A Bridal Style Shoot with Deborah Vanessa

Hello Everyone,

This blog is to showcase my style, my ideas and how I create my bridal looks. On the day of the wedding, I let the environment dictate the flow of the shoot, which allows every image to be unique to its story. Over the years, people often ask me what my secret is and how I get my brides to be comfortable enough to get the images I capture.  My answer is simple, I tell my clients the camera picks up on every emotion, so I need their full cooperation to help me produce the images they desire.

Additionally, as a photographer, I find joy in the ability to make my clients comfortable and feel relaxed by having a personality they can relate to.

Now let's do this!

The Getting Ready Shots - In the past 3 years, African Print Style Robes have become the new sensation especially among African Brides. As beautiful and as bold as these colors are in the fabric, one has to be extremely mindful when it comes to picking their fabric. This is because brides have to take into consideration the complexion of themselves and/or their bridal party.

Colors ultimately affect the mood of any image. In an effort to make the shoot look as natural as possible, I make sure to balance all the different variables i.e. fabric, complexion of the bridal party, the bridal suite, etc.

During this shoot, my goal was to create different looks to match the models day/mood. We had two colors to work with, a yellow, and a red and fuchsia robes by Maj.Rie Casuals, Accra- Ghana. IG - @maj.rie

We wanted everything in the images to stand out independently and we nailed it. For starters, we used the red and fuchsia for the inside look. Both colors being dominant made the robe stand out. Oh look, it matched the color of SheByBena logo :-).

For our second robe (yellow), we decided to shoot outside. The sun was perfect and it gave a sweet golden look. It was a perfect blend for our model (skin tone), robe, environment (tropical feel) and the mood. Lots of smiles and a drink to cool us down...

Wedding Dress - The Wedding Dress was designed by SheByBena, Accra-Ghana. Listen everyone, let me tell you about this designer, eight years ago, when my wife and I were about to get married, Sheela Garbrah owner of SheByBena designed my wife's traditional dress and it was absolutely gorgeous. During the planning stages of this shoot, I knew she would be the perfect person to pull this off. This gorgeous dress was made in less than 48 hours. I was completely blown away when I saw Deborah in the final look. The simplicity, elegance and class was perfect for this moment.

Room Shot -The mustard interior look of La Villa Boutique was stunning. It created an amazing ambiance that gave off a tropical feel. This is another consideration to keep in mind when choosing your suites for your big day ladies

Second location-This venue provided many backdrops for any shoot but I was drawn to this brown/coffee backdrop. All the colors around tied in so perfectly with the sunshine, brought that sweet sun kissed glow on Deborah's skin and made the images absolutely breathtaking.

Staircases are unique feature that brings out the aesthetic feel in pictures. Framing and composing properly are very critical. When faced with venues such as gardens, pathway, beaches and busy backgrounds, it is imperative to focus and pull your bride out and make her stand out. There should not be any competition between your bride and the environment. All elements must compliment her in an effort to make her stand out

The Final Look

Thank you for taking the time out to view this blog. Tell us about your favorite robe color and why. Whether you find this blog informative or not, all criticisms are welcome. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Ms Deborah and I'm looking forward to doing more of these shoots in the future.