As a photographer, light and airy photos always called out to me. While I find the dark and moody photo style gorgeous, I am just always drawn to how happy the light and airy photos make me feel. And how they seem to exude a cheerful and romantic vibe. When I compose my shots, I think I can say that light and airy is my go-to style, and I put in extra care to achieve the looks I envision. The goal is to make the photos look glowy, refreshing, and easy on the eyes and bring out the deep bond that my couples share while showcasing the beauty of their chosen location. Many times I get asked how I achieve this look in the photos I take, and I always tell people that it’s basically a mix of some techniques and practice. There are a few basics that I, as a light and airy photographer, keep in mind and follow to get the best light and airy images of my couples. For your help, I’ve shared the top tips for creating light and airy images.
How To Get Incredible Light & Airy Photos
1. Light Over Location
Honestly, I pay more attention to lighting over the location because that’s what allows me to get that bright look in my photos. Natural lighting is usually the best to achieve a light and airy look in images, and I make sure that we have abundant natural light at our chosen location. I also make it a point to put this across to my clients when they’re about to pick a location, and they happily agree! Even indoors, we make sure that we have large windows that allow a generous amount of natural light to come in. However, I avoid harsh daylight and prefer times like the golden hour to get that beautiful glow in my photos.
2. Remove The Clutter
Before I start to take the photos, I ensure we don’t have clutter in the background. It helps me focus on my models better and cut out any distractions. Also, the clearer the background is, the easier it will be to cut out unwanted shadows from the image, making it look more visually appealing and smoother. And therefore, I’d pick open fields over enclosed restaurant spaces any day to create light and airy images!
3. Keep The Aperture Wide
I open my camera aperture as wide as possible to allow maximum light for my images. But when I keep the aperture wide, I take care that I don’t overdo it because that can make the depth of field narrower. This means less of my frame will be in focus. Also, I ensure there is some distance between my subject and the background so that I can sharply focus on my subject, while the background remains more out of focus and softer. This helps me render a gorgeous and dreamy look to my images.
4. Exposure Compensation
Exposure compensation allows you to override and alter the exposure from the value that is selected by your camera, making your photos look brighter or darker. So, when I shoot indoors, I use this technique. Even if I am in a room where there’s pretty light, it might not be as much light as outdoors, so I bump up my exposure compensation to give my images a brighter look. However, doing so can affect the shutter speed, so I pay attention to those numbers too to avoid ending up with a blurry photo.
5. Color Scheme, Clothing, & Post-Production
Some of the other factors that can have an impact on the lightness and airiness of my images are color choices and clothing styles (lighter shades or pastel colors and flowy skirts are a yes, for example). Anything left after this point can be taken care of in the post-processing phase. I tweak my photos to make them lighter and brighter as and when needed. I sometimes increase the exposure a little bit, increase the contrast, and play with the highlights and shadows to get those impressive couples photos.
Light & Airy Wedding Photographer At Your Service!
It’s not really difficult to achieve that light and airy look in your photos. All you have to do is to ensure good lighting and know how to work around your camera settings. If you’re a beginner or your style is different from this one, you can just consider the tips that I’ve mentioned and get ready to practice. You can also combine your style with the light and airy style to give your clients some of the best photos possible. And if you are a couple reading this and waiting to create wedding or engagement photos of your dreams using the light and airy photography style, what I’d like to tell you is – trust your photographer. Give them a brief and have a conversation with them to let them know your expectations – but on the day of the shoot, allow them to create their magic – while you bask in the moment and create lasting memories!
To all my readers out there, if you enjoyed the tips I shared and liked the images I took, I’ve got more light and airy photos for you to take a look at. You can check out the photos from Emily and Chase’s light and airy session and Sara and Jr’s light and airy session. You can also check out this Savannah Engagement Session I did sometime back or go to my blog section to discover a lot more. If you or someone else you know is looking for a similar photography experience, feel free to contact me! In case of questions, you can email me or call me at (603) 703-2626. To see more of my work and get updates, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
