Chester County Wedding Photographer Shares Lighting Basics

Your Chester County wedding photographer should have an eye for the lighting advantages and disadvantages in any space, but unless you’re a photography enthusiast, you might not have such expertise.

Of course, if you hire the right photographer, you don’t have to. I can adapt to virtually any lighting conditions, using specialized equipment… or just the few tricks I’ve learned over the years.

That doesn’t mean my clients can’t take a few steps to make my job easier. Lighting isn’t as complicated as some people think. All you need to do is ask yourself the following questions while planning your wedding:

What Mood Do I Want To Set?

Will your wedding be formal? Rustic? Urban chic? Lighting is a huge part of creating any style.

If you love your venue’s ornate architecture, you can use lighting to emphasize what you paid for. Fire in all its forms is perfect for a rustic wedding—this refers to tea lights, tapers, and fire pits, if you can get away with them. An urban aesthetic can benefit from a view of the city, so find a spot with big windows!

What Do I Want To Highlight?

There are lots of ways in which lighting can draw the eye to the areas that you want people to focus on. Up lighting is a great choice for emphasizing the architecture of a room, while pin lighting can spotlight something like a centerpiece or the wedding cake.

Will I Hire A Professional?

Let me give you a hint: If it’s in your budget, the answer is a big “Yes!” A lighting professional will put the finishing touches on your wedding’s aesthetic, and most importantly of all add drama to your wedding. This will make for unforgettable photos!

Your venue may have a lighting professional of their own for you to use, or your florist or planner might do lighting as well. If not, every Chester County wedding photographer, florist, planner, and vendor should have connections to someone who’s right for you.