5 Suggestions to Avoid Posing and Look More Natural at your Maine Wedding

A Maine wedding brings your family to a place where they can get away from the hustle of Boston life.

Possibly Maine is a place steeped in family tradition, where you can leave the world behind for a few days to celebrate with those that you love.

I want to capture that atmosphere, that experience, without stiff poses. I want the real moments where you look natural, in your element, and completely happy.

To make that happen I focus on making quiet moments, not posing. And I can do that better with your help.

Here are 5 suggestions on how you can look more natural at your Maine wedding:

1. Stop posing

Posing in the traditional sense doesn’t give my brides the images they want. If you stop what you are doing to take a picture, the emotion stops too. If you turn to smile at the camera, I lose the connection that you just had with the person next to you, part of the story I wanted to tell.

So don’t fret about your pose. Be yourself, and let me do the hard work.

2. Trust your photographer

You are choosing a photographer based on their portfolio, their reviews from past clients, and your comfort while interacting with them.

Check those three things off before you hire them, work with them in planning out your photography, then trust them on the big day.

If they need you to change how you are standing, how you are holding your hands, they will tell you. If they don’t give you specific directions, they are likely letting the moment unfold and waiting for the shot to happen more naturally.

3. Wait for it

Natural doesn’t happen without time.

If you look stiff for a particular shot, I tell you to relax for a moment and then fiddle with my camera. Most clients think I’m having to adjust something. But I’m just waiting. While I wait, you turn to the person next to you, your posture relaxes, and a few seconds later I snap an image before you realize that its done.

Natural doesn’t happen without a little time; so wait for it.

4. Let your eyes do the smiling

There are two types of smiles: One smile is with the corners of your mouth, one is with your eyes.

You and everyone around you can tell the difference.

So relax, don’t try to smile for the camera, and let your eyes tell the story.

5. Choose the right dress, make the bouquet smaller, and tailor the suit

Quite literally, you need to be comfortable in your own shoes.

Make sure that your dress doesn’t need constant adjusting while you walk around. If you are comfortable in it, you will look comfortable. (Hint: strapless dresses are the biggest offenders).

Are you wearing high heels with a wedding on the grass, sand, or rocky shore? Pick the right shoes for the occasion. It shows in how you stand and how you walk all day long.

Bouquets are heavy and they hide your dress. It should be an accent piece, not a cumbersome part of your day. Less is more in this case. And with a lighter bouquet, you will hold it more naturally.

Tailor the suit. Nothing looks less natural than having flapping kidneys. If it fits you well, you’ll stand more confident, look amazing, and we will have one less thing to worry about in every picture.

Direction, not posing

I don’t leave my clients hanging. There are tips on how to hold yourself to look slimmer, more confident, what to do with your hands, where to look, and I will give you some direction throughout the day to make you look great.

What I can’t change though, is how you prepare ahead of time, whether you trust me, or whether you are comfortable in what you wear. If you take care of that, I’ll give some quiet direction on the big day so that you look amazing in your photographs.

This is where that direction starts.