Shooting a Bridal Fashion Editorial

I recently shot a bridal fashion editorial, which is a fashion editorial with a bridal theme. How did I shoot it? Keep reading to learn how.

I’d like to share with you my experience shooting a bridal fashion editorial, because it may help the way you organize your shoots. So let’s break down the requirements, finding a location, the gear used and the people involved.

Background/Requirements

Mariana Penilla, who I’ve worked with before, called me because she needed images for a magazine spread. She had a clear idea of getting one long image to use in a two page spread, with a bride on one page and two bridesmaids on the other. She also stated that she was looking for a bright image, with an airy feeling. She was not looking for a studio shoot with seamless background nor an urban location.

The technical requirements then called for a location with a lot of natural light or a nice way to simulate or control it. Other than that, we required a really sharp image for print and a few more to be used digitally in social media.

Mariana had the daunting task of making three dresses (one bridal gown and two bridesmaids dresses) in a short time, but she was up to it.

Location

Finding a location turned out to be a bit tricky. Our dream location was a museum located downtown, but renting it was just too expensive for our budget. We tried a classic building, also in the downtown area with no luck.

We were finally able to shoot at a hotel named The View Lofts at Covalia, a very modern hotel located uptown, with a lounge that has really big windows and a nice view. They treated us like royalty while scouting and shooting, so I’m very grateful for their service and I’m looking forward to shooting there again.

Gear

The gear was pretty simple to chose. The main camera would be my Fujifilm X-T2, with the XF35mmF1.4 R for “wide” shots and the XF56mmF1.2 R for detail shots. I decided to record video with the Fujifilm X-E3 and the XF10-24mmF4 OIS.

I decided to balance daylight with flashes, and went for two Godox TT685, which would be inside two 42” shoot-through umbrellas or a 36” octabox. I used the Godox X1T to control the flashes. I’m currently using the XPro transmitter.

Team

I must say, none of this would have been possible without all the people involved in the shoot, specifically:

• Designer @marianapenilla
• Lighting Assistant @mata_24_53
• Video Assistant @studiompenilla
• Models @cristyhernandezp @luciabucheli @brendafigueroaavila

And there you have it! Shooting a bridal fashion editorial may sound daunting, but with a clear plan and process you can do it.

Now that you know a bit more of my process I’m curious, how do you organize your shoots? Would you like to suggest additional steps? Please, leave a comment below.

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