In a wedding, every detail counts, especially floral arrangements. Floral arrangements are integral to weddings, providing aesthetic beauty and symbolising life, growth, and love. They set the ambience that reflects the couple's style and personality. From bouquets to centrepieces, flowers weave a visual narrative, creating memorable scenes.
Oneflare reported that the average cost of wedding flowers ranges from AUD$500 to AUD$2,000. Furthermore, it is common practice to set aside 5–15% of the total budget for flowers. These considerable figures show just how valuable wedding flowers are. However, it is also for this reason that capturing the charm and sentimentality they exude through photography can be challenging.
To help make this task easier, this guide provides eight creative ideas and techniques to capture lovely photos of your floral arrangements while collaborating with a professional wedding photographer.
Natural light can transform an ordinary floral arrangement into a breathtaking display of colour and detail. Your wedding photographer can help you identify areas where the light source enhances the beauty of your flowers.
Professional photographers, like SvenStudios or others, can creatively enhance natural light to create striking images of your floral arrangements. They adjust angles, consider the time of day, and possibly use reflectors to manipulate sunlight.
These techniques can highlight the flowers' colours, emphasise textures, and add depth, resulting in visually stunning, memorable photographs of your floral arrangements. They can also reveal textures and colour depths that artificial light may not capture.
Your photographer will have a variety of tools at their disposal. Encourage them to use macro photography to capture the intricacies of your floral arrangements. This technique allows for close-up shots that reveal the delicate details of flowers often overlooked by the naked eye. Your guests will marvel at the printed photos featuring the exquisite beauty of your flowers.
For flower macro photography, a small aperture like f/16 ensures detailed focus, while a low ISO reduces noise. Use a tripod and a shutter speed suitable for the lighting condition to minimise motion blur. The goal is a clear, detailed image that reveals the intricate beauty of the blooms.
After photographing the floral arrangements in their intended locations, consider moving them to different settings. This could include outdoor settings like gardens or courtyards, near architectural elements of the venue, or by large windows.
Also, consider using the reception area, the altar, and even the bride's room as backdrops. This variety of backgrounds will add a unique element to your wedding album. The same floral arrangement can take on new life in different settings with creative placement.
To bring your floral arrangements front and centre in the photo, have your photographer utilise a shallow depth of field, where only a small part of the image remains sharp. In such cases, the subject stays crystal clear while the backdrop appears softly blurred.
By focusing on the flowers and blurring the background, your photographer can create a photo where your floral arrangements are the star of the show. This technique results in visually stunning images that showcase the brilliance of your flowers.
To achieve a shallow depth of field, you need to widen your lens's aperture. Lower f-values like f/1.8 or f/2.8 denote a broader aperture, creating a shallow depth of field. Conversely, larger f-values like f/16 or f/22 indicate a narrow aperture, yielding a deeper depth of field. For extreme shallow depth effects, aim for f/2.8 or less if your lens permits.
Creativity in photography often comes from viewing subjects from different angles and perspectives. When capturing your wedding flowers, a seasoned photographer can tap into various viewpoints to create diverse and captivating images.
They might capture a top-down shot, highlighting the full bloom of your arrangements. Or they could opt for a low-angle shot, perhaps emphasising the height and grandeur of your centrepiece flowers against the backdrop of the venue's architecture.
Your photographer could also obtain a unique perspective by getting down to the level of the flowers, showcasing the details often unnoticed, like the intricate patterns of petals or the morning dew clinging to the flowers. These unique shots turn the floral arrangements into subjects that narrate their tales, adding depth to your wedding album.
Through different perspectives, your photographer can convey the beauty, colour, and symbolic value of your wedding flowers, contributing to the overall storytelling of your special day.
The process of creating and placing your floral arrangements is a story in itself. Photographing the design, creation, and placement of these arrangements adds an interesting narrative to your wedding album. Your photographer can capture the preparations, the teamwork, and the creative process that brings your vision to life.
There's something deeply evocative about black-and-white photography, which traces its roots to 1826, when photography was invented. Even though it's your wedding day, not every photo has to be in colour. Ask your photographer to take some black-and-white shots of your floral arrangements. This technique produces images that add a timeless and elegant feel to your wedding album.
Lastly, encourage your photographer to use post-processing techniques. These can include adjusting colour saturation, contrast, and brightness or adding effects to enhance the final images. While you want the photos to reflect the colours and details of your floral arrangements, slight enhancements can highlight their natural beauty.
Conclusion
These techniques and creative ideas can help capture your floral arrangements in all their glory. Remember, the key is communication with your wedding photographer. Don't be afraid to discuss these ideas and techniques to ensure they capture your vision perfectly. After all, these photos will serve as beautiful reminders of your special day.