Capture the wedding day like Bohemian Rhapsody
“Is this the real life? is it just fantasy…”
When those famous words come over the speaker, every single person within earshot prepares themselves to sing along. What made that complicated, anti-formatic song such a hit, and how can you as a photographer use the formula behind this musical masterpiece to your benefit?
Bohemian Rhapsody is an epic, and it definitely overcame all the obstacles thrown at it before it was released over the airwaves. The reason it resonates with so many even to this day, is because it takes the listener on a ride. A complete roller coaster of emotion. This song ebbs and flows has highs and lows. It jumps from a quick toe-tapping, guitar-induced rock-fest and transitions into a slow, relaxing, almost lullaby-like tempo. It is the entire human experience wrapped into a 6-minute melody that grips all within ear-shot and invites them not only to ride along but to take the wheel.
Now, how could this rock-operatic masterpiece possibly relate to you, a wedding photographer?
Well, what is a wedding day?
It starts simple- photographing the groom getting his tie on, his coat, and opening gifts from his bride. He’s greeted by his groomsmen, and the vibe changes into teasing words, back-slapping, and a few dirty jokes thrown in. His mother and father come to be photographed and little tears drop as they say goodbye to their son.
Now you enter the bridal suite- straight into the ultimate excitment-induced chaos! Perfume scents, undergarments thrown about, giggles and champagne flowing toasts, screams of frantically searching for bobby pins, and the hair and makeup team rapidly trying to finish…and all of it happening at once in a tiny room covered in a hairspray cloud. You take the bride aside for her portraits and it’s nice and calm again, she serenely puts her jewelry on, her mother delicately fixes her veil, and soft tears and snuggles together make for a lovely memory. Bridesmaids head in and the chaos resumes, loud giggles and squeals of excitement and each trying to pose her best.
And so on it goes for the next 10-12 hours!
In short, a wedding is a combination of the entire human emotional experience combined into one irreplaceable day. A single song if you will.
“Caught in a landslide no escape from reality…”
Knowing this, how can B.R. help you become a better photographer?
I believe that we photographers are the songwriters, and the best of us have many collections of greatest hits. We are the Taylor Swifts and Freddie Mercury’s of our profession. It is our job to compose the story of our clients in the most melodic way possible.
We want anyone who was not present on the wedding day to still be able to listen in and sing along. They can relate to the father handing off his little girl, that gently enticing tempo. They are eager for the pronunciation of Man and Wife with that big kiss surrounded by cheers and applause, the big crescendo! They swoon over the beautiful portraits of the bride and groom together photographed in several locations with different emotional ranges, what a catchy hook! And they are ready to jump in and dance along to the bright and colorful ruckus of the reception, a perfect outro.
A wedding has many emotional elements and so must the story you tell of each wedding you capture.
“Open your eyes, look up to the skies, and see…”
One of the mistakes every good songwriter avoids is becoming flat or predictable. For example, if every note in a song were a C8 your ears would be overwhelmed and you’d turn the music down. Likewise, if each note were F# you’d struggle to make sense of what you were hearing. Like a good song, a wedding day should not be captured completely in muted tones or overwhelmingly colorful images. Yes, you want to maintain a cohesive look but be mindful of the emotional aspects of the day. You can shoot with true-to-life color but really punch it up a notch in the dance floor photos, and bring it down a little when Grandma is hugging the bride. You may thrive on off-camera flash, but it would look too overwhelming in the soft and delicate bridal suite. A good song maintains balance as well as emotion.
What are the magic notes? How do you capture the wedding day with all of the emotional complexity it deserves while still making it appeal to the masses? Simply remember this- YOU are the composer and so YOU must direct the music.
What is your instrument? Your voice.
“Sends shivers down my spine, body’s aching all the time.” Remind the father that his little girl is being given away. Tell the groom to ask his grandmother about her wedding day and watch tears well in her eyes. Ask the single mom to give her daughter some advice as she fixes her veil.
“Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?” Get the bridal party pumped up. Don’t be afraid to look silly! Cheer, yell, shout a selective curse word or two, and make them join in on the fun.
“Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me”. Get your butt not only on the dance floor but go be a part of it. Sing along, get in the middle of the circle, crouch down on the floor, and shoot wide angles, make those DJ lights pop, and bring the party fully to life.
“Nothing really matters, anyone can see” End the night by stealing them away for a few moments. Take some quick, darkly romantic shots. While posing them, speak in a calm and low tone. Remind them these are the last images with you and they will end their wedding album on a beautiful note. After all, the story is theirs and so the end of your song should be.
“Any way the wind blows..”
When the wedding album is closed, it should feel exhausting, but in a good way! The viewer should feel they just sang the entire song along with you, they raised their voice (maybe higher than their pitch allowed), jumped with the beat, and vivaciously clapped along. In the end, they should feel a sense of completeness.
Photograph your wedding clients like Bohemian Rhapsody – first create then capture the emotions, bring them along on an adventure, and finish the day with timeless beauty.
Send shivers down their spine.
Spending most of her young adult life as a single mother of three sons, Amber
started from the absolute bottom and grew her studio from the ground up. She is self-taught, seeking out education in every form she could find, knowing the years of perseverance would one day pay off as she fought to overcome the weight of
childhood poverty. Every day she counts herself as grateful to do what she loves as her life’s work.
Amber has collected a variety of awards from international organizations including WPPI,WPE, PPA, Portrait Masters, and Fearless Photographers as well as published worldwide. She is a proud Geekoto, Magmod, Cheetah Stands, Studio Ninja, Fundy and Flash Masters Ambassador. Her desire to pass on what she has learned includes one-on-one mentorship programs, and an online group exclusive to women photographers called Females Who Flash. She is proficient in both natural light and strobe, which allows her to make any location at any time of day look extraordinary.
Amber believes all body types and all walks of life should be photographed and captured in the most beautiful way, and that each human being is a unique soul deserving of love with a story to tell. Above all else, her core value is rooted in the belief that absolutely anyone can change their stars.
- Capture the wedding day like Bohemian Rhapsody - September 14, 2023
