10 CREATIVE

IDEAS
for a wedding photoshoot
30 pages e-book full of examples
complete with EXIF data
 Introduction
GET THE MOST OUT
OF YOUR WEDDING
PHOTOSHOOTS
The Masters of Wedding Photography has
selected these 10 creative ideas for all
wedding photographers who are looking for
inspiration to create stunning images for
their clients. All images shown in this e-book
are all previous award winners, selected by
an international jury of the best wedding
photographers on the planet.
The Masters has always been
one of the most prestigious
wedding photo competitions
and the fact that it is regional
makes it even more
important for my brand.
Being able to compete with
other North American

Have fun trying out some of these ideas and photographers really helps

create something in your own style. build the community and

pushes our creativity further
Something new, something great.
to help make us better
Good luck and happy shooting!
photographers for our
clients.”

~ Jacklyn Greenberg
 Photo by: Orlando Suarez
35mm - f/3.5

1. Slow shutter
0,4s - ISO 250

Combining flash and slow shutter speeds can really create some magic!
Place the couple in a space without much light on the background, but with
a little bit of light on their front. This can be light from the surroundings, a
modelling light from your flash or a LED panel. When lighting your couple
with flash, leave your shutter open for 0,5s or 1s and drag your camera right
or left to create this trail of light.
 Photo by: Marnix de Stigter
16mm - f/5

2. Flash Silhouette
1/200s - ISO 100

Expose your camera for the brightest lights outdoor and place the couple in
a dark area with a clean wall behind them. Position them so that their
outlines are clearly visible. There must always be a little bit of space
between the bride and groom to make them stand out. Place a flash behind
them towards the wall, or ask the groom to hold the flash with his hand. Add
a color gel to the flash to create a matching color temperature with the
outdoor light.
 Photo by: Two Mann Studios

Photo by: Jason Vinson

35mm - f/4 - 0,4s - ISO 640

Photo by: Annemarie Dufrasnes

35mm - f/11 - 1/200s - ISO 4000
 Photo by: Simona Cancelli
17mm - f/5.6
1/400s - ISO 160

3. Sky silhouette
Look for a location where you place the couple in a spot with nothing but
the sky in the top part of the frame. The formation of the clouds can
enhance the composition, but only if you let the couple be part of this and
all is balanced. If the clouds are bright, set your exposure for the highlights
and the couple/foreground will go dark. You can use a reflecting surface on
the bottom for extra creativity.
 Photo by: Two Mann Studios

Photo by: Daniel Vinke

16mm - f/6.3 - 1/200s - ISO 100

Photo by: Federica Ariemma

24mm - f/2.8 - 1/640s - ISO 100
 Photo by: Marnix de Stigter
16mm - f/8

4. Architecture
1/250s - ISO 50

Look for a nice place where you would take a picture just for the
architecture. Place the couple in an empty spot where they are free of lines
in the composition and there's beautiful natural light, or add some light by
using a flash.
To communicate with the couple or your assistant at such a distance, you
can use your phone and wireless earphones so you can easily ask the
couple for adjustments.
 Photo by: Marnix de Stigter
35mm - f/1.8

5. Colours
1/250s - ISO 500

Look carefully at colours that contrast or complement each other. To clean

up the frame you can use objects (like the plant on the left) to hide
distracting elements. The red wall and the groom's blue suit also work great
together. The key to make this image work (and any wedding portrait) is the
connection the couple shows. The smile and the little touch on his chin
create a little moment that makes the image exiting to look at.
 Photo by: Davina Kudish
30mm - f/4
1/400s - ISO 8000

6. Shadows
Instead of lighting the couple and placing them in the frame, you can also
light them with flash, or hard sunlight, and use the shadows of the couple.
When you use shadows it’s very important, just like silhouettes, that the
couple has some separation from each other to give the shadows the right
shape.
 Photo by: Marnix de Stigter
28mm - f/3.5
1/250s - ISO 200

