You may be wondering why a wedding photographer/videographer doesn’t like posing in my wedding videos. And it’s not that I’m against posing, which we’ll get into later; it’s just that I don’t like excessive posing.
I believe that posing in a wedding video is like salt in your food; if you use just the right amount, it’s going to turn out great. But if you just dump it all in there, it might end up making the whole thing worse.
So let’s explore why I have my issues with posing, and how I think poses should best be used.
Posing in Wedding Photos
Because I am both a wedding photographer and videographer, I figured I would briefly touch on the photography side of things first.
In photography, it’s much easier to get away with more posed shots. I will always lean towards a more natural, candid style regardless; however, the fact is that when you’re shooting a still image, it’s much easier to make a pose look real and natural.
Once you start to add movement into your image, however, that’s a whole new can of worms.
Posing in Wedding Videos
I don’t usually shoot much video during the group photo part of a wedding day. If I did, I’d just have a bunch of videos of people standing still and smiling. Not very exciting to look at.
What makes video special and different from photography is the fact that it has movement. In video, you aren’t capturing a single snapshot; you’re capturing the whole moment. And if that moment is bland and motionless, it’s probably going to look a little boring.
So, knowing that movement is one of the most important elements to making a video interesting, let’s talk about how we can apply that to posing.
The Wrong Way to Pose in a Wedding Video
So, why do I not like posing in wedding videos? Because I think a lot of people do it wrong.
In my opinion, poses that have little to no movement are typically less exciting or interesting. Some videographers tend to pose their couples the way a photographer would, and it ends up looking bland.
The reason I don’t like these stationary poses is because they aren’t connecting you to any specific moment or memory. When you look back at a video of you and your partner standing still and smiling at each other, the only memory it will conjure is being told to stand still and smile at each other.
You might think I’m getting too much in the weeds about these things, and you’re probably right, but as a videographer who cares about my work conveying real emotions, I personally find that the shots with real moments are the ones that always stick out to me the most.
The Right Way to Pose in a Wedding Video
Like I said above, I’m not against posing. I use posed shots all the time. But the key is how I use them.
There are a few key elements to how I pose my couples in a wedding video:
- Movement: As we discussed above, movement is one of the key differentiators between photo and video, so it’s important to utilize it! This could be as simple as the couple walking hand-in-hand, or leaning in for a kiss.
- Interaction: This might be the most important of them all; the couple should be engaged with one another, not looking out at anything else. Any pose I give my couples will have some form of interaction.
- Bonus Interaction: Interaction with the environment is another way to make a pose more interesting (and that goes for photo or video).
- Story: As I’ve discussed in other articles, all of my wedding videos are story-driven. So, I like to try and come up with poses that might help tell that story in some way.
Interaction is the key word here. In fact, I like to say that I’m giving my couples interactions instead of giving them poses. I’m trying to create a genuine moment between them, no matter how small it may be, that will convey some deeper emotions than just standing still and smiling.
Conclusion
I don’t want it to seem like I’m anti-posing, or that I would never use posing in my wedding videos. I just think that posing is a tool, and needs to be used correctly, especially when it comes to video. So long as you focus on movement, interaction, and capturing moments that will help tell a meaningful story, poses can elevate a wedding video to the next level.