Star-Power is our term for your happy, confident, unique bridal beauty. Star-Power does not come from what size or shape you are. It comes from within. It’s your personal radiance. Whereas our previous blog focused on the setting, experience, and details of your wedding, this week we bring you bridal tips. As Sterling puts it, these Star-Power tips are just hints for helping you look and feel your best in all your photos on the wedding day.
Step into the Shoes of an Extrovert: Sterling and Star Power for Just One Day
Whether you are shy or outgoing, your wedding day makes you a star. In this blog, Sterling is pleased to give you some “star power” hints. These tips will help you better enjoy your photography on your wedding day.
It’s a high energy day and it demands you be at your best. To do that, step one is to hire a photographer that makes you feel confident and beautiful within this new role as a bride. Sterling will bring out your star-power. You make the moments. You enjoy your day. And he’ll make the photos that capture the day forever.
Star-Power: Our Term for Radiance and Confidence
A Casual Pose And A Touch of Formal Style Makes You Shine.
Unless your career is in the performance arts, it is probably the only day of your life you will have a professional photographer following every step you take.
On that day all eyes will be on you and your job is to embrace the attention of your family, friends, and groom–and enjoy it. Sterling will be there with prompts, coaching, and gentle directions to help you look your best.
Two Sides to Every Camera, Every Lens
One of the best ways to do that is to confidently focus on the special moments you have with your groom and celebrate your joy through your side of the camera lens.
Leave the capturing of those memorable moments to Sterling, at his place, on the other side of that camera lens.
We of Sterling Photography International have said before that, “A little tilt, a little turn, a little angle to your shoulders are the tools of a model, but they can be yours, too!” We are showing you more of a recent destination wedding, we photographed in Asheville, N. C. In that way, you can see what we mean by radiance, confidence and charm–and a few touches of good lighting and posing.
Did you know: Warm, friendly, confident brides look beautiful in photographs, no matter when the camera catches them.
Partners in Posing. Irresistible Star-Power is Contagious. Your Groom Reflects Your Radiance.
Star-Power: Poise and Posture Perfect
1. Practice Makes Perfect. Long before the wedding, use your mirror or your Smartphone to practice posing for your photographs. You can teach yourself Star-Power by finding your best angles to make your body look its best.
2. No one looks very good if their shoulders are slouched. And only the thinnest of us can pose with a totally relaxed belly or a pelvis thrust forward. So posture is first
3. We hope you buy your wedding day shoes early and practice in them so they can be part of your elegance, confidence, and safety.
4. Remember that whatever part of your body is closest to the camera, that is the part, that will appear the largest and closest to the viewer of the picture.
5. By the way, Sterling often teaches new photographers to raise their cameras slightly above the eye-level. Why? Because he insists on only giving one chin to a customer.
Shooting slightly above the eye-level and directing a bride (or a mom) to tilt the head slightly–will demolish any trace of a possible double chin effect.
Star-Power in the Make-up and Expression: Mirror, Mirror On the Wall
The Bride Reveals a Little Mystery When She Half Smiles. Read below to learn how to unleash the star power of this expression.
We have given this tip many times, but it always bears repeating: Remember that your make-up will need to be a little heavier than usual on your wedding day or for any photo session – Sterling says the operative word here is a “little.”
Be aware that too much can be as harsh as too little. We do recommend you use a little extra, just because natural light can be unforgiving and quite harsh.
- Avoid harsh metallic shadows and glittery make-up. Metallic highlights, especially on brow-bones and cheekbones can reflect harshly. Then, instead of shiny brow bones, you can get robot silvery skin metal brow bones. (Ew!)
- Dark Glitter reacts oddly sometimes, turning dark and speckled like pepper. Imagine that on a shoulder or a collar bone—We’re sure it’s not a look you want.
- Watch out for the popular new sculpting shadows in the hollow of the cheek and jaw. A healthy, natural blush might be enough. You know, you might not need all that contouring.
Star-Power As You Walk through the Ceremony, the Reception and Pause to Mingle
Having Fun With the Groom Evokes the Best Poses For Both of You.
Standing while you converse can begin to make you stiff. Soon you might feel tired and then you might lose your smile. So, we have a technique to bring you strength, confidence, and smiles. As you mingle, fear not striking a classic but casual pose. It’s easy.
- For example: Begin with a pop of the hip and a tilt of the shoulder.
- Bend the knee of the opposite leg.
- You’ll notice your body has a nice curve.
- Finally, gently rest your hand on your hip.
Instantly lose a few pounds and gain height by angling your body a little to the camera.
Another way to say this: To look taller and slimmer, angle your body so it’s not straight on to the camera. Then keep one shoulder slightly forward to maintain the angle.
Star-Power for Your Face: Not Just in your Make-up Brush
1. Take a little time in your mirror to find your best facial angles.
2. Go ahead and practice your smile. Sometimes too much smile looks fake or gummy. You might like your closed half down smile for formal photos. Check out the bride’s close-up portraits above and below. One shows a full smile and the other a more formal, half or closed slightly smile.
3. Work out which angle of head-tilt works for you. That doesn’t mean you’ll constantly go around your reception with your head tilted. It just means, it’s part of your perfect expression for certain more formal poses.
4. We have said it previously, and it is truer in 2019. Smile! No one can measure the Star Power of a wide open, genuine-straight-from-the-heart smile. Don’t overthink the process. You planned the day, so now, just be yourself. Enjoy your people as you see them enjoy the day you planned. Especially, enjoy your groom. Don’t worry, your happiness will translate into the photos, and Sterling will catch it.
5. Most importantly: be in the moment! Laugh, smile and chat with people. The cameras will be clicking all day regardless. So try to forget about them: natural pictures make for amazing memories.
Making Star Power Work for You: Key to a Good Wedding Day Photography Schedule
Is there a limited time for portraits after the ceremony? Sterling will schedule what he can with some groups before the ceremony. And a bridal session before the ceremony can be a nice “warm-up” for making moments and reducing stress.
The Dazzle Smile– Genuine and Straight From the Heart. This is the Most Beautiful Accessory a Bride Can Wear.
- When the full-on “Dazzle” smile hits at a candid moment, it stops time with its spontaneous joy.
- As we said previously, Sterling relishes the casual moments, the unexpected changes in expression, the reactions, and responses.
- He loves those spontaneous moments just as much as the more formal moments.
More Star Power–and More from Jaclyn’s Wedding Is Coming
You have seen several wedding photos from Jaclyn and Dylan’s wedding in this and our last blog. However, not all of Jaclyn’s moments were this structured.
At one point during the reception, the wedding party scooped her and the groom high in the air on chairs. But we have reserved those pictures for our next blog when we present the secrets behind Sterling’s story-telling capture of spontaneous high-action moments. Plus, we have a gallery of this wedding available on this site because we feel like future brides should see the well-planned, beautiful details of this ceremony and reception. Until our next blog, we thank you for reading the blog here at Sterling International Photography. We welcome you to look through other pages of our images and blogs for more brides and grooms and Sterling’s Star Power imagery from their special days.
