We are all looking for those unique, special and different wedding photos. There are many different factors that contribute to making wedding photos unique. I perused some of my recent images to try to showcase the unique, different, fun, cool, emotional and more. It's a matter of taste and style and these will not be suited to everyone. Not every wedding picture can be or needs to be cutting edge. However, my goal as your wedding photographer is do give you something that the average person who bought a DSLR for Christmas cannot give you.
The image at the beginning of this post and the larger version below is Andrew and Megan in a back alley in downtown Crown Point. I got together with them (as I do with all my clients) for a meeting to discuss style and the type of wedding photos they were looking for. I got a sense that they may want a few edgy photographs, something with some sex appeal. So, in addition to some nice family shots at the park we decided to get away before the reception started for a set of unique, sexy wedding photographs.
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Here are some images that I broke down into categories. On some of these I provided a larger image that needs to be clicked on for full viewing. See if any of these styles are for you. Perhaps you have something in mind that we can create to give you your own unique and different photo.
Composites and Collages
I've studied digital imaging and have the skills to do some pretty cool wedding composites and collages. This is certainly one way of achieving unique wedding photos. I always do a few of these for each of my wedding clients. They really love them and often order them as large wall prints.
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I knew for sure that I was going to do a composite of the skyline for Brittany and Shaun's Chicago wedding. We traveled all around the windy city taking many unique single image photographs that day, but I wanted to have them towering over my favorite big city for something unique that they could hang on their wall and show off on Facebook.
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Zach and Olivia's retro style wedding took place on an Indiana farm in Lowell called Gardens on the Prairie. It's a different take on the Chicago collage with the sun soaked look that the couple asked for along with a cute close up portrait combined into one image.
Moments
Another factor in unique wedding photography is capturing moments. Cute kids are unpredictable and you have to be ready with an eagle eye (and fast shutter speed) to capture these fleeting moments. Here are a few of my most commented on "cute kids at weddings" photographs...
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The cute ring bearer above got a little tired at this outdoor ceremony at Coffee Creek Park in Chesterton, Indiana. A second later he was and paying attention at mom's urging. :) He may have been misbehaving a little, but he gave the family (and me) a wonderful memory to cherish forever.
Gotta give the flower girl equal time!! As you can tell, I'm not afraid to lay on the ground to get the shot!!! lol
Another great way to capture candid moments is to sneak in some shots in between the "real" photos. This was taken while the bride and groom were relaxing in between some posed photos. So glad I caught this totally natural image of the bride and groom having fun at their wedding in Evansville, Indiana.
Location
Certainly a dramatic location can make for a unique wedding photo. The spiral staircase at the Chapel of the Resurrection definitely makes for a dramatic image and is one that many clients point to as one of their favorites.
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Tom and Linda took me to White Hawk Country Club to show me the location for their outdoor wedding. It has a nice golf course there and the natural thing would be to use that as our backdrop, but the couple did not play the sport. They just loved the beauty of the location. We decided to go a little further off the course where we found this awesome bridge overlooking a swamp.
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Fun Props
I really loved the fact that Brandi and Gary used these big than you notes for some formal photographs. It was a nice surprise and sentiment for the family and firends who attended their wedding. Add in a classic car and you have a unique wedding photo taken at Deep River Park.
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Here is one of the most unique wedding reception photos I have ever taken!! If you have a cool car, the space, and the legal clearance (lol) to drive a vehicle in during your introduction, I will be all over that photo opportunity!!! Jay and Rupal drove their convertible Porsche into the Celebrity Ballroom at Radisson in Merrillville just this past Spring.
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Unique Stylings
To achieve a different look for your wedding photos I may try some unique stylings such as a silhouette. We were fighting with the sun with this particluar shot so i decided to turn off my flash and let the groom fall into silhouette with is bride partially lit by the sunlight. The beach wedding photos were taken at The Dunes off of Lake Michigan near the Marquette Park Pavillion.
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This next one is the same couple taken on the same beach. It could actually fall into the "moments" category as it was quite cold and the groom instinctively gave his jacket to his new bride. I took the shot of them walking toward the water. You once again cannot see their faces, but the warmth and love in their relationship shines through.
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Unique Poses
People tend to dread being posed as we all remember the school photographer stiffly putting us into place for that dreaded yearbook shot. It doesn't have to be that way!! While taking Jackie and Brandon's wedding formals at Centennial Park in Munster we came across this backstage door by the amphitheatre. We had already gotten all of our classic bride and groom shots so it was time for something different.
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I hope you enjoyed this post and discussion of unique and different wedding photos. I have plenty more and will post a Part 2 at some point. Perhaps we can add your wedding photos to that post. Let's brainstorm some ideas and make some great pictures together!!
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