Picture perfect: Tips by experts for the best wedding shots

Every bride dreams of looking their best on their D-day. Photographers and makeup artistes reveal how to

A wedding is considered one of the most intimate and bespoke journeys of one’s life. All the events may be rife with joy and entertainment but the wedding photoshoot is the beating heart of it all as it captures those priceless tender moments that evoke happiness, the coveted looks, and the sheer joy that a bride is filled with thinking about her wedding day. This creates everlasting memories when these emotions are captured unfiltered by the camera creating some serious bridal magic along with alluring makeup.

Kajal Aggarwal looks stunning in her bridal photoshoot

A lot of hard work is put together in a bridal photoshoot and it begins with the process of making a bride look absolutely camera ready hence, the makeup needs to be done in a very careful manner. The most important thing to understand about bridal photo-shoot makeup is that the lens doesn’t always capture the makeup and colour as vividly as it seems in real life. As a result, wearing more makeup for photoshoots than one might in real life is imperative. Even if one wants a subtler makeup aesthetic in the shots, one needs to still a little more makeup because it won’t appear as well through the camera. That being said, here are some important makeup tips that one can apply when getting ready for a bridal photo shoot.

1. STARTING EARLY WITH A GOOD SKINCARE REGIME:

A good base needs to be established before one can think of makeup. So, it is very important to invest in cleansers, toners, serums and moisturizers recommended by a dermatologist to break down the dead and dull layers of the skin and make your skin look clean, fresh and smooth with a natural glow.

2. PREP YOUR SKIN BY DRINKING LOTS OF WATER:

This beauty tip is the one that needs to be followed around the year but it becomes all the more imperative around one’s wedding day. Hydrated skin provides for an ideal makeup application and allows the skin to glow throughout the day. One might also see a difference in the appearance of fine lines and pores.

Neha Kakkar looks mesmerising in all her wedding pictures

3. BLEND, BLEND,BLEND

A well-blended base is an absolute necessity. A patchy base would be the last thing one would want because it would start showing up in images. So, it is essential that the makeup artist selects a foundation that looks natural and sits right on one’s skin. It is advisable to have a matte finish with the foundation so that it perfectly blends with one’s skin and does not shine. It is also advisable to blend the foundation till the collarbone so that one’s skin colour does not look different in both the regions in the photo.

4. CONTOURING AND HIGHLIGHTING

After a flawless, smooth base, contouring and highlighting facial features is the next big step for getting camera ready. This helps to accentuate and define one’s bone structure in front of the camera and adds a little dimension to the face. The contouring and highlighting should always be matte so that the makeup does not shine when the light bounces off it.

5. THE EYES

After the blending, when one begins with the makeup, it is important to remember that when one is being photographed, the eyes become the focal point. As a result, one should make sure that the makeup really draws attention to one’s eyes. The eyes will be more defined if the colour is bolder. Even if one usually wears brown or grey mascara and eyeliner, photographing in a dramatic black will look much better. Pooja Sarin Puri, a makeup artist says, “To me, a nude makeup look with minimal eye makeup with bright colours is a great combination as it can make the whole look more rich and vibrant. I would also suggest brown and black shades for the eyes to add more drama to the face. In short, glam eyes with a subtle face can do wonders in front of the camera.”

To ensure that one’s eyelashes are prominent in photographs, use two or three coats of mascara. In addition, fill in the brows using an eyebrow pencil. In photos, thicker brows look better than thin ones.

Gauahar Khan shines in her wedding photo shoot (photo: viral bhayani)

6. LIGHTING DURING APPLICATION OF MAKEUP PHOTOGRAPHY

Last but not the least, it is vital to look at the lighting in which the makeup is being applied so that it looks natural in front of the camera. Richa Agarwal, beauty and makeover expert lays emphasis on this and says, “The makeup should be applied in the same type of light you plan to use to photograph the shots in, or it will appear much darker or lighter in your images than it did when it was applied. For daylight outdoor shoots, ultra HD soft makeup is used and the concealing is carefully done so that the defaults are not visible on camera. However, during indoor shoots with artificial lights, the makeup needs to be a little heavier with more contouring so that the face does not look pale and washed out.”

It is important to remember that when one is being clicked, the eyes become the focal point. So, one should make sure that the makeup really draws attention to one’s eyes

After the bride is all ready, the time comes for one to face the wedding paparazzi and begin with the shoot. It is arduous, challenging, and, of course, demands a high degree of professionalism. One’s timing needs to be paramount, and one must capture even the faintest or most inconsequential things, sentiments, and moods of the bride. Because a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, one’s margin for error is essentially nil. Ichit Anand, fashion and wedding photographer outlines some essential tips on how to go about a wedding photo-shoot. He says, “It is essential to capture the bride in her element and it requires adequate planning. Before a photo-shoot, I sit with the person being shot and create a series of poses that need to be captured, while other shots are candid. The quality of light during the shoot is also very important as it affects the look of the makeup. “The natural light is when the golden hour strikes, and the bride can get the best quality pictures as it smoothens the texture of the makeup. On the other hand, there is an artificial or creative light which can be controlled by the photographer and can be used according to the makeup and requirements of the bride,” says Anand.