Get Informed: How to Hold Your Bouquet for Photos
This week on Get Informed, I’m going to chat with you about how to hold your bouquet for photos. It might seem like a no-brainer, but there are ways to hold your blooms that will truly show off their beauty and then there are some… slightly less flattering angles. If you’re a photographer, this one’s for you, too!!
INSTEAD OF THE STEM SHOT…
This is an image we often receive from weddings. It’s one that we refer to as the stem shot or the upside down bouquet. Sometimes this shot is meant to capture other gorgeous details (such as lace on a gown, your jewelry, or your ring) but it’s a shot that could be SO much better if you show off your blooms a bit.
Instead of holding the bouquet upside-down in these shots (an angle that really showcases the stems of the flowers), try angling your blooms up towards the camera. That way, you capture your details as well as the pretty side of your bouquet.
TRY THE SIDE HUG!
This is a GREAT way to adjust The Stem Shot in a way that flatters your flowers AND achieves the goal of capturing your other gorgeous details.
Hold your bouquet in your hands right at your hip and grab that gorgeous side angle of all those beautiful blooms showing off.
INSTEAD OF THE LAZY BOUQUET…
This shot feature the bouquet laying its sweet self down. The bummer about it is similar to the bummers of the Stem Shot. The beauty of the blooms is often lost with this angle pulling focus, instead, to the stems and underside of the blooms. Instead of grabbing the side of the bouquet, try standing it up so you can see the blooms in some context of the day (and see them the angle they were meant to be displayed!).
INSTEAD OF THE HYPER-FOCUSED DETAIL SHOT…
This shot can be successful if it’s part of a larger story but by itself, it doesn’t bring much to the table. I LOVE a good detail shot of a bouquet, but the hyper focus on one small accent bloom (especially front and center as shown above) distorts the bouquet as a whole and doesn’t give much detail about the arrangement itself. Rather than focusing in on one bloom, I suggest grabbing textural details like the shot below…
We still get to see the amazing bits and pieces of this bouquet in a way that removes them from the “big picture” of the bouquet. If you love the detail of the hyper focused flower (we can, too!), I recommend shooting a flower that trails off to the side of an arrangement. The eye is naturally drawn there and shooting it in the way it is viewed gives the photo a really dreamy quality.
So what do you think? If you’re a photographer and you love one of our not-so-loved angles, I really want to hear from you, too!! Is there a reason that shot makes your heart sing? Win me over! If you’re getting ready to walk down the aisle, I hope this makes you feel more prepared in how to show off those gorgeous flowers you got for your big day!!
We’ll see you in two weeks with a Get Informed about rose petals that you definitely don’t want to miss!
xo