The French Wedding Show Issue 1 | Page 10

Top tips for gorgeous wedding photos by Sophie Lindsay Sophie Lindsay is a London based photographer who works internationally, capturing love, light and life across the globe. Using the subtlety of natural light, she is reknown for her beautiful, simple imagery and innate sense of style. Photo Credit: Sophie Lindsay Getting on with your photographer It seems like the most obvious thing in the world but it is vital that you have a great connection with your photographer from the offset. You need to love their photography; after all, they will be providing you with a visual legacy; a tangible record of your love that will become a family heirloom for generations to come. However, it’s also key that you enjoy spending time with them. They will be present at the most important and intimate moments of your big day, and don’t forget they will also be spending time with all of your family and friends. You need to trust them implicitly, and they need to strike a fine balance between being outgoing and professional, being able to easily direct and organise large numbers of people, while simultaneously being discreet and calm. How important is a smile Lets be honest – no one wants cheesy, ‘posed’ French Wedding Magazine 8 photos of themselves; but everyone does want gorgeous photos of themselves looking radiantly happy and relaxed. So the question is, how to capture these authentic moments in a relatively short space of time? • I’m conscious that most of my clients have never been photographed by a professional photographer before, and it’s normal for people to feel shy or nervous at the prospect of being in front of the lens. It’s up to me to put them at ease, to gently direct them when needed, and above all, allow them to enjoy the process. • There’s no magic formula to making couples relax, but I laugh….a lot…. and I want the process to be fun for my couples. • I talk constantly to my couples as I photograph them, I encourage and reassure them as much as possible, so that they don’t feel ‘posed’. I give them things to do, and I tell them what is expected