How to look good on film

Having done a fair few number of weddings, and spoken to more brides than we’ve had hot dinners, we know that one of the greatest stresses a bride faces before her wedding day is worrying about being in front of the camera so much. There aren’t many women out there who relish the idea of posing for the camera, and on such a special day when you will be at your happiest and most beautiful, what a disaster it would be if all that you had to look back on were “fat”, “blinking” and “dopey” shots. So what is the answer?


We thought we would start with the bad news first. White is an incredibly harsh colour in which to be photographed or filmed and a nightmare for every photographer and videographer. A scary thought when there is a fairly good chance that you will spend most of the day in white, or at least something fairly close to it.

There are two things that you can do to wear the dress of your dreams and still look fantastic on film.

The first is to choose professional cameramen and women, who know what they are doing. A professional will quite often be accredited by a professional body, and will always have a portfolio of past work for you to view and a number of past clients to whom they are happy to refer you. The second is to get a professional to do your make up. They understand how skin, film and lighting all work together and will help you to create a look that will be fantastic both on the day and on film.



People always say “Just act naturally”. Great advice, but not always easily done. On your wedding day you can’t help but be aware that you are on camera most of the time. Fortunately, as with everything else in life, the more you practice something the easier it gets, and on your wedding day you will certainly get lots of practice! Some photographers and videographers also offer a pre-wedding shoot, where they will give you helpful tips, and spend some time with you allowing you to get comfortable not only with the camera, but the person driving it.



Speaking of practice – it is also a good idea to practice your smile or the look you are trying to achieve in front of the mirror. It may sound and feel silly, but the more you practice the more you will learn to “feel” when a smile looks right and when it looks cheesy and forced. Don’t ever work with a photographer who asks you to say “cheese” or anything else corny – silly words just lead to forced and unnatural smiles. Instead get to know your cameraman, and be comfortable with him, and then on the day think happy thoughts (it shouldn’t be too hard) and you’ll achieve a beautiful natural smile.



As for the pose – stand at a 45º angle to the camera, lean back slightly with your weight on your back foot and your opposite hip slightly forward, tilt your chin slightly upwards and look just to the side of the camera and voila – you will achieve that “hollywood” look. You may think all this will be hard to remember, but a good cameraman will set up your shots so that it all happens naturally. 


The wonderful thing about the camera is that it does lie. A professional cameraman will know how to use his tools to bring out the best in you with both clever filming and careful editing. Video is especially nice in this respect as it doesn’t capture “moments”, it captures whole sequences, which means your much less likely to be caught out looking goofy or silly. That said (and we can’t speak for your family and friends here) we are always out to make you look your best and never include the not-so-flattering footage.

Finally, your wedding day will always be the day when the Gods (if not necessarily the sun) will smile on you, and even the little things that go wrong will only add to the memories, so relax, have fun and remember that it is your day to be a star, so enjoy it.