Wedding Tips on Your Wedding Day Details | Western Wedding Photographer Rebecca Beatty
I often get asked by my second shooters or photographers starting out, what do you consider to put in your layout detail shots? What if you don’t have any stationary or fancy items to include? And because I feel like these are important details, I figured this would be a perfect blog post to go over what I love to include in my layout shots, as well as my top 3 tips on how to get the best wedding day details!
When it comes to details I love having all the items in front of me that way I can start playing with them and laying them out to create a small look. Almost like I’m trying to create a glimpse into the life of my couple.
Items from the Bride that I love to include in these shots are:
- Perfume
- Shoes
- Bouquet
- Stationary (invites/save the dates, etc)
- Jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc)
- Rings ( the wedding bands and engagement ring)
- Lipgloss or Lipstick
- Custom items (like a bride glass, a bride compact, a fan, etc)
- Her Veil
- Garter Sets
- Vow Book or Love Letter
- And any sentimental items (lockets, pins, handkerchiefs)
Sentimental items are PERFECT for a layflat shot. Like the picture below. The bride included two lockets of family members that passed away. Taking a shot of those lockets by themselves shows the bride just how special they are and shows that they were a part of her wedding day without them being there.
From the pictures below you can see which items we included from that list as well as me taking her shoes and her custom Bride cup and having a little fun taking some other detail shots using just a few items rather than using all of them together!
And don’t think that Brides are the only ones that get to have these awesome layflat shots! That’s 100% not true! I love being able to have both my couple’s items to showcase how they both are similar yet different!
When it comes to men, items that I look for are:
- Cologne
- Shoes and socks (the funnier the socks the more I laugh)
- Boutonniere
- Stationary (invites/save the dates, etc)
- Jewelry (watch, cufflinks, etc)
- Rings ( the wedding bands and engagement ring)
- Custom items (flask, wallet, knife, etc. Whatever may have been bought or made for the groom I love to include it in)
- Tie/Bow tie
- Belt
- Vow Book or Love Letter
- And any sentimental items (lockets, pins, handkerchiefs,etc)
Now that I went over the items that I love to use for detail photos, let’s talk about the tips!
The number one tip I have for detail layflat shots is having a clutter free zone! This goes with the dress, the getting ready shots, the detail shots -like the one below- anything because it gives the images a more timeless look and you’re not staring at the the stuff laying on the right side of the image. Instead your looking directly at what the subject is.
If I have a picture of a bride getting her dressed zipped up by her mother or best friend, I want the focus on them. So I will move stuff out of the way or even move them to an area that is less clutter and keeps all eyes on the bride!
The last two tips go together in one! And with these two tips, it will help you -the photographer- greatly. If you’re like me and you like making timelines so you can make sure you have all your ducks in a row on your clients’ wedding day, then I highly suggest having “Detail Shots” as a part of your timeline. Not only that, but asking the bride a day or two before the wedding to have all those items in a bag or designated area for you makes it easier -and quicker- for you to get those shots. Taking just 5-10 minutes and arranging the items and then getting close up or different shots will immediately ease your mine on what you need to shoot next.
So that’s it! Those are my go to Detail Items and my top 3 tips on getting the best detail shots! Keep in mind that it’s perfectly fine to not have all the items on my list. Some of my clients don’t have all the items, they have what they consider to be their favorite and most important details.
And you know what.
That’s the best kind of detail shots you can get. We often forget that photographing wedding days is our job, however it’s the couples’ day! So if a bride says I don’t have stationary but I have my grandmother’s handkerchief and the perfume my mother wore on her wedding day plus my shoes, then those are going to be the shots that mean the most to her!
But there you go! I hope this helps and just have fun creating detail shots for your couple using the items on this list or items that mean a lot to your couple! If you have any questions or would like to see another wedding tips blog, comment below on what you’ll like to see! <3