I love photographing a bride in her dress. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the day so here are a few observations.

It’s important to get what we call a “dress on the hanger” picture as a fun little detail shot, but it’s always looks SO much better on the bride.

I love it when brides show me pictures of their dresses in the weeks before their wedding. The anticipation of lighting the dress to best show off the draping, beadwork or embroidery, etc. is great.

You don’t light all brides in their dresses the same way. The draping and style; whether it’s natural, asymmetrical, princess etc. will all want to be lighted differently to be shown to their fullest effect. Don't believe me? Look at the work of Dutch and Flemish painters in the 16th and 17th centuries. When we see the dress we pretty much know what’s going to need to happen, but we work with it, cajole the bride a bit, find the right light and the right pose and when it happens it's impossible not to see it and inside you’re just like “Yes!”