The perils of Wedding ceremonies

in front of windows

Most people would think having a wedding ceremony in front of a large window with a beautiful view behind would make for amazing photographs. Unfortunately it makes for a very difficult environment to photograph. In this post I want to give wedding photographers some tips on how to get the best out of this tricky situation. First off, why is this difficult in the first place?

Camera’s don’t see the world like our eyes do

Our eyes (or more precisely our brains) can see a person inside in front of a window and see the view outside the window at the same time, digital cameras on the other hand struggle to see both at the same time. For a digital camera, either the person inside will be very dark and the view exposed correctly, or the person inside will be lit correctly, and the background will be too bright to see. The two photos below demonstrate this, taken at a wedding ceremony in front of a large window with a view over mountains.

This lighting can work for silhouettes but is often unflattering in other photos

The problem here is the difference between how bright it is outside and how dark it is inside. What we often want in photographs is a more balance exposure between the subject and the background. There are exceptions to this of course.

For most photographs we want to have more light on the subject (ie a person) and less light on the background. This back-to-front lighting situation is what happens for most wedding ceremonies that are in front of large windows. The exception to this would be if the ceremony was at sunset or night time, and/or the room the ceremony is in is brighter or the same brightness as the background.

So how can photographers work around this?

1. Get between the window and the couple

Positioning is key. As the photographer you want to position yourself between the window and the couple if possible. If the window is behind you (the photographer) then the light from the window will be much better. Window light is amazing for photography, but only when the photographer is in the right position. Of course this will only work if there is space between the window and the couple (more on this later). The photo below is from the same wedding as the above wedding, but the photographer is against the large windows, and the couple is facing the window.

2. Shoot from the side

If you can’t get between the couple and the windows, try to get a angle from the side of couple. This can be tricky as the bridal party can block your view, but if you can find a space this angle will still have better light than directly in front of the couple. This angle will also give you more variety in your shots, and while the couple is facing each other you will be able to get straight on photographs of their faces.

3. Let the couple know of the limitations of photographing in front of windows

Talking to your couple before the wedding about the challenges of photographing ceremonies in front of windows is a good idea. It’s good for them to understand the challenges of photographing the ceremony and what is and what isn’t possible. If they want you to do something that is could be impossible, it’s much better to explain that before the wedding then after. If you explain the situation, they may not mind at all, or they may be willing to adjust the ceremony set up to help get better photos.

4. Suggest that the couple stand with space between themselves and the windows

If your couple is willing and it works with the space, you could suggest they stand further away from the windows, and not right up against them. If they stand with enough space for you to get in between them the window, then you will get much better light as noted in tip 1 above. It will also allow you to get more angles of the couple from the side too. Getting the couple to stand a little further away from the window can make a huge difference to the photography.

5. Shoot darker to preserve the highlights

Some photos like the first kiss just don’t work well from a side angle. So if you can’t get between the couple and the window, and you have to shoot straight on to the windows for a shot like the first kiss, it’s important to get your exposure right to help you with the editing later. Most digital cameras are much better at recovering the shadow areas of a photo rather than recovering the highlights, so expose for the highlights and pull the shadows up in post. However, it is important to know the limitations of your camera’s sensor as pulling up shadows will introduce noise if you push your files too far.

6. Use a wider angle lens for straight on shots towards the window

If you have to shoot straight towards the windows, chances are that light is not flattering on the couples skin at all. Shooting wider frames can hide this unflattering light a little better in most situations. If you can get your closer frames from the side where the light is better.

7. The exit is going to be tricky, so be prepared

At the very end of the ceremony comes another tricky thing to photograph, the walk back down the aisle. I have yet to discover a better angle to Photograph the couple walking back down the aisle, than being directly in front of them, which means the windows are directly behind them. The light would be much better if you shot from behind them or from the side. However, shooting from behind or the side would mean you couldn’t capture their expressions in the same way they walk down the aisle, and the walk down the aisle is a highlight of many weddings. So you are probably stuck shooting into bad light.

The good thing is that usually the further the couple gets away from the windows the better the results will be. So unlike most weddings where the best shots are often as the couple begin to walk down the aisle, in this situation the best shots are often as the couple gets to the end of the aisle, as they walk into more balanced lighting (hopefully). So don’t stop shooting early, keep taking photographs right through the entire walk.

8. Haha now the fun part, editing

If you thought photographing a wedding ceremony in front of a giant glass window was tricky, well editing these photos may be even tricker. Yes you can pull the all the basic sliders in Lightroom to their ends and probably be able to see the background and the subjects at the same time, but it will probably look terrible. We know there is something wrong when we see a photo with the dynamic range pushed too far, it just doesn’t look natural.

So the trick is to manipulate the exposure without making it look too fake and plastic looking. Lightroom’s pen tool is your friend here. You can use the pen tool to paint exposure only onto the spots you need it. If you can do it in a way to make it look like the light you are adding comes from a light source in the photo, then that will help make it look less fake.

In the first kiss photo above I have use the pen tool to add light to the couple as if they had been in a spot light, the the light directly above them helps sell the effect.