The Art of Documenting Elopements
If I could make as much money in elopements as I do in weddings, I would fully switch over to elopements in a heartbeat. I enjoy them so much more than wedding days for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that elopements are so much more relaxed than wedding days. The opportunity to really capture a couple’s story, and their true emotions playing out, is amplified. Stress on the couple and their family/guests is minimal. It almost feels like a reunion moreso than a massive event.
Another reason I love elopements is that you can do them just about anywhere. You can get really unique with location choice and document truly beautiful environments. Gorgeous gowns coupled with stunning locales just speak to my soul. I also really like that I typically start my elopements with a “lifestyle” session where you don’t have the typical separation of the couples while they are getting ready, but instead they get ready near each other and just enjoy the process of the natural progression of the day, rather than trying to segregate themselves for the big reveal.
When photographing an elopement, it is less about filling a gallery and more about trying to capture the story. Sometimes those stories are brief, and sometimes they can be full of emotion and connection. Your goal should be to tell the story in an honest way. Now with this particular lesson, it is a styled elopement during a workshop, so there is a lot of stop and go, and there is teaching happening which disrupts the flow of the shoot. On an actual elopement, you should prioritize minimizing the breakaways and instead focus on trying to keep everyone in the moment.
With this lesson we want to focus on posing and directing a couple in a wide open space with dynamic light that is constantly changing as the sun falls. My goal is to capture the foreground and the background in a flattering way while also incorporating the subjects into the scene. Composition is key, especially in wide open spaces. Try to use leading lines and natural funnel points to draw attention to the subject. The best light for elopements is almost always a soft glowing light, but it is impossible to plan for or force, so we have to use what is available. In the case of this lesson, it is full sun. Probably one of the most difficult lighting situations when shooting an elopement because it limits your angles, and the risk of having background elements blown out in the highlights is relatively high.
PREVIEW THIS LESSON
Throughout this session, you will learn the following:
- How to scout out locations for elopements, taking lighting and environmental surroundings into consideration.
- Using compositional techniques to subliminally draw the eye of the viewer to your subject.
- Capturing the wide range of crops to flesh out the story.
- Working in natural light with zero diffusion.
- Shooting through sunset into Blue hour.
There are so many photographers in the elopement industry. So many extremely talented people. How do you set yourself apart? It comes down to understanding the fundamentals of lighting, composition, direction, shooting technique, and your ability to find the right locations. Once you have the fundamentals down, you add in your own twist to the art. In the end, focus on the reality of the story. Build your gallery upon the chemistry and emotions of the day, and you will find endless amounts of success in elopement photography.
COURSE CONTENT
