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Why wedding photographers love light and why you should too
The Transcript
Photographers have a bit of an obsession with light. Perhaps you’ve heard a photographer go on about magical light and have wondered what makes it so important for photos. So today, I want to talk all about light and why photographers love it so much.
Every photographer has their own way of utilizing light in order to create their signature style, so I’d like to break down what I look for in light and how it affects the style of my photos.
And you’ll learn why you should love light just as much as we do. So let’s get started…
01. Soft light
The first type of light I’m always looking for in order to create my style is soft light. Soft light is the most flattering light and it enables you to look your absolute best in a photo.
When I approach a portrait, I’m always looking for very soft, gentle light that will keep all the focus on you. In soft light, there won’t be distracting harsh shadows or mixtures in contrast. Instead, it creates soft portraits that are captivating and immediately draw attention to your eyes and joy in that moment.
Soft light is the first type of light I always look for and that I love. And because it makes you look your best, you of course should love it too!
02. Radiant light
Next, I’m always looking for light that makes you radiate. Now this is a little abstract, and it’s hard to pin down what “radiant light” really it. But it’s something I believe you know when you see it!
My work is very much inspired by the Impressionist movement of painting back in the 1800s. For Impressionist painters, their goal was to create portraits where it looked as if their subjects were the source of light themselves—as if they were radiating with light.
I take this approach and apply it to my portrait work as well. I’m always looking for the light that makes your eyes sparkle and your skin glow with excitement. I want people to look at your photos and see a spirit and light in you that makes them feel something—feel joy and emotion.
Radiant light has such a beautiful quality and has a huge impact on the overall look of the photos and the emotion they convey.
03. Golden light
The last type of light I absolutely love and that I’m always looking for is golden light. It’s the light you can find the hour before sunset or the hour after sunrise. This is that creamy, dreamy, luminous golden light that you just cannot find at any other time of the day.
For my love story portrait sessions, I always try to schedule them during the sunrise or sunset golden hour when the light quality is at its best. It gives me that soft and radiant light that I love.
Because of the timeline of a wedding day, it can be a bit more challenging to get golden hour portraits on the wedding day. However, I always try to sneak my couples away during golden hour to capture some portraits. And those photos always end up being the couples’ favorites!
So trust your photographer if they invite you outside at a time that seems a bit strange. They just care about giving you that perfect light—the light that you hired them for and the light that you’re going to be really excited to see in your final gallery of photos.
Conclusion
These three types of light—soft, radiant, and golden—are the ones I’m always looking for because they really do impact the overall look and emotion in your photos. So trust your photographer and trust that they’re working to capture you in that beautiful light you feel in love with in their work.
