I wanted to try something new here on the journal, and begin to include some posts geared towards other photographers, since I get quite a few questions about my photographic style and approach! I decided to kick it off with one of the most popular questions – how to keep consistency from session to session and wedding to wedding.

One of the things I have always focused on thru my business journey, has been ensuring the most reliable product I can for my clients. It is important to me that when someone views my portfolio, they can already envision their wedding photos! Being able to maintain consistent tones, composition, and lighting across each wedding I photograph, while also keeping the spirit and color palette of an event has become a finely tuned skill, and I’m going to share some tips for photographers for better accomplishing that!

Tip #1 – Use a Single Camera Body All Day

I know! This one might seem a little wild to some. The industry definitely trended towards wearing two (or more) camera bodies with the advent of camera strap systems like the Holdfast, and just general access to more and more gear. I do love gear – but I keep my kit very intentional. I use a single camera body to shoot all day. Even if you have two camera bodies that are arguably identical from the same manufacturer, sometimes they can still produce some differences in tone. It can be slight – but it has been something I have noticed! Using a single body can also make you more creative, but also more careful about your framing instead of jumping back and forth. Currently my main body is a Canon R1. This is not to say that I don’t have and carry back-ups (I always bring TWO R3’s and another R1 with me), but I aim to use a single body thru the day.

Tip #2 – Find Your Favorite Focal Length

For me, this came about organically. I noticed that the only lens I wanted to use was the 50 millimeter. I used to switch pretty heavily between a 50 and 35 earlier in my career, but began to notice slight differences in how they were rendering the images. The Canon 35 1.4 L was always just a contrastier lens. I always noticed the photos it produced were warmer and had a certain quality to them that the photos coming out of my 50 did not. I could usually match them pretty well – but the further and further I got into my photography career, the more I was valuing absolute consistency straight from the camera. I noticed I was picking up other focal lengths only when I *had* to. Hence – my current obsession with my 50 1.2. So much so that I own THREE of them. For me – the 50 has become a staple of my work and look. It’s also incredibly versatile, amazing in low light, and I love the DOF. I also tend to use the same or very close apertures for all of my work, and compensate with subject placement and intentional positioning.

Tip #3 – Look for Light

This one is harder to train yourself for – but is one of the most important elements to consistent work. Light! Figure out what type of light you like best. Look at your favorite images and what the quality of the light is. How strong is it? Where is it coming from directionally? Dial in these choices. I find the best way to do this is to also keep in mind what type of light you generally encounter and build around that. I wish I was always photographing at golden hour – but as a wedding photographer that is rarely the case! I have learned over the years to use light in such a way that I can still get a similar look any time of day – even in full noon sun (the below cherry blossom image was taken at 2pm on a sunny day!).

Tip #4 – Watch your Background

Background and subject placement has so much to do with consistency in a photo! I gravitate towards lighter brighter imagery – so if it’s a choice between a dark corner or a bright wall, I always choose the brighter area. Obviously during a wedding there are many many background choices you can make, and you are sometimes limited to what’s available, but sometimes even something as simple as pulling your subject forward or changing your angle can lighten or darken the background for consistency.

Tip #5 – Horizontal or Vertical?

I tend to produce vertical images. I have a big focus on subject > background, so I always prefer to fill my frame with my people for the majority of photos rather than the scene. For me, vertical images keep my compositions consistent and also give all my work a certain feel. It’s also easier for me to keep distractions out. Figure out what your focus is as you are shooting – you may find that you tend towards horizontal or vertical images, and can work to better refine those compositions to be more consistent.