One of the favourite ideas for many couples when it comes to their pre-wedding photographs is to be surrounded by nature. And I am not surprised.
The calm and the peace this kind of setting gives off, the sound of the wind and the birds in the background, and the magical light of sunset give these places a special aura for capturing in photographs.
Even so, you do not need to think of a grand setting to take pre-wedding photos in nature. Nor travel the whole country or the world to find an “idyllic” place for this kind of shoot.
Although finding the perfect spot may be one of your worries, as a photographer I know that this, in the end, is the least of it. Because it is no use having a spectacular landscape or view behind you if the photograph does not capture what matters most: you.
Your smiles, your emotion about the path you are setting out on, your looks, your closeness, your gestures that are just that, yours.
In short, that little piece of your love story that I have the honour of being able to photograph for you.
Because that is what gives your pre-wedding shoot its emotional force and its magic. The setting only enhances it.
Look at the photographs from Marta and Rubén’s pre-wedding. Could you have imagined they were taken in a small, hidden corner of nature on the outskirts of Salamanca?
Pre-wedding photographs in nature
After several years of doing outdoor sessions, I know many perfect places, both in Salamanca and beyond, to turn into the setting for your pre-wedding.
Intimate places where we will be alone, quiet, with no one watching what we do, and where you will be able to feel comfortable enough to relax and be yourselves, without poses.
But, as you can see, the landscape is not the first thing that catches the eye in these photographs. It is those tender looks full of love, those shy smiles full of meaning from a couple in which each one has become the support of the other as they build a path together.
That is what I set out to capture with my camera when you trust me to keep this moment. A small preview of my work as the photographer of your wedding.
Reasons to take your pre-wedding photos in nature
One of the reasons I love this kind of place for this first session is that it is easier for you to lose the shyness and the fear of knowing there is a photographer with you.
I know intimate, out-of-the-way, private places in nature where you feel free to be spontaneous and see that, with me, you do not have to hold back or stop being yourselves.
In this kind of photograph we stay away from any pose or artifice. The ones who decide at every moment what happens, what you feel, what you do… are you.
As a photographer, I should not direct this moment, but observe it and capture it so it becomes eternal, without you realising I am there.
The only premise of this shoot is to enjoy it and, above all, to love each other. And at that, there is no one better than you.
Even so, besides being a kind of location that offers us a thousand options for creating beautiful photographs in private, and for you to grow more confident and at ease with me… there is one element of these outdoor sessions that I love.
The natural light filtering through the leaves and the trees, especially at sunset, which I can play with to create an ethereal atmosphere in which the magic stops feeling like something unreal.
Does it give you that same feeling when you see Marta and Rubén’s pre-wedding photographs in nature?
Is a pre-wedding photo session worth it?
For me, a pre-wedding session is more than just a couples’ photo shoot. And it is not only about taking pretty photos of you so you have one more memory of your relationship.
For me, the pre-wedding service is one of the most special in the whole story. And that is because it lets me be with the couple from the start of this path… as the person they have trusted to keep the memories of one of the most beautiful and important days for them.
The photographer is the person who will spend the most time with you at your wedding; this session helps us get to know each other better and build that closeness with which you will feel at ease being yourselves, without thinking about posing the whole time.
It will also let you see for yourselves that it is true when I tell you that you will not realise I am there, beside you. If that happens when it is only the three of us… can you imagine when we are surrounded by hundreds more people?
From experience I know that the more contact we have before the big day, the better your wedding story will turn out.
My work is not simply taking photos. It is capturing the emotion, the feelings, the nerves, the joy of your friends and family for you, the tears of happiness, so that you can live them again and again as memories turned into photographs.
With the pre-wedding, you will know how I work — and it will not surprise you to see me lying on the ground or crouched behind a bush — you will have seen the result of it, and you will know that I will be there to capture every magical instant of your wedding.
Even if you do not know where I am at that moment, since my job is to become invisible and not draw attention, so you can live all those emotions without me distracting you. But you will have the certainty that, as far as the photographer goes, you will not have to worry.
And, most importantly, you will have enough trust with me to laugh, cry, love each other or even clown around, leaving behind the fear or the embarrassment of not knowing what to do in front of the camera.
Even so, if you have more questions about this kind of photo session, on this page I answer every question you may have about pre-wedding photographs.
How to book your pre-wedding shoot
By this point, Marta and Rubén’s photographs have spoken for themselves about what a pre-wedding shoot should be like and about the result of taking photographs in which you are what matters most.
If, looking at them, you have felt inside some of the emotion and the feelings of that day, and you would love to see your story reflected too in photographs like these, I would love to be the person in charge of creating this memory for you. The price of the pre-wedding shoot is €375 + VAT, with no need to book the wedding coverage. If you only want to book the pre-wedding shoot, you can contact me through this link.
To every couple who contacts me for their wedding coverage, I remind them that this kind of shoot is not a compulsory requirement or an obligation, but a possibility I offer you as a photographer.
But if you are still reading these lines, it is because you are convinced of how important and how special this pre-wedding shoot is, both for you and for building that connection and trust with me, rather than an added “whim”.
That is why, if you book me as your wedding photographer, the pre-wedding shoot is included with a discount of €125 applied across several of the packages I offer.
All that is left for me to say is that, if you have shown interest in this article, it is because behind you there is not only love, but a firm commitment to start a new path together.
And, for me, nothing would honour me more than for you to count on me to be the one who bears witness to this very important stage of your lives in the form of photographs full of life, with your own particular magic.
Shall we talk?
Credits
Photographer
DAVE CASANOVA