This week, I thought it might be fun to step outside the box of traditional wedding photography and explore ideas for sunset and nighttime wedding photos.
Nighttime wedding photography – Sunset opportunities
There’s nothing quite like the soft, flattering light of the setting sun for creating romantic nighttime wedding portraits. This magical time, known as the ‘golden hour’ is perfect for capturing an affectionate embrace or a stolen kiss against a fiery backdrop. And, one of the great aspects of sunset wedding photography is that you can get beautiful results all year round.
Tips for sunset wedding photography
It always pays to discuss the best timing for golden hour portraits with your photographer. Also, be mindful of the time because the sunset won’t wait for you. Golden hour typically happens 30-60 minutes before sunset, so you’ll need to factor in travel time between locations as well.
During the summer months, golden hour usually comes after your wedding breakfast but between October and April, you may need to take a quick break during the wedding breakfast if you want to capture the sunset in your nighttime wedding photography.
If you’re getting married in a built-up area, like London or the city of Oxford for example, the sun will start to disappear from the tops of buildings around 6pm – even in July – so you need to get out earlier to benefit from all that beautiful golden light.
Unless it’s a hot humid day, I always recommend bringing something warm to throw around your shoulders between shots – just for clarity, I’m talking about the bride here. When I look at other photographer’s work, I can always see if the bride was cold.
Of course, you’re definitely going to need a wrap or a shawl during the winter – in fact you may want to keep it on for all the photos.
In general, this next tip is really the job of the photographer but if you know you’d like a particular type of shot, look for scenic spots in and around your venue where you can see the setting sun and where trees and buildings will still have sunlight on them towards the end of the day. Consider gardens, open fields, or anywhere high with a far-reaching view.
Add fairy lights for intimate portraits and creative candids
Fairy lights can transform any wedding venue into something special. They’re also one of the cheapest ways to jazz up a simple venue. Fairy lights are perfect for candid snaps like this one between a bride and groom above, where they add to the intimacy of the moment. They’re also wonderful for nighttime wedding photography, creating a fabulous background or foreground bokeh to your photos.
Tips for adding fairy lights
Talk to your venue coordinator about incorporating fairy lights into your decor. String them above dance floors, walkways, or around trees to create ambience.
Bring your venue alive with coloured gels and accent lighting
Your wedding venue doesn’t have to disappear when the sun goes down. Nighttime offers a chance to showcase its landscape and architecture in a whole new light with some stunning nighttime wedding photography.
Of course, if you’ve had to go for a budget venue, you may feel it could benefit from a little darkness but personally, I think there’s always a creative solution for every venue.
For example, the wedding you can see above was held at a fairly unremarkable village hall in Oxfordshire. The hall was attached to a large football field with houses on all sides. At night there were no lights in the field but there was this very large tree which turned out to be the perfect backdrop for some nighttime wedding photography. At least it did once I added some coloured red gels.
Tips for creative nighttime wedding photography
The first thing you need to do is discuss any favourite architectural or landscape elements with your photographer (before the wedding that is). I always try to scout a venue in advance so this is a good time to mention anything you’d like to feature in your photos.
It’s also a good time to find out if the features you like are already lit at night or if your photographer will need to provide the lighting.
At this point I should say, there is a limit to the amount of accent lighting a wedding photographer will be able to provide, i.e. if you’re getting married in a massive castle or stately home with no external lighting at all, it will probably be better to focus on lighting just part of the building.
I haven’t tried this for a nighttime photo yet but if you’ve got several large church candles or lanterns from your ceremony, these could be used in conjunction with flash (and possibly gels) to give an intimate warm glow to a few outdoor night portraits.
Create colourful smoke portraits for dramatic nighttime wedding photos
Smoke can add a dramatic and artistic element to your nighttime wedding photography. And much like the red gel photo earlier, can also add interest to both a rural or urban setting at night.
Smoke can be created in a number of ways, including smoke machines and smoke grenades. The photo I created above uses smoke from a plumber’s smoke pellet. For this type of outdoor shot at night, smoke pellets are one of the safest methods of creating smoke as you don’t need to hold them.
Tips for nighttime wedding photography with smoke
Safety first, make sure your venue allows the use of smoke in its grounds and be mindful of your location in terms of fire risk as there may be a few sparks, particular if you’ve bought smoke grenades.
When I use smoke pellets I’m placing them in a steel container so there shouldn’t be any risk but it’s always better to err on the side of caution and have appropriate materials on hand in case you need to extinguish the smoke quickly.
Wind is not your friend with smoke. If it’s windy, I suggest you do something else as you’ll struggle to get an even spread. Plus, it’ll probably be blowing towards you so not a great experience.
Pop the bubbly for a magnificent champagne spray
Celebrate your marriage in style with a bubbly send-off. Of course, it’s not really bubbly – what a waste that would be. A bottle of Nosecco will give you an excellent champagne spray for a fraction of the cost and produce some amazing nighttime wedding photography.
Tips for champagne spray wedding photos
Plan for multiple takes. You probably won’t get the spray right with the first bottle, I always bring three. And by the way, please listen to your photographer on how and where to direct the spray or you’ll be wearing it.
Talking of wearing it, understand that you are going to get some of the fizz on your clothes no matter what you do – just the act of shaking a bottle and dividing the spray with your thumb means that some of it’s coming back at you but pointing the bottle away from you definitely helps.
Create unique nighttime wedding photos with light painting
Light painting adds a unique touch to your nighttime wedding photography; it’s a lot of fun to do and you’ll be intrigued by the results. The technique uses a long exposure and creative light sources to craft some cool special effects that you won’t see in anyone else’s wedding album today.
Tips for light painting in your wedding photos
The only thing you really need to do is tell your photographer you want light painting so they’ll have the necessary tools and a tripod with them. If you’re after a particular effect, best mention that as well.
To achieve the light painting effect you see above, you have to be able to stand still for around 10 seconds. There are other factors as well such as flash but your photography does all that.
Transform your wedding album with a city lights backdrop
If you’re getting married in a city setting, take advantage of the breathtaking urban landscape at night. With the city lights as your backdrop, your nighttime wedding photography will have a romantic and sophisticated atmosphere.
Tips for capturing the bokeh of city lights in your wedding photos
Location is everything. I suggest you explore your city with your photographer to find high points and open areas where the lights of the city will be visible behind you.
Are you ready to add a touch of magic to your wedding album?
Your wedding day is a whirlwind of emotions, laughter and once-in-a-lifetime moments. But the magic doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down. Sunset and nighttime wedding photography gives you a unique opportunity to capture your celebration in a whole new light.
If you’d like to explore the options for nighttime photography at your wedding, get in touch today and check my availability for your big day.