Staging the Perfect Outdoor Wedding Ceremony
Elaine & Toby held their wedding ceremony at Centennial Park in Sydney. Here the sunlight is coming from the side but the trees are providing lovely open shade so everyone will be in soft and flattering light.
Introduction
In this post I’d like to offer some tips and advice about staging an outdoor wedding ceremony for Sydney’s strong sunlight, so you guys and your family and friends will look your best in your photos and videos. This post is not about the content of your ceremony, such as wedding vows and so forth. I just want to offer some tips and advice about how to best arrange the scene. If the elements are positioned thoughtfully we can maximise the number of camera angles available to us and tell the very best version of your wedding day story.
Sometimes on arrival at an outdoor ceremony I find it helpful to suggest some small adjustments, so that we get great shots and also make your guests more comfortable. It’s often the case that the event hire company will have placed the arbour and chairs out in the sunshine. That is never optimal for the camera, so as a wedding photographer it’s essential to bring an expert eye to how these elements are placed.
Xue & Erico held their lovely wedding ceremony at Mc Kell Park in Sydney’s Darling Point. The trees are too far away to provide shade, but the sun is behind where the couple will stand. This will give us a nice romantic backlight.
Tip No. 1: Considering the Light
The first and most common mistake is that the chairs and arbour have been placed out in the glaring Sydney sun, while a few meters away there’s shade available in the form of some lovely big trees.
So my first recommendation is to stage your outdoor ceremony in open shade if possible.
The next thing to consider is where the sunlight is coming from. Most outdoor Sydney wedding ceremonies happen around 3.00PM in winter and maybe around 4.00PM in summer. The sun will have passed it’s high point and will be starting to descend.
The best light for wedding photography and video is backlight, so for your ceremony ideally we would like to have the sun behind you, the couple. That creates the most romantic atmosphere and combined with open shade, we get beautiful skin tones and a bright background.
Rebecca & Ian were married at Carrs Park in Kogarah. This shot of Rebecca’s entrance with her dad is a perfect example of backlight. The sun is behind Rebecca and there is nice soft light on her face.
Tip No. 2: Arranging the Chairs
I love to capture a variety of angles in the course of your ceremony, from a wide shot of the whole scene to close ups of your Mum and Dad as they react to your vows.
Ask your vendor to make an aisle down the centre when placing the chairs, rather than a solid block. With an aisle you can proceed into the ceremony with your guests on each side. Petal tossing at the end of a ceremony is always an awesome moment and you definitely need an aisle to make that work.
Sean & Amy held their ceremony in the grounds of Gledswood Winery. Having an aisle arrangement allowed me to shoot from behind the guests with a telephoto lens, so I wasn’t a distraction. Then of course the aisle allows for awesome shots of the confetti flying!
Tip No. 3: Making Space for the Cameras
A common problem I come across is that the front row seats are placed too close to the arbour. This means there’s very little space between you and your parents, so there’s no room to move the camera back and capture a nice shot of them watching you get married, a moment for every parent to treasure.
When I see this situation I’ll see if it’s possible to move just the front row of chairs to the back. Creating that extra meter of space makes a huge difference, opening up lots of camera angles and making for a much more interesting set of photos and a video which is more engaging to watch. The extra space means we photographers are not too close to your guests. They will feel much more comfortable in the presence of the cameras, be more relaxed, and more in the moment with you guys.
Tara & AJ held their ceremony next to The Superintendents Residence in Centennial Park. Having space to move around the edges of the ceremony allowed me to capture lots of great moments.
Tip No. 4: We are Drawn to Look Towards the Person Speaking
When it’s not possible to get behind the arbour, as a photographer I lose a lot of very important angles. How is this a problem? In the course of a wedding ceremony the celebrant is the person who does most of the speaking. Naturally we are drawn to turn our gaze towards the speaker.
So as a couple, for a lot of the ceremony your faces will be turned away from your guests, as you look towards your celebrant. If I can move behind and to the side of the arbour, I can frame your faces and capture you listening to your celebrant and also capture your reactions to each other’s vows. These are lovely moments. Another great shot to get from this angle is a wide shot, with you guys in the foreground and all your guests visible behind you.
Hannah & Peter had an intimate garden ceremony at home. This is a great example of a shot taken from behind the arbour. The couple are turned to listen to the celebrant but their facial expressions are clear, while all their guests are with them in a single frame. This is what great storytelling is all about.
Tip No. 5: Opening Up Camera Angles
Another common problem is that the arbour is sometimes placed up against a fence or wall. Sometimes this is because the arbour has to be attached to something for support. Check with your vendor supplying the arbour that it is strong enough to be freestanding in a breeze and ensure they will provide some weights to anchor it. Often the arbour is placed with the intention of making as much room for the guests as possible. In an outdoor setting that’s rarely necessary and from a visual point of view, counterproductive.
Lewis & Penelope had their ceremony at Sydney’s iconic Clark Park in Kirribilli. in these photos you can see keeping everyone in the open shade of the trees produced a beautiful and flattering result.
In Conclusion
I hope I’m not leaving you with the impression that we have to turn your wedding ceremony into a photoshoot. That’s never my intention. Love is Light is all about natural and candid moments. Just a little attention to detail allows us to make it all look effortless.
By creating a little extra space around you during your ceremony the cameras will become much less obtrusive. You and your guests will be less aware of the cameras and be more relaxed and able to enjoy these precious moments together.
Ultimately, paying attention to these details allows us as photographers and videographers to create a more beautiful document of your wedding ceremony. By paying attention to the direction of the sun we can capture everything in beautiful romantic light. By having more camera angles to work with we can tell your wedding day story in much greater depth.
-Brendan