Usually held around a month before she embraces a new journey in life, a bridal shower is an event that’s all about the bride. It’s a party celebration full of photo ops, but getting your desired shots may be challenging. This guide will explain the essential tips and tricks you need for taking bridal shower photos and the magical moments you should be capturing. 

Before the Celebration

It’s important to have the right preparation as some of the best bridal shower photography comes from planning ahead before the party starts. For example, you should create a list of pictures you want to take. This will help you take pictures of the shower at the right moment. However, bridal showers can be full of surprises, so it is best for you to discuss with the organizer to ensure you won’t miss any important moments. 

We suggest taking lots of pictures! This way, you’ll have plenty of options, and choosing good photos from hundreds instead of two or three is much easier. So go all out on the shots and remember you can always delete the bad or blurry ones later. 

Keep Lighting in Mind

Everyone wants to be photographed in the best light possible. In photography, that usually means shooting where there’s a lot of natural light. During a bridal shower, your event may take place in the early afternoons on a sunny day, which may have a few photographic problems due to the bright sun:

• If the subject faces into the sun, they will have extremely harsh, dark shadows on their faces.
• If they turn around with the camera facing the sun with the subject’s faces entirely in the shadow, the camera may under-expose the scene, creating a silhouette-like effect.

You can usually get better shots of your subjects when they face away from the bright sun and ensure that your camera’s exposure is lit up with “Exposure Compensation.” Fortunately, digital cameras nowadays let you check every picture you take on the camera’s LCD monitor and see if more or less instant lighting is needed for the faces to be perfectly exposed. 

Behind the Stage and Getting Ready 

You can start taking pictures of everyone getting ready for the special day, whether doing makeup, preparing food and games, putting on decorations, or other pre-party moments.

Make sure that you have the right camera settings with a controlled exposure. So remember to break out the camera early and test the settings in the current environment. 

Focus on Customary Events

Bridal showers are almost always full of surprises, from arrival at the party to the big “reveal” of opening a gift. The events leading up to this moment can be filled with a lot of drama, and by shooting all the important details, you’ll capture some authentic and spontaneous reactions during the moment. 

Use Continuous Shooting in your camera’s DRIVE mode settings to rapidly capture a series of images with a touch of the shutter button. Does the area you’re working on have good lighting? If so, you should opt for the fully-automatic Sports Mode for the clearest shots as it automatically selects a fast shutter speed with the correct aperture settings for the scene. It also activates the continuous autofocus that keeps the subjects you’re shooting in focus if they are on the move. 

Now that you know all the technical stuff, let’s move on to the main events you should capture!

Capture Candid Moments

Candid pictures are those taken when people are doing whatever they’re doing. It’s full of movement and personality and offers a more casual and natural feeling than the classic portraiture. So snap a few shots of every guest during the celebration and capture scenes out of the main event, like a few laughs during every guest’s interactions. Also, pay attention to older guests and anyone who may have traveled long distances. 

If you need to take some staged posed photos with special guests, gather the group and capture them from various angles. Use Continuous Shooting in Sports mode to find better shots of your large group without anyone blinking.

On the other hand, if you’re taking pictures of smaller groups of people, choose Portrait mode, which will reduce the depth of field. This will focus on your subjects and blur anything in the background. 

Try Different Stuff

Once you’ve captured the usual stuff, try creative shots that combine unique poses and non-traditional cropping. When taking portraits, start from the basic poses and capture them from various angles. Consider shooting from a low position while facing upwards with a wide-angle zoom while the guest of honor is unwrapping their present. If the engaged couple is there, find opportunities to capture romantic scenes and encourage them to get into a tender moment. Take advantage of reflections, props, and backlighting and create dynamic compositions. 

Get the guests to do small actions with bubbles, sparklers or confetti. Encourage them to blow bubbles or throw confetti, distracting them from making awkward poses and creating a more dynamic composition. 

Close Up Shots 

Event photography like bridal showers is about documenting the story of the big day. This includes photos of every detail, like banners, balloons, party favors, and gift tables that elevate your story. 

Take pictures of the “before and after shower” to capture the entire experience of the event. To add a sense of drama and intimacy, capture close-ups of smaller items. Get closer to the details and take advantage of your lens’s minimum focusing distance to capture small subjects like the engraving details on gifts. 

After the celebration, share your best photos with your guests. The day may have been packed with everything at once, but they’ll appreciate your effort in capturing all the special moments they’ve missed and the memories they’ll cherish long after the special day ends.