7. Abstract
It isn’t necessary to place the couple completely within the frame. In this
case, only the colours of the chairs, the stairs and the white dress tell the
story. It makes a creative image this couple will love to hang on their wall.
Become aware of colours, surfaces and lines, then place the couple (or part
of them) in the image, for a more abstract photo.
 Photo by: Jason Vinson
35mm - f/1.4
1/16.000s - ISO 100

8. Low light
Low light at the end of the day is known to be the best light available. It also
creates shadows on surfaces that normally don’t have shadows on them.
Look for a good spot to place the bride/couple where they are facing the
light and are free from the shadows in the background. When the low light
on the bride and the shadows on the background are used well, this can
create some stunning images.
 Photo by: Stijn Willems

9. Get up
Drone shots are pretty common by now, but to do them well, you have to
remind yourself to the basic rules of photography where “light, composition
and moment” is key. And.... “Less is more!” When you execute these
perfectly, a drone shot can be a true winner.
 Photo by: Andra Dragan

Photo by: Daan Fortuin

Photo by: Marcos Sanchez

 Photo by: Ken Pak
35mm - f/2.2
1/250s - ISO 1600

10. Comedy
Who doesn’t like to laugh? After all those serious and pretty portraits, a little
bit of fun can be a great addition to the photoshoot.
If you stay true to yourself and when you have a good connection with the
couple, they will absolutely love these shots!
 Photo by: Orlando Suarez
28mm - f/3.5
1/125s - ISO 1000

Bonus tip
I know we promised you 10 creative tips, but this one.... we just can’t keep
from you. Orlando Suarez used an AAXA P6X Portal pico projector to create
this image. The couple was place in a dark room and he chose a projector
pattern so you could still make out the couple’s expression with the
brightest lights highlighting the eyes, facial expressions and ring.
More inspiration
TO GET THE MOST OUT
OF YOUR NEXT WEDDING
PHOTOSHOOTS
If you haven’t had enough yet, below are
some more exceptional images that have
won Masters awards in the past. We truly hope the
They are all made by the same concepts as creative ideas we’ve
we shared above. So you can try to figure
listed will help you in
out how each image is made. Creating
your growth as a
images like this won’t be easy. It will
demand a lot of dedication and practice. successful wedding
It’s just like sports, to get better, you have to photographer. But
train hard, fail, get back up and do it again, these images were
and again, and again.
not made by us... the
Good luck! and we hope to see your
amazing images in our contests soon! photographers in our
community made
them. So thank them!
Photo by: Christophe De Mulder

Photo by: Daniel Kudish

Photo by: Andra Dragan

Photo by: Sean LeBlanc

Photo by: Tim D. Yun

Photo by: Orlando Suarez

Photo by: Chad Winstead

Photo by: Ever Lopez

Photo by: Curtis Moore

Photo by: Victoria Sprung

Photo by: Ian Chin

Photo by: Andra Dragan

Photo by: Ian Chin

Photo by: Mathieu Louis Seize

Photo by: Cafa Liu

Photo by: Matthew Sowa

Photo by: Darien Chiu

Photo by: Ken Pak

Photo by: Marlies Hartmann

Photo by: Ken Pak

Photo by: Marissa Daly

Photo by: Ben Adams

Photo by: Joshua Grasso

Photo by: Cafa Liu

 About
THE MASTERS
For Photographers
Since 2016, wedding photographers in the USA, Canada and Mexico have been
using the Masters of Wedding Photography platform to meet and inspire each
other, online and offline. Learning from each other and competing in a contest
together to push yourself and continue to raise the level of professional wedding
photography. We want to show brides & grooms why choosing a modern
professional wedding photographer is the best investment they can make.

For Brides & Grooms

When they're looking for a list of professional wedding photographers
in North America, they've come to the right place. The Masters
connects couples to photographers in their region. Every quarter,
thousands of photos are submitted to our contest by hundreds of
professional wedding photographers. The awards create a buzz that
attracts thousands of visitors to our platform who are looking for great
wedding photography.

WANT TO JOIN THE

MASTERS?
CLICK HERE TO www.mastersofweddingphotography.org
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Notes