How to Use Your Photos To Tell a Story in a Wedding

Many people want a few well-chosen images from their special day rather than every shot, just as they would prefer only some of the best music from their wedding instead of a complete recording.

In terms of telling a story, it is important not to show all the same pictures that everyone else has selected. This is particularly true of posed group shots like family groups or with bridesmaids and groomsmen. Try to pick out the two or three best images from these for your wedding album as people do not want to see the same pictures everyone else has used.

If you’re looking for advice on using your photographs to tell the whole story in a wedding then this is the article for you!

Why do you need to tell your story?

So why do you need to tell your story? Most people are not really aware of what they are looking at when they are viewing these images. They can see that there’s something happening but it doesn’t always register. A wedding album is meant to be treasured for years, even generations, so if you’re aiming for that then it might be worth taking the time and thinking about which pictures convey the mood of the day through your expressions, body language or location.

You could also try using different lenses or focal lengths with your camera including wide-angle shots, close ups and telephoto shots so they fit together nicely when all put in an album. This will provide scale and show the relationships between people and their surroundings.

Most of all, a wedding album gives your family and friends who weren’t there on the day the chance to experience it as if they were. You want them to feel happy and entertained by what they see so they’ll be more inclined to look at every page in detail and this will undoubtedly bring back wonderful memories for them too. So now you know why you need to tell your story we will tell you how with our top tips:

 

How can I tell my story best?

1) Go through your digital photos and pick 15-20 of the most suitable ones for your wedding album.

2) Look at these images as a slideshow without text or borders and choose which one would make a strong opening image.

3) Put this picture first in the album with a caption on the following page ‘Lisa & Steve’s wedding day’.

4) Now look at some more photos and choose which you think would be best placed second.

5) Continue choosing your best images for all fifteen to twenty of them until you have an entire slideshow spread out across your pages just as it happened on the day.

6) Putting pictures together like this also gives people something to talk about when they see your main pictures so they’re less likely to skip through whole pages without reading your captions.

7) If you want more than one picture per page then make sure these don’t clash or compete with each other. You’ll find it’s much better for two similar images to follow each other as that will help the viewer to realise you’ve used two pictures. A whole page of different photos (with nothing in common) can be jarring and make people think you haven’t put any thought into what goes with what.

8) If there’s a particularly poignant or funny moment from your wedding day then it might be worth putting two pictures together of the same scene to highlight this. A classic example is first-look photos and reactions and something else we’re seeing more and more on our wedding albums these days, bride and groom portraits after the ceremony.

9) If there’s only one photo that really tells your story then sometimes just one picture can work best on a page by itself.

10) A good way to ensure your pictures work well together is to put them into an album design programme or app and play around with the page layouts, settings and backgrounds before you print anything.

11) Try to choose photos that are in focus, so they all look sharp when printed.

12) If there are certain moments from your wedding day you want people to linger on then use brighter, lighter images for these pages.

13) You can also use darker photos for moments that might be more somber or emotional.

14) Draw out how your story unfolds by placing similar-themed images next to each other like preparation preparations , ceremony ceremonies , speeches etc.

15) There’s nothing wrong with using one picture per page if this is what tells the best story but make sure the text reflects what the picture shows and doesn’t just repeat it.

What to include and how to tell a story using your wedding photos?

Some of the best images from a wedding day show something about the wedding itself, or people caught in real-life moments. Below are some tips on how to use your shots and pictures to tell the whole story in a wedding:

 

  1. The bride is getting ready.
  2. The groom is preparing for the day.
  3. A shot from their first kiss up to walking down the aisle.
  4. Two or more shots of guests laughing and having a good time; these could be used on their own or as part of a montage with music.
  5. A shot of guests signing the register, and maybe one of the bride and groom doing so too.
  6. Some shots from your first dance to singing along with your favorite song.
  7. The cake being cut; again, another moment that can be included in a montage or used as a standalone image on its own.
  8. Shots of guests enjoying themselves: dancing, laughing and having a good time.
  9. The bride and groom give out their favors or give a toast.
  10. Guests leaving the wedding; this could be combined with one last dance together if you like.
  11. A shot of the bride and groom’s home decorated for their first night together.
  12. Perhaps a picture of your favorite cake being cut or you with some family members.
  13. Any other shots that you loved from the day.

 

The tips above should help you use your pictures and shots to tell the story of your special day. With these ideas in mind, you will hopefully be able to select only the best of images from your big day! Using these ideas will help you to select images that tell the story of your wedding day in an interesting way. Be sure to include details in the images and include your partner, family members or friends in the pictures of guests and create a visual narrative. 

 

The most important thing is that your wedding album tells a story and shows all the special moments from your day. It doesn’t matter whether it’s traditional or not; it just matters that everything shows what the day was like for you and your partner.

 

I hope that these tips and ideas help you with telling your story in an interesting way. With these ideas, hopefully all your pictures will show only the best shots from your special day!

Yes, it’s wise to include some wide shots and some full-length portraits but don’t forget about those intimate moments: first kisses, signing of the register and dancing together. All those precious moments can be seen as part of a narrative if viewed through the right photos.

And remember: just because there’s one picture doesn’t mean there should be 40 more! A few well chosen images will do just fine as opposed to one with each pose.

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