I love swing dancing, as much for the music as the dancing, I am a big jazz fan; the clothes are also rather fabulous. I am also very fond of the ocean, the sunshine, walks in the park, love, laughter, art, food, friends, family, wonderful old black and white films, and of course the a Gin Fizz.

  What are some of the quirkiest or most unusual things you’ve done with a wedding shoot?

I prefer to keep things quite natural and stay away from artificial props and poses. For me, it’s more important to capture beautiful images of a couple, where you can see their love for each other rather than making them climb up a tree or get into uncomfortable, awkward poses. Although of course there are some couples who want to go that little bit further for some beautiful artistic images, or something in an editorial style and I absolutely love working in this way as well. It really depends on the couple’s personalities, and the kind of photography they want. I am always looking for great locations and gorgeous lighting and will whip a couple outside to get that perfect light in the golden hour, or hop over a fence to get the most stunning backdrop.  It’s important to have an ever-curious mind, and be able to think of fun, interesting, creative shots all the time.

What’s the furthest place you’ve travelled to shoot a wedding?

Rajasthan in India. It was a fabulous three-day colour extravaganza with elephants, camels, musicians, and dancers; A truly wonderful event.

 What would be your dream wedding location?

I would love to shoot a beach wedding, this is something I haven’t done yet and I adore the ocean. I also have a dream of shooting a wedding in ranch country in America as I think the images would be absolutely stunning.

What do you think were the key trends in wedding photography last year?

Props were very popular and I actually rather like them, however as my style is about capturing the moment and telling the story of the day, I don’t really use them unless a couple requests them. The key thing is if it suits a couple’s personality and they are comfortable with the camera then go for it. But I like to keep my work quite pure and natural, without heavy use of editing so that is has a very timeless look. And hopefully, it will still look amazing in 20 years time.

Don’t forget to find Helen and Gin Fizz Photographic on Stand J9 this weekend at London Olympia. 

#TNWS x