7 Weird tricks to get creative photos

Ever wondered how wedding photographers get some super creative photos? Here are some easy tricks to spice up your images. 

Before I get into this please note that most of these tricks are achieved with a Speedlight at the back of the couple and an assistant doing the dirty work.

 

1. Baby powder

The flash is set behind the couple. And your assistant lets loose on the baby powder in circular movements between the subject and the back flash. The flash at the back, lights up your powder and viola. Add some coloured gels to your flashes to give the powder color

2. Led strings

The led Lights you can drape around your model. You can pull a piece back to you to create bokeh with the LEDs. This technique works great with an F1.8 lens or with wide apertures.

You can drape LEDs behind your subject to get a beautiful background full of bokeh. Also advisable with a wide aperture.

3. Vape smoke

The flash is set behind the couple. Here I usually grab a guest at the wedding that vapes and ask them to blow the smoke between the subject and the back flash. The flash at the backlights up the smoke and presto. Add some coloured gels to your flashes to give the smoke some color

4. Car headlights

When shooting images of the car, or the couple with the car, remember to switch on the headlights. This will create a nice ambiance to the image. 

5. Smoke grenades

This is not a cheap method and not easy to redo if you missed the shot. Using smoke grenades does need some practice. Take the wind direction into consideration before you set off the grenade. 

Because they come in different colors and generally do give off a lot of smoke, it’s safe to use them without any flashes in daylight.

6. Sand

This is going to get your assistant dirty!

Go to a spot with some loose sand, a ground road will do. Get the flash set up behind the couple. Your assistant now needs to run and drag their feet in the dirt to push up the dust between the subject and the back flash. The flash at the back, lights up the dust and gets some interesting shots and a dirty assistant. 

7. Water

Water bottles, a hosepipe, or a glass of water. You should consider using an umbrella for this trick. 

The flash is set behind the couple. Your assistant will splash the umbrella with the water a few times. The flash at the back, lights up the water, and look at that, you have fake rain. Add some coloured gels to your flashes to give the water color if you want. 

In the event of real rain, ask someone to hold an umbrella over you as well while you get some amazing shots.