My First Prenuptial Shoot

A few months ago, I took a big step in my photography and did my first ever prenuptial shoot.  It was both exciting and stressful at the same time.  Although knowing that I can research and learn from books and other resources, practical application is a whole different story.

Questions keep popping up in my mind: “What if the couple doesn’t like it?  Would I be able to command the shoot?  How should I pose them?  How can I bring out the best natural side of the couple?”  Questions like these affected my confidence and the pressure begins to mount as the day of the shoot grows nearer.

But despite all this, I have made a commitment to the couple and to myself.  They took a chance with me so I just have to do the best possible job I can (more pressure indeed…)

Let me start by sharing some pointers on how I got through with the whole process:

1.  Dialogue – constant communication with the couple is crucial to the success of the shoot.  Not only would you get valuable information on what they like or prefer, it would also help to manage expectations of both parties.

2.  Research and inspiration – scout several location and once decided, visit the location before the actual shoot.  It gives you an opportunity to explore different vantage point and possible scenarios.  It allows you to pre-compose and envision what is possible or what is not.

3.  Plan and gear-up – once you have an idea, plan and decide what gear to bring.  As I work solo, its almost impossible to bring your whole gear out on location.  Need to pack just right to be fast and mobile.  Also, one important gear to bring on location is light stands.  Fortunately, we have some of the couple’s friends to help be my human light stands so I was able to pack lighter.  🙂

4.  Be prepared – Check, double-check, and triple check your gear to make sure everything is working.  And remember, in most cases, things just don’t go as planned.  So be creative and resourceful, but at the same time, “keep-it-simple.”

5.  Shoot away! – enjoy and have fun!

Here are some of my favorite shots of the couple, Audrey & Frankie.

Overall, I was happy with the result.  We did the shoot over two days and it has its challenges.  We experienced dark cloudy skies, rain, heat, dark sheds, faulty flash, among others things.  But one thing’s certainly for sure…  we did had lots of FUN!

~ Brix