Last Updated: February 15th, 2020

Picture this: you’re preparing in the back of your mind how to take photos of someone. How do you arrange their hands, their hair, what direction do you have them face…there are so many factors that go into posing. This might even be a source of stress for you – especially if you are a new photographer. Having to account for different personalities, body types, and responses people might have to your prompts also come into play in this whole process.

We could go on and on about the art of posing, and how to elicit the right response from the people you are taking pictures of – but we’ll save that for another day.

Right now…let’s consider the immediate response to all of this posing effort we just put out…

A trained model will respond naturally in a way that is very in tune with your prompting, and in a way that will immediately be flattering of them and reflect in the created image. They know how to immediately look, where to put their hands, and have likely already done a good deal of prep work on hair & makeup beforehand – maybe even more than average. Modeling is, after all, their art form – and the efforts that go into it are not always noticed by someone who is viewing the resulting image.

On the other end of the spectrum, let’s think about how a newly married bride would react. For our purposes, this bride is more of your “average person” and not a model by career choice. Her reactions will likely be filled with more anxiety and uncertainty – such is the natural response to having our photos taken when it’s not normal for us to be photographed (especially by a professional photographer). This natural response doesn’t mean beautiful photos can’t be produced, but it may require a little more effort to get there.

With this in mind, let’s break down the differences we can spot between bridal portraits and model portraits – and how you can accommodate shooting both well.

4 Differences Between Model Portraits & Bridal Portraits

1). Candid vs. staged. Model portraits are more likely to be staged affairs, as opposed to bridal portraits which often happen in a more candid fashion. That isn’t to say there won’t be overlap depending on your approach to photography – certainly there are enough photographers going on adventures with models to capture stunning shots that don’t feel as forced as sitting in a cramped studio with off camera flash shooting in their face to refute this. But, practically speaking, as photographers working with models we typically have control over the timing of things – whereas with bridal portraits, the timing (and weather/light) is entirely dependent on the wedding day itself.

2). Knowledge of posing. Trained models will already know poses that will make them look good in the eyes of the camera. While the photographer may still give instruction, they can take the instruction and produce multiple different poses – some even with micro-changes in between – that can change the look and feel of the photos being captured.

For many brides, posing may be the last thing on their mind – and their wedding day might just be the first time they’ve even stood in front of a camera like this. In our experience, brides are often very receptive and responsive to our posing – sometimes to a fault. This is something we work through all the time as we get our brides more and more comfortable being in front of our lens, and the resulting images we often take away are the ones “between the poses,” that they don’t even realize are being captured.

3). Intention. One of the more obvious points of comparison between model portraits vs. bridal portraits is the purpose of the photography. Normally, shooting photos of models – assuming it’s not for their personal head shot or something – is usually a means-to-an-end for advertising or business purposes. For example, we traveled out to Oregon to shoot a model (seen above) with the intention of being able to use the images to enhance our brand as travel/adventure photographers. It’s worked pretty well, actually, for us. While we certainly had fun (and so did our model), our photography was driven more by what we would end up doing with the images.

Related: Is Your Instagram Just Featuring One Type of Photography? Or Do You Mix It Up?

On the other end, while we are paid to shoot weddings (and bridal portraits are a part of that process) – our focus is always, ALWAYS on showcasing the beauty and reality of the wedding day for our clients. We don’t go out of the way to take photos just for our portfolio.

It is very much a mindset, and it plays a huge role in how one approaches posing and what it takes to “get the shot”.

4). Story. The last major difference we see is in the story being told through the photos. With a model, there can be a story – but it is often one that is fabricated from the onset. Weddings are so great because they have a significant ability to be authentic and the resulting photography that happens during them is organic, candid and authentic in its own way because it ends up solidifying in the form of still images a single day in the life of two people coming together in such an impactful way.

As such, bridal portraits end up feeling more significant to us because of all of the elements at play that are specific to the individual being photographed. The choice of venue and resulting scenery, the dress and flowers and accessories, who is present while the portraits are being taken…there is a lot that tells a story here.

How to Shoot Model Portraits

Our thoughts on shooting models stem from participating in a number of styled shoots, putting a few together ourselves, and even going so far as to travel across the country to meet up with other photographers/models to create pictures together.

We’ve shot model portraits in studio and on location in different areas.

This combined experience has really revealed a few simple things about photographing models:

• Pick a good location

• Find the good light (or use flash)

• Provide some prompts and poses

• Let the model “do their thing” and provide creative input

In many shoots, if there is a goal or theme associated – prioritize shots that meet the goal or go along with the theme.

For example, if your goal is to shoot a sweeping and dramatic portrait for a magazine cover, you should probably begin by making sure you are setting up a shoot at a location that fits the bill, and shooting at a time where the light will be most dramatic (sunrise or sunset usually). Your model will help pull the scene together. You may need to wait around to get the perfect conditions and, ultimately, the perfect shot – but that is why both you and the model are there: to get that one needed shot for the magazine cover.

How to Shoot Bridal Portraits

The reality is – shooting bridal portraits is really just the other side of the same coin. Things are not so radically different. You will bring along the same technical skill as you would with shooting a model, but how you approach the shoot should likely be different.

Taking place at the venue on the day of her wedding, bridal portraits end up being one of the most looked back on keepsakes from the wedding day. While the day itself will cause a lot of memories to be retained, 20, 30, even 50 years from the day – the bride will look back at an album of photos and just revel in her beauty from one of the most life-defining days of her life.

As wedding photographers, this makes the work we do a joy – and something extremely important to those who book with us.

Being able to shoot bridal portraits, then, after all the technical camera knowledge boils down to understanding the storytelling aspect of the day. Getting to know the bride beforehand, through meetings, phone calls, engagement sessions, etc. help to get in tune with her personality and the things that make her tick as an individual. Having this knowledge makes it even easier to shoot bridal portraits because she can become more comfortable with you, and thus having you photograph her in this way.

Regardless, the things to know about shooting bridal portraits are as follows:

• Pick a good location

• Find the good natural light (or use flash as a last resort)

• Provide prompts and posing instruction that is especially clear to understanding

• Be reaffirming that the bride is looking as great as she hopes to be – saying things like “stunning” and “beautiful” just breed positivity and joy in the shoot

• Remind her she can be herself through all of this, so if she needs to let out a laugh, you’re all for it!

Our biggest secret to bridal portraits? Have the groom on the sidelines talking with her. Have him say cute things, serious things, or funny things to her to get her reaction. This is a way of producing candid moments and to add more comfort into the photography experience. While she might be comfortable with you since you’re so great at doing your thing, she will be 500% more comfortable with the one she is going to (or has just) married.

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There are a lot of differences and similarities between photographing models and brides. We hope our thoughts on this can be taken with you and applied when you’re out shooting next time!

Let us know in the comments about your favorite experience shooting portraits!