I’ve experimented over time with different shooting styles, but ultimately I’ve fallen in love with a more photo-journalistic style. This simply means that I try and stay out of the way as much as possible and let moments happen naturally.

So what’s my shooting flow look like?

1. Shoot as wide open as you can.

I naturally have different apertures for different size groups, but here are my top go-to settings throughout a typical wedding day.

small groups (3-5): f 3.5+

large groups (more than 5): f 6+

bride + groom session: f 2.8

reception: f 2.8 – 3.5

I’ll sometimes push my 50mm to an f 1.8 during the bride + groom session to get that super shallow depth of field that adds tons of romance, but a word of caution is it’s super temperamental, so make sure you have the couple pretty snuggly so they’re on the same plane to avoid a blurry photo.

2. over-expose your photos.

In order to save as much time as possible in post processing, I’ll try and push my camera to create as light + airy a photo as it can without loosing too many highlights right in camera. To do this, I usually turn the exposure up a few clicks depending on the lighting situation. This way, when I import into Lightroom, I just need to make minor tweaks to get it right where I like it. You can find my absolute favorite preset right here >

3. love your iso and shutter speed.

Nothing can rain on your beautiful photo parade like a grainy or blurry image. When dealing with ISO and shutter speed, I like think of them as yin and yang. They compliment each other beautifully when you find their sweet spot. I typically keep my ISO around 200 for most of the day and only bump it up for receptions since my style is to use the least amount of flash possible. In terms of shutter speed, I try my best to keep it at 250th of a second which eliminates blur in any situation during the wedding day.

Now, get out there and start experimenting with your own style and, most importantly, have fun!

xoxo Anastasia

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