THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING DETAILS

Photographing details is an important part of documenting a wedding day. The largest part of a client’s budget will be spent on the details, and if these are not photographed in a professional and aesthetically pleasing way, it is a huge disservice to the client and the rest of the vendors involved in bringing the day together. I can’t necessarily say that photographing details should be “the priority”, but it is definitely up there on the list of things that are important to document. These pictures will matter to the clients themselves, but they will be invaluable to the vendors and the planner. How you photograph the details is whether or not you will be rehired in the future. This isn’t to say that a planner won’t bring you on for future projects if you don’t do details justice on a single wedding. However, if you continually fail to take solid pictures of the details, more than likely that planner will start looking for a photographer who can.

How to photograph details “correctly” is a debate worth having. However, my goal is to teach you how to photograph details in a way that has received positive responses from both planners and clients. In my experience, it should be a goal to capture every element that you can find within the scene. This includes, centerpiece florals and various decor, dishware, glassware, runners, paper goods, linens, chairs, tables, etc… Don’t forget to capture textures and light. Get those interesting angles and crops. Extreme closeups are appreciated, but don’t go overboard on them. Make them make sense when capturing those macro shots.

This lesson will cover:

• Getting the proper exposure in difficult light.
• Using leading lines to help bring the viewer’s eye to your intended subject.
• Using aperture to maximize your shot variety.
• Using elevation to showcase elements.
• What to shoot and why
• Shooting into and through sunset