Weddings

Every wedding photographer knows it's a good idea to scout out the venue in advance if possible, as that will give you ideas for photos that wouldn't work anywhere else. This image of a bride at the bottom of a magnificent staircase is a case in point; the photographer identified it as a perfect location for an image - and then got very lucky when the bride walked into shot. It'll be all the more special to the couple for capturing a genuine private moment.

Just about every bride wants her portrait done on her wedding day, but what makes a good portrait? You don't have to show the whole dress, or even her whole face, as this image proves. Aperture control is key to this shot, as even though you can't see her actual eye, it's important that her lashes, which indicate her eye, are sharp – and they are. As the image softens further from the focal point, there's just enough detail in her dress to give you an idea of the lace on it, while her veil becomes a simple, slightly textured, background.

Most of us aren't lucky enough to get such an unusual angle at a wedding, and the unconventional perspective helps make this image all the more striking. Because it's such an atypical wedding photo, it does challenge the viewer. Rendering it in black and white removes any hint of conflicting colours - the insides of the shoes and the items the small bridesmaid has in her basket could otherwise be distracting - and allows the viewer to focus purely on the details and work out what's going on in the picture.

Elaborate henna decorations feature in many wedding traditions, but usually photographers focus on the bride's hands. Here her feet are the focus of attention. Combined with the henna, the paayal ankle-chains and bichu toe-rings tell you that this is a bride, even if you can't see anything more of her. The depth of field is beautifully managed, so everything beyond the front foot is softly blurred but still recognisable, giving the viewer a real sense of the beautiful setting beyond the frame.

The white tulle, the bouquet - you can tell the woman in this picture is a bride, though the location seems a little strange at first glance. The photographer is telling a neat little tale in this shot, as while the bride appears to be the focus of the image, the light from a flashgun and her proximity to the wall ensuring her shadow gives her a strong outline, you can see the groom getting tattooed in the background, possibly with a permanent wedding band.

Modern, less traditional, weddings, offer masses of scope for creative photography. There's a story here: where is this couple? What have they been doing - or are they about to do - that the groom needs to be barefoot for? It feels like a private moment captured spontaneously. But look at that light: the rimlight around the couple, and the shadows in the immediate foreground and on the right give the impression that they're walking into brightness together. There's some clever photography here!

The temptation with wedding photography is to aim your camera squarely at the bride, groom and guests for every shot – but as this image proves, something a little more creative can have even more impact. Here the photographer has taken advantage of a puddle, usually the last thing you'd want to see on a wedding day, to photograph the happy couple from a different angle. The water and drifting leaves give a sense of the time of year, as well as the couple's clothes signalling the occasion.

There's a really soft, dreamlike quality to this image. The beautifully blurred background, where lights form a pattern of featureless bright spots, adding light and texture without detail, ensure the bride is the only 'real' thing within the frame, the warm sepia tone is close enough to skin tone to create an intimate feel. The way the bride is looking down at the hand where her wedding ring will go makes you feel as though you're privy to her thoughts.

Lighting is one of the things that sets a good wedding photographer apart from the average ones. In this photo, everything has been arranged so that the bride is the brightest spot in the scene, and the sharpest one too, so your eye goes to her immediately. The arms of her attendants leaning in to arrange her headdress also catch the light, but structurally they form leading lines so help reinforce the emphasis on the bride rather than detracting attention from her.