The photographs of your wedding day hold the importance of capturing each moment of joy and the love shared, timelessly framing the memory. So, naturally there comes the pressure of the weather needing to be perfect. Clear blue skies with sun kissed grounds. But what happens to these photos if the weather does what it’s best at doing: being unpredictable? Join Melbourne Wedding & Bride’s Alice O’Brien as she discusses with Belinda (Belle) Prince, owner and photographer for Belle Martin Photography, how beautiful wedding photographs are taken no matter how mother nature acts.
There is one day out of a calendar year where couples pray for, hope for, and beg for clear and sunny skies. This day being their wedding day of course. It’s how the day is envisioned by so many, saying “I do” under the sun. However, mother nature is not known for her predictably, wedding day or not, so what happens if the day is overcast, or windy or scariest of all, rainy? How will the photos be taken, how will they look, and will all be ruined? Questions flash through the couple’s heads as they see the clouds turning. Well, Belle from Belle Martin Photography is here to recount a story of when this exact situation happened at a wedding she photographed.
“There was a full-on storm that ended up lasting all day; rain, wind, the whole dramatic Melbourne moment … the couple leaned all the way in … this where the advice is that your Plan B you have to love just as much as your Plan A,” Belle reflects.
“We embraced it! Portraits by windows, soft indoor light, and then stepping outside with umbrellas once the rain eased.”
Rain is known to dampen the ground; it also holds the power to dampen the mood of the newlyweds if it’s not wanted. But, despite these negative connotations, rain can “create this beautiful, romantic mood and add texture, reflections and intimacy you just don’t get on a clear day,” Belle points out. Maybe rain isn’t something to be feared on a wedding day, but rather embraced when it falls, as it can create photographs which feel raw and real and completely one of a kind.
Photography courtesy of Belle Martin Photography.
All About The Natural Light
When the sun is amid rising for the day, or setting for the night, it illuminates all that it touches in a beautiful light commonly, and lovingly, known as golden hour. And because of this “it’s always a favourite for a reason” says Belle but ultimately is placed “on a bit of a pedestal as some of the most underrated moments happen outside of it.” These moments of different lighting include overcast light and blue hours.
“Overcast light is soft, even, and incredibly flattering, and it wraps everything in this gentle, romantic feel without harsh shadows,” Belle says.
“Blue hour, just after sunset, brings a moodier, more cinematic vibe.”
Golden hour is one hour of the entire wedding day, and the magic of the day isn’t restricted to those sixty minutes. However, there does come more tricky outdoor natural lighting to work with, or as Belle approaches it, different lights to play with.
“With harsh midday sun, I’m always looking for ways to soften and shape it … open shade is my best friend, or positioning couples so the light wraps around them rather than hitting straight on,” Belle explains.
Due to the years, knowledge and expertise Belle carries with her, these are tips she’s picked up along her path of shooting more than 500 weddings.
Being The Calm In The Storm
Mother nature can be an unforgiving mistress, bringing with it unpredictable moments of all kinds of weather, lighting and moods on a couple’s wedding day. However, what should stay consistent is your photographer, their calm energy and their approach to preparing for every weather scenario, being able to shoot no matter the conditions. This is how Belle handles all her wedding photography.
“Living in Melbourne has taught me to expect all four seasons before lunch, so I go into every wedding or session with a game plan,” Belle says.
This game plan Belle carries in her back pocket is exactly what allows for the whole day to remain “calm, easy and genuinely fun for [her] couples.” Belle takes all the worrying, redirecting and pressure of nailing the creative vision away from her couples, placing it on her own shoulders, allowing her couples to remain present in their special day. This comes down to a personal characteristic vital in any wedding photographer: adaptability.
“For me, adaptability means staying calm, reading the room, and gently guiding when needed while still letting moments unfold naturally … then I gently show them that we’re not at the mercy of the weather, we just get to work with it,” Belle says.
“But more than anything, it’s about energy because if I’m calm, confident, and a little bit excited about the possibilities, [the couples] feel that.”
A wedding will never, and this is not something to be afraid of, unfold exactly how it was planned to. But those moments of unpredictability are where some of the most magical memories are captured by a couple and their beloved guests. From a photograph perfectly capturing a blissful moment of freedom in the rain to the golden hour perfectly sitting on a brides wedding dress and even the softness an overcast day can bring to a photo, each will hold the same weight of love.