Will cold weather effect my wedding photos?

Hi Alexina - I LOVE winter weddings. The light is so much better and much more flattering on the skin. The shadows are longer, the highlights are less harsh and you don't have to worry about sweating on a boiling hot day. Find a wrap that you wouldn't mind having in the photos if you have to, but the adrenalin will be pumping through you and your photographer will keep you moving. Also you will have your new husband to give you lots of cuddles and keep you warm! Winter light is much flattering on the skin. I noticed that you are getting married in September. In my opinion, from a photography perspective, that is one of the best months! Reach out if you are looking for a wedding photographer - I would love to help you! :) p.s. don't worry about goosebumps. Your photographer would literally need to be shooting with a macro lens to get those. In short, the lenses used in post-ceremony photography just wouldn't pick up your goosebumps. Otherwise we would all need to start worrying about getting photos of the pores of people's skin!

Cold weather has No affect on photo's

Not unless you are in the Antarctic! ;)

September weddings are alright Alexina, it's not all that cold, and we start to get busy in September, and the sunset point is actually a lot earlier so it's a lot easier to do sunset photos and not interrupting the reception. I won't worry about the skin too much, the close up shots can be photoshopped if needed, but I never had a bride in September worried too much about the poses... it can be fun and more lively, sometimes the worst weather is over 40 degrees...

In short yes but as always rain, hail or shine the trick is to get a couple/bridal party etc having as much fun as possible and then a lot of these concerns tend to take care of themselves. A warm wrap is a given and when I've photographed weddings in the snow before (ie: New Zealand, Thredo) Bel for example had a gorgeous white jacket with a wool lining and collar, it looked unreal and I'm told was super warm - most brides also changed their glamourous high heels for warmer shoes (even boots or gumboots) when we wandered around the snow for the pictorial shoot (remembering the boots/gumboots were hidden under the dress or shown off with great delight). Other tips:

1. simply standing on the down wind/sheltered side of a building will avoid a lot of the chill
2. I would encourage you to stagger your time/images outside by ducking out for 10-20 minutes here and there (ie: not being outside for an hour or more in one go and warming up inside before you do head out)
3. cuddle your husband/bride even more
4. any photographer who knows what they are doing will control the light so no one should look blue
5. re goose bumps they never appear straight away I've found so I would start with the closer portraits first then if goose bumps do appear maybe look at capturing the more distant images, ie: panoramics, silhouettes etc
6. lastly most if not all wedding venues are just as pretty inside as they are outside so when it gets too cold for you snap some photos using a stunning natural window light for example

Hope that helps. Remember rain, hail or shine there are amazing images to be had no matters what the conditions and/or location.

All the best, Dale & the DC Images team

Hi,

I think that winter weddings can be absolutely amazing! In fact - I get really excited about doing photography on rainy winter days because they often come out so beautiful and full of detail.

I always carry a nice umbrella with me on rainy days so that I can offer it to the bride and groom if they don't have one of their own - it can create a really magical atmosphere.

My advice would be to not turn down a winter wedding for fear of photos!

Good luck which ever way you decide to go!

Hello Alexina,

To answer your question forwardly, yes, cold weather can effect your wedding photographs BUT, if you prepare adequately, you can mitigate the effect.

Cold weather effects your photographs because how you feel emotionally and physically effects your expression & posture, and expression & posture play a large part in creating great photographs. When shooting in extreme cold, while not properly dressed for the conditions, you can become very disheartened; no matter how much you want to change how you feel, you're just cold, stiff, shaky and huddled as tight to yourself or to someone else as possible. Another point to you (the Bride) being cold is, that your Husband will be so concerned about how you'r feeling, his worried look will also be a factor your photographer will need to address.

It's easy to mitigate though so if you want to be married in September, do it. You just need to insure that your photographer brings very warm jackets for you both and your Bridal Party to take on and off in-between sets. We like to also bring along hot chocolate in a thermos for our couples when anticipating cold weather (and umbrellas always). It's our job to insure your comfortable and enjoying your day to the fullest; it's how we get awesome photos ;-)

Photographing in different environments most certainly has it's perks and cold weather is no exception; mist, dew, vibrancy, warmth with each other, snuggling, warm hugs, raw nature, the colour of the season, fog on the windows, dew in webs.... there's so much beauty in all seasons and when it's your job to see it, this becomes even more apparent.

Where are you being married Alexina?

Darren

Roman International Photography.

Hi Alexina, we have covered weddings in winter and even when it was hailing but that didn't stop us from creating beautiful images for our couples. Goosebumps won't be seen unless they are close-ups and a good photographer will know which angle to capture and getting the best emotions out of the subject =)

Hi Alexina,

Very brave of you to have a winter wedding!

Without knowing the exact weather conditions/location of the wedding it's hard to guarantee the cold will have no affect, however, generally speaking good looking photos is dependant more on lighting then temperature. It can be a freezing cold day, but if there aren't dark clouds and lots of wind then your photos could still come out fine.

In terms of how your skin may show through in photos on a cold day, generally speaking you should be fine unless we do a lot of close up shots and you are feeling really cold at the time. We will also add on skin enhancing when editing your photos, which will smoothen out your overall skin texture.

My advice for you is to keep warm by wearing thermo thighs and even boots underneath your dress (you can change to high heel for photos that will show your shoes).You can also get heat packs from Daiso for $2.8 (I survived so many winters by sticking them all over my body :P)

There're many ways to ensure your Winter wedding photos looks as great as Summer wedding photos, feel free to chat with us if you need more advice :)

Best regards,
Lowina from Black Avenue Productions

Yes the cold weather can certainly affect your skin with goosebumps and make you go a bit blue. It is something you wont necessarily notice in the photos unless they are close-ups. You should definitely make sure you have some warm wraps/ jackets or even blankets to bring with you on the shoot. They can be taken off for photos and put back on when you/re moving from place to place or waiting. Especially important for the bridal party if you want them to stay friends. :-)

A good photographer should also be able to help by working quickly and keeping you moving so that you keep as warm as possible. If it gets too cold then you can always do some indoor photos, but there should be no reason why you couldn't get at least a few great outdoor shots!