From Sunsets to Saguaros: A bridals session guide for photos, posing, and locations in Phoenix, AZ!

I'm not normally a traveling photographer. But last month I had the absolute dream opportunity to fly from my home in Bucks County, PA, to Phoenix, AZ and shoot the wedding bridals and reception for one of my dearest friends.

I could gush for a loooong time about every detail of my experience there, being involved in the wedding as family friend to the bride and part of the bridal party, but I won't do that to you. I'll focus on my experience and role as photographer instead, sharing what I learned with you. This is a helpful guide to taking bridals and reception photos for photographers and their clients. So, let's dive in!

BRIDALS SESSION

Location: How on earth do I decide?

Because I had never taken photos in this part of Arizona before, after reaching out to my friend about her location preferences, I spent a lot of time googling locations and finding blog posts that talked about it (like this one, this one, and this one)!

All were very helpful. I spent many nights walking via streetview on Google Maps and checking places out, reading reviews, looking at pictures to find just the right place. So, if you're looking for location tips either as the photographer or someone looking for ideas for your own bridals, this is what I recommend:

• Use blog posts from others who have lived or visited there and know details (pricing, hours, etc.). Check out their social media and use hashtags to find other similar posts to dig deeper.

• Once you've narrowed down options, use Google Maps to walk and see the places yourself! It might not be completely accurate or up to date, but it will at least give you a general idea. Or even better, visit in person if you're able.

• Read Google Reviews! I cannot recommend this enough. You'll find completely honest feedback and often details you wouldn't otherwise know.

• Call the locations in advance and check out their websites. Ask their policy, learn the rules, check to see if you need any permissions or permits.

In the end, I chose to do bridals at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ. It was beautiful, free, close to my friend's home, and had a wide variety of natural space to work with (lakes, cactus landscape, beautiful greenery, you get the picture).

The other location you'll see in these photos are from her wedding reception venue, which was held at a place called Wrangler's Roost. It was simply stunning.

Taking the Photo: For Client and Photographer

So many questions can come up about this. What time of day is best? Do I wear my dress to the session? How early should I arrive? Where should we meet? I could go on. Right now, I'll focus on time of day for this particular location, my thought process throughout, and what I did to help prepare my clients for the session.

I prefer to shoot during golden hour. Every state and location can have their own 'golden hour' where lighting is that beautiful, golden, muted glow. In Phoenix, right in the middle of May, that was between 5:30-7pm (maybe give a half hour on either side if we really want to stretch it).

I got there an hour earlier than planned to do some location scouting (I had just flown in the day before and it was my first time seeing the place). I asked my friend and her fiance to get there 30 minutes early (at 5pm), there were bathrooms on site and to bring her dress to change into (we don't want any car wrinkles). I had her bring a friend to assist with the dress and me during the shoot (it's always helpful to have another pair of eyes!).

They wanted to do first look photos, so I had her stay in the bathroom and guided the groom to a spot I had picked earlier. Then we took off! I hyped them up, they looked SO GOOD, and we had fun doing different poses and walking slowly closer to the more open areas as the sun went down until time was up and we were out of sunlight (plus, by then we were all hungry and it was late).

To wrap up:

• Get there early, set up your settings, scout out some spots, make a mental plan for your posing flow with the dimming light in mind.

• Have clients get there early, bring a friend to help. Be the hypeman or woman, get them EXCITED and talk them up about how good they look!

• Be confident! As the client, your photographer knows best, they will make you look good, have FUN with it! These are photos you will cherish and treasure for the rest of your life! Bask in the newlywed glow and the feeling of being together with your forever love.

• As the photographer, trust your instincts, don't waste a moment, and even while you're dancing through a million things at once to make sure your photos are your best, don't be afraid to ask for help from the assistant friend (or second shooter if you have one).

Posing: You want me to do WHAT?

Posing can be tough sometimes. As the photographer, you want the natural and genuine smiles, good angles, and candid moments. Not to mention good composition, lighting, and comfortable experience for your clients. As the client, you want a positive experience, to look your best in your photos (this is your WEDDING after all!) and to know what to do and where to put your hands. You want to feel confident and take home photos that you'll love.

I keep my posing simple. Here are a few tips and tricks for the photographer to get the natural smiles you see here:

• Use prompts. There are SO many. Get creative and memorize a few before your session. I personally like, "squeeze her in close until she giggles!", "rock back and forth like you're swaying to a song", (that usually gets them laughing and adds movement), "just think about when all this wedding stuff will be over and it's just you two". Make it personal.

• Take advantage of the cute, new lovers! They're twitterpated and in love and excited to be together. Get to know their story and become their friend so you can know what they are comfortable with.

• Remember the Golden Rule, that you want to photograph others the way you would like to be photographed. Think things like no double chins or hanging bellies, and focusing on flattering angles and slimming poses.

• Don't forget the details! Especially at the reception. Wedding rings, flowers, cake, centerpieces, hair, makeup, jewelry, boutonierre... possibilities for creativity are endless.

For the bride and groom:

• Relax and have fun! Nothing says awkward like stiff joints and forced smiles. Shake loose a little, dance it out, take a moment to simply enjoy being with your soon-to-be spouse!

• Listen to the photographer. Don't worry about getting something exactly right, they will tell you what to do! No one was born knowing how to pose properly. They know what they are doing and they will tell you if something needs to change.

• Sometimes it feels weird, but looks good. Some poses my not feel entirely natural. Now, you should never be uncomfortable or in pain... there are limits to the weirdness! But outside of that, I promise, it will look great!
  

THE RECEPTION

For the reception, much of it is outside of the photographer's control. You don't choose the venue, the time it starts, setup, lighting, etc. So you have to make do with what you have. Which is why my biggest pieces of advice are control what you can and never stop taking photos. For example, maybe you can't choose the lighting, but you can choose where you take the photo and can still guide people to be in certain spots at certain times before the candid photos during the actual event. Maybe the setup isn't ideal, this lets you be creative in your variety and angles of shots you choose to take.

Because the reception venue was outside and so beautiful, I snagged the bride and groom 20 minutes before it started to get a few of just them with everything set up looking nice before the crowds arrived and sun went down. I was able to catch them with family members and at a few pretty spots while they were all dressed up. I controled their positioning and where we took those photos while I could and before they had to go stand for the line up.

Past that, guests start to arrive and it can be pretty chaotic. Here are a few other tips:

• Prioritize the important moments. Usually these include the bouquet toss, the first dances, cutting cake, toasts...

• Focus on people. Let's be honest, the reception photos aren't usually ones people hang on their wall. But they want to remember the people that came to support them and celebrate with them. That's what a reception is for! So capture as many people as possible. In line, sitting eating, hugging the happy couple... they will always be grateful to remember who was there with them on their important day.

• Never stop taking photos. There is never a dull moment for a photographer. Maybe there's a lull in guests or a few minutes before the next scheduled activity. Take advantage of that, capture more people, get some small detail shots, get photos of the cake... there is always something to photograph.

That's all for now...

Well, that was fun. I hope you learned something or found what you needed! There is so much that goes into a simple photo, and I never get tired of capturing these stories and turning moments into memories. A photo is something you will cherish and pass on through generations, so all of the work you do to prepare and plan for it matters.

Good luck! And thank you for being here.

Shutter later alligator ;)

Rashae