Using Natural Light in Wedding Photography: Capturing Magic Moments

We’re so excited to dive into one of our favorite topics today…natural light. As a husband and wife photography team, we’ve spent countless hours chasing that dreamy, ethereal light that makes our photos look truly magical. Good natural light is our secret sauce for capturing those timeless, happy moments on your big day…☀️📸✨

Why We Love Natural Light

There’s something so authentic and pure about natural light. It has this incredible ability to highlight the genuine emotions and beauty of a wedding day. Unlike artificial lighting, which can sometimes feel harsh or overly staged, natural light wraps everything in a soft, flattering glow. This helps us achieve our signature look: classic, clean, and timeless photos that feel real and full of life.

Natural light is also incredibly flattering on skin tones…*this* is a big priority for us as well!! We want to utilize that light to enhance your skin tone and capture it as naturally + real as possible!!🫶🏼

The Golden Hour: Our Best Friend

If you’ve ever heard us talk about the “golden hour,” you know how obsessed we are with this magical time of day. The golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or right before sunset when the light is soft, warm, and diffused. It’s perfect for creating those romantic, dreamy photos that make your hearts skip a beat.💛

Planning intentionally for photos during that golden hour timeframe is one our biggest recommendations & talking points when making wedding day timelines! Whether it’s a champagne pop with your wedding party, a romantic couple session for some snuggly just married photos, or even just some candid shots of your guests @ an outdoor cocktail hour, the golden hour provides the most flattering light. Trust us, it’s worth scheduling a bit of extra time to take advantage of this beautiful natural light and being intentional about creating a timeline around the sunset time.

Finding the Light: Tips & Tricks

While the golden hour is our favorite, we know that weddings are all-day events, and good light can be found at any time of the day with a little bit of know-how. Here are some tips for finding and using natural light throughout your wedding day:

Scout the Location: Before the big day, we like to visit the venue and see how the light interacts with different spaces. This helps us plan where to shoot at various times!! This is why we love our field trips with our sweet clients!!

Use Open Shade: When the sun is high in the sky, direct sunlight can be harsh and create unflattering shadows. Open shade—like under a large tree or beside a building—provides softer, even lighting…

Backlighting: Placing the sun behind you can create a beautiful halo effect around you, giving a dreamy, ethereal quality to the photos. It’s perfect for romantic portraits!!

Reflect & Diffuse: We often use reflectors to bounce light back onto you, softening shadows and adding a lovely glow. Diffusers are great for softening direct sunlight, making it more flattering, too! We will use the right equipment to enhance that dreamy light wherever we are!

Real Weddings, Real Light

We’ve seen firsthand how powerful natural light can be. From a sunny beach ceremony to an intimate forest wedding, natural light has been a key player in creating stunning, heartfelt images. We remember one wedding where the sun set just as the couple exchanged vows. The sky turned into a canvas of pinks and oranges, and the photos from that moment are nothing short of magical…creamy, dreamy sunsets are our FAVORITE!!😍

Trust the Process

One of the best pieces of advice we can give to couples is to trust your photographers and the process…We’re always on the lookout for the best light and will guide you to ensure you look your absolute best. Sometimes, this might mean stepping away from the reception for a few minutes to catch that perfect light or golf carting around to find a hidden spot of that pretty light…we promise it’s 100% worth it!

Natural light is more than just an element in our photos—it’s a storyteller, an emotion enhancer, and a magic maker. We feel so lucky to be able to use it to capture the love and joy of your special day. So here’s to chasing light, capturing love, and creating memories that will last a lifetime! 🥂📸✨