A Delicate Issue

I have been in the wedding photography business for over thirty years, and have seen thousands and thousands of weddings and all the photos they have produced.

One of the things that has bothered me over the years is the way photographers handle couples who are of very contrasted skin tones. I believe the reason they are mishandled is the photographer does not wish to insult the couple or to appear to be racist. However if you want some nice photos the poses must be handled differently and here’s why.

Most photos of the bride and groom feature the groom behind the bride slightly, this is because the groom is usually taller than the bride and it’s become a tradition. The truth is though, the flash will hit the subject first that is more forward and therefore will add more light to that subject. For example, if a very dark groom is photographed with a very pale bride and she is in front of the groom, the light from the flash will hit the bride first and make her even lighter than she really is and leave the groom dark to fade into the background.

If you are such a couple it will be worth your while to discuss this with your photographer before the wedding. Ask him/her to come prepared with alternate poses where the darker skinned person can be a little more forward than the pale partner. You may also want to ask to have more available light photos taken. That means no flash and those photos use just the light that is there, such as outdoor photos, or pictures with strong lights on the subjects that are not from the flash.

Don’t forget your bridal party group shots too. If you have very dark skinned people in the party, alternate poses where you have the darker skinned in front of the lighter skinned people so they can absorb more of the light.

You may also have the same kind of problem if you are a dark person wearing white. The photos have to be lightened in order to see your face but in that lightening your white dress or tux will also be lightened so that all detail will be lost. I would suggest having some of the photos taken in the available or natural light from a window to better show the face and detail of the gown or tux.

Many couples who hire their photographers from a studio do not talk to the person who will be taking the pictures. They talk to sales people. Both the salesperson and the photographer know their jobs well, but they are not lab personal who actually develop and create the photos. They will probably tell you that this can all be corrected in processing later. As far as they know this is the truth but it can only be adjusted a little bit by changing the contrast and the gamma. Insist on the different poses with the traditional, and available light with the flash. You will be much happier with the final results.