Posing the Couple

• Making the bride and groom at ease with the camera requires a variety of motivational techniques. These allow them to release possible inhibitions, shyness and nervousness while in front of the camera, ensuring that the photographer captures classic wedding poses filled with genuine emotion. Often, the actual locations readily inspire the couple to pose for the photographer. Some photographers also play music during the photo shoot to help set the mood. Providing simple instructions to place the guy's arm on the girl's waist or to tilt the head in a particular way are also crucial to getting great classic portraits.
  
  

Camera and Lenses

• Camera lenses allow the photographer to explore varying camera techniques for capturing classic wedding photos. Most portraits take advantage of the depth of field of telephoto lenses to capture intimate and emotional shots of the couple. When shooting the newlyweds for a wide shot behind the church, a wide-angle lens captures a classic wedding shot with a grand church facade as background. A Lensbaby is another special lens popularly used when taking classic portraits because it creates a selective focus on the part of the shot that should be the focus of the photo. Often, a photographer actually carries two cameras: one with a telephoto lens, another with a wide or special lens so that no spontaneous shot is missed during the shoot.
  
  

Lighting Equipment and Accessories

• Using appropriate lighting equipment and accessories when shooting in a specific location is important to achieve the right look, texture and illumination for a wedding portrait. When shooting on a landscape background during a bright day, diffusers and reflectors help soften the facial features. When shooting at night in a garden location, using small lighting fixtures to illuminate certain parts of the portrait can lead to more interesting photos. Using LED lights for such shots is often preferred because they require less power, they don't get as hot as regular incandescent light bulbs, and they conveniently come in different colors for a variety of accent lighting options. Gobos, stencils placed over a light source to project a design or pattern of lights and shadows over the wedding subjects, also help enhance the texture of classic portraits.
  
  

Filters

• A variety of filters attached to the camera lens can create different looks, styles and color palettes to wedding portraits. Some use color filters like magenta or soft rose to enhance or complement skin tones. A warm filter provide a splash of golden tone to a shot of the couple during sunset. In very bright exterior shots and locations with many reflective surfaces, using a polarizing filter helps darken the sky and reduce surface reflections. Classic portraits also benefit from the softening filters typically used for beauty and fashion shots. because of their ability to enhance the facial features through the right light, camera angle and posing of the subject.