If you are having your wedding on a beach at sunset, or if you plan to head there at some point after the ceremony, you’d want to be sure that you get some great pictures. If you happen to be getting married on one of the great islands of Hawaii, a beach wedding is a great idea. The pictures will be breathtaking. In fact, the combination of the sun slanted rays as it sets against the backdrop of the beach can produce some stunning pictures – full of rich color, drama, and intriguing light-shadow contrasts. Here are some tips to help you get the best out of wedding photographs on a beach at sunset.
Use the breeze to your advantage
Her hair is blowing in the breeze; his coat tails are creating an interesting angle in the wind. Use the natural motions to create natural looking shots that don’t appear posed or staged. Also rather than artificial props, use an interesting rocky outcrop or a strangely shaped tree to add interesting natural detail to a picture.
Create romance
A sunset can be terribly romantic, so you may not even have to try too hard to create warm tones in the frame to light facial expressions artfully so that they tell a story of feelings. Just walking along the beach holding hands with the wedding train trailing after her or a single flower trailing from his fingers can tell a lovely picture story.
Under or over expose the background
Create different looks by overexposing the background and then alternating this with an underexposed background. This will help to create light and shadow play in the picture, interesting contrast and a variety of hues within one color range.
Off camera flash
This is always a good idea when you want to light up a subject in the foreground and ensure that there is great visible detail there. This is going to be particularly important for shooting wedding portraits and close-ups. Light up the subject with an off camera flash and then use a faster shutter speed to underexpose the background.
Silhouettes
Silhouettes can be wonderfully romantic, and why not? The couple standing watching the sun as it dips into the sea, holding hands or kissing against the ever changing sky can be beautiful to look at.
Keep shooting after sunset
The setting sun in your frame, particularly as it dips into the horizon course makes for a lovely picture. But there is no reason why you have to stop shooting when the sun disappears from the sky. Continue taking pictures even after the sun has set; use that progression into night for even more dramatic and interesting shots.
