Consideration of Lighting + inclement weather

A good photographer will be able to capture a lovely image no matter what the lighting or surrounding elements are like, so a beautiful photograph is not dependent on ideal surroundings, but there are definitely a few key elements to consider while planning for your wedding day. In addition, it’s always good to have a backup plan for precipitation. And don’t worry, even if it were to rain, we will still capture epic shots!

rain or shine

The show must go on no matter what! It absolutely poured on my wedding day. So much so that guests were joking about Noah and all the animals showing up 2x2 to the reception… I get how disappointing it feels, especially when you have your hopes and expectations specifically set on an outdoor ceremony or portraits. But I want to assure you that the day will still be just as special and we’ll still be able to capture some beautiful portraits, even if we have to improvise a bit. Keep the potential for rain in the forefront of your mind when selecting your venue. Make sure you love both the outdoor and indoor backup locations, just in case we need to make a last-minute location change on the day of the wedding.

Getting Ready space

Preparing for the day in a large room with lots of natural window light, enough so that the room is well-lit even with the lights out, makes such a positive difference in the final images. Light walls with neutral colors help reflect natural light too, so that’s always a plus. I typically turn the lights off while taking getting ready photos to control the direction of where the light is coming from as well as even out the color of the light. This may be hard for most of us to see with the naked eye, but in a photograph, mixed lighting like blue daylight from a window combined with orange bulbs will give the skin an unnatural tone in a photograph.

Harsh Mid-Day Sun

Especially during the summer months, lighting is very harsh between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Aside from it also being the hottest part of the day, the sun during this time adds unwanted contrast and shadows in a photograph, as well as squinting eyes. It creates those shadows under eyes and noses, giving us dark circles and “shadow mustaches” we wouldn’t have otherwise.

Sunlight like this can also create what’s called “dappled lighting”, which is when a location has patches or clusters of light mixed with shade/shadows. Sometimes during outdoor ceremonies, the bride will be in shade and the groom will be in direct sunlight, or vice versa, and that is not as ideal as waiting a bit longer for a more softly-lit space.

The best location for the sun is behind or to the back quarter-side of the subject, rather than shining directly on the subjects like in the photo below. Sometimes this is unavoidable if there’s a specific location you’d like to use. In that case, find out at what point the lighting would be softest and most evenly lit, which is usually during the most ideal time to photograph outdoors - about 2-3 hours before sunset. But if you’re choosing your ceremony to take earlier than the ideal timeframe, try and make sure to find an evenly shaded area.

SAMPLE SUMMER WEDDING TIMELINE

6:00 Ceremony
6:30 Cocktail Hour/Portraits
7:30 Introductions
8:10 Sunset portraits
8:20 Sunset

Golden Hour

This is that glowy, gorgeous, dreamy light that happens about 30 minutes just before the sun goes down. If you’ve scheduled a First Look and have taken photos earlier in the day, make sure to plan about 15 minutes of portraits during this time of evening because you won’t regret it. If your venue is around tall city buildings, trees, or mountains, you want to make sure to plan for a little earlier because the sunset will be blocked rather than an open field location with no barriers hiding it’s gorgeous golden rays. Typically I keep my eye on it if I can and will come tap you on the shoulder and say “guys.. now’s the time for sunset shots if you want to take a few minutes.” :)

Reception/DJ Lighting

As much as I love the energy DJ’s bring, their up-lighting and colorful lights cast strange tones and color shapes onto the space and you and your guests. I’m not saying not to have them, but spaces lit more naturally or with strung café lights (which add that dreamy twinkle in the background) are my favorite!

Overcast/Cloudy

If you wake up on your wedding day and it’s overcast, that is lovely! Don’t worry whatsoever… This means we’re able to photograph wherever, in any space, and not have to worry about shadows, weird color casts, or harsh contrast, and it provides more of a consistency too! Though I love a sunny day, overcast skies are a blessing to photographers because the clouds essentially provide one giant light diffuser for us. :)

Sunset

As I was mentioning before, it’s so important to check on the sunset time on your wedding day. If you’re having an outdoor ceremony especially, it helps to know what the lighting will look like and where the sun will be. Here are some wonderful resources for discovering what the sun will be up to that day…

Sun Seeker iOS App
Sunrise-Sunset

Note: The following two images were photographed during the same time of the evening, using two different camera exposures.

It is my job as the photographer to consider the lighting over the course of the wedding day, so please leave that job up to me! Simply let this be a guide of reference while planning your timeline, ceremony location, etc. rather than an added stress or anything of the sort. It’s meant to educate and assist in order to make the most out of your day! I’m always happy to help and answer any questions you may have about your wedding day lighting, how I think a space would photograph, etc. :)