How to feel confident in your wedding photos

How to feel confident in your wedding photos is a question that couples always feel should be asked in hushed tones; almost as if you are the only couple who will have ever thought this way. Whilst it may look like every newlywed other than you naturally feels confident in having their photographs taken, in reality, almost every couple feels just like you do. You will no doubt have several questions running around in your head. How do I pose? Where should I look? Do I look awkward? This guide is here to help you feel relaxed and confident in having your photo taken on your wedding day.

How can I relax for wedding photos?

When you are planning your wedding day, many couples’ main fear is how they will feel about being the centre of attention all day. Whether you’re someone who loves a selfie or are the type of person who turns shy as soon as someone pulls out their camera, there will be a moment in your planning when you worry about your wedding photography (hey, that’s the reason you’re reading this guide right?) This feeling of fear about your photography is as common as the thoughts of, what happens if I trip walking down the aisle? Or, What will happen if I forget the rings?

As with other stress dreams couples have in the run-up to their wedding, the fear of photography is, in reality, nothing to worry about. You will naturally relax on your wedding day and you won’t be thinking how can I relax for my wedding photos? You will be chilled, surrounded by your favourite people, marrying your best friend.

How do I gain confidence in my photos?

The number one way to gain confidence in your photos is to practice being in front of a camera (and no, a selfie doesn’t count). Next time someone pulls out a camera, don’t shy away from it. Instead, embrace it. I promise, it gets easier and most importanly get used to having your photo taken.

When it comes to your wedding photographer, I would always recommend an engagement shoot. You will find that by having this, it allows any awkwardness you feel to be out of the way before your wedding day. It also gives you a chance to see how your photographer can make you relax and feel comfortable having your photo taken. This will help you get over the anxiety of having your photo taken together and mean any awkwardness you feel is out of the way before the wedding.

The Top 6 tips for feeling confident in your wedding photos

1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Insta. Instead, try to look at yourself as those who love you unconditionally do.

Social media is something that is impossible to avoid but can easily make us feel inadequate. Instagram has made perfection normal and it is easy to look at the dream weddings that cover the streams of wedding blogs and begin to feel like your wedding will never compare. You need to stop comparing, because your wedding will be amazing.

There is a whole section of the wedding industry devoted solely to making you think you need to improve yourself in order to have the perfect wedding day. It is bullshit! You are amazing just as you are! Always remember, your fiancé loves every bit of you. Every lump, every wobbly bit, every mark or scar is simply another part of you that means the world to them. When you are feeling down about yourself, try to look at yourself as those who mean most to you do. To quote the amazing Dr. Seuss:

“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”

Dr. Seuss

Practice gratitude and mindfulness and spend the money you were thinking of investing in dieting & boot camps into a pamper day for you and your partner, or a pre-wedding weekend away. It will do you so much more good!

When your partner sees you walking down the aisle in a stunning outfit that fits you perfectly, they will love you even more and feel like the luckiest person in the world (which they are by the way).

2. The Elephant In The Room. It Will Feel Awkward At First (but I promise, it gets easier)

It’s an undeniable truth. The first few minutes of having your photographs taken will feel weird. You’ll be worried you’re not doing it right, worried about where to look, etc. This is totally normal. For most couples, their wedding will be their first professional photoshoot together. Most people’s experience of professional photography tends to be the school photo. The day you dreaded, knowing that the photos would be proudly displayed on the wall and across social media by your parents for ever more. I promsie you, your wedding photography is so much easier (and you will look 100x more amazing!)

The key is to not overthink it. It is my job as your wedding photographer to make you feel at ease. I am here to help you relax and feel confident in being photographed. After a little bit of practice, it will feel a lot easier. If it doesn’t straight away, don’t worry. I am here to provide you with as much help & guidance as you need.

3. Book An Engagement Session

The best way to feel more confident in front of the camera is to book an engagement session. By having an engagement photoshoot with your partner, you not only get used to being in front of the camera and seeing how your photographer works, but you will also get some amazing photographs of you both together.

Having an engagement session allows you to get to know your photographer better and helps you feel more comfortable around them. It also helps me as your wedding photographer. I get to know you both better and get you feeling comfortable in front of the camera. This means when your wedding day comes around, you will feel confident and forget that your photographer is even there.

4. Ignore Your Photographer (I promise, I won’t be offended)

On your wedding day, most of the time you will be having too much of a blast to even know your photographer is there. As I work in a relaxed, documentary style my aim as your wedding photographer is to disappear until you need me. There won’t be a need for me to tell you to smile, because you will be doing it naturally.

When it comes to getting you and your partner together for some beautiful portraits, I simply let you have a few quiet moments together in a beautiful location and capture you looking madly in love. The 15 minutes that this gives you together allows you to take in how amazing your day has been so far and spend some beautiful quality time together. I encourage my couples to ignore me and simply concentrate on each other, this always leads to the most beautiful photos.

5. Have Fun

Your day will be a blast! All you need to do is concentrate on having fun. As your wedding photographer, I will take care of everything. I am there when you need me and blend in with your friends and family when you don’t. Your photographer won’t need to tell you to smile, because you will be. You will feel (and look) amazing because you will be wearing the outfit that makes you feel beautiful. You will feel loved because all the people who love you will be there and you will naturally feel happy because you are marrying your best friend! Trust that your wedding photographer will capture these moments to make you look amazing while you focus on taking in every single moment of your day.

6. Trust Your Photographer

Trust in your photographer is key to allowing yourself to be confident in your photos. Your wedding photographer will be part of your inner circle on the day. Your photographer will be with you from the moment you beging to get ready, through to the moment you nervously head to the dancefloor for your first dance (personally, that was something I stressed over way more than my photos). Make sure you feel completely comfortable around your photographer during your meetings with them and during your engagement session. This way, your wedding photographer should be like one of your friends on the day, just one who also takes amazing photos.

Summary

When it comes to the question of how to feel confident in your wedding photos, my top tips are: