Problem Solving as a Live Wedding Painter

I do face challenges at times, but I try to make sure you’d NEVER know it! Here’s a few issues I’ve encountered, how I managed, & what I do now to correct them.

1.

During the most crucial moment of taking reference photos, my camera has gone from focusing on the couples figures in detail, to focusing on the lighting behind them, with no warning or time to correct it. The lighting overwhelmed their figures & created a silhouette, losing almost all detail where I needed it most!

2.

Dresses naturally twist in a dip kiss moment & it was wrapped up around the Bride’s leg that was kicked out. The dress was stunning, & this just didn’t do it justice!

3.

The angle of the moment wasn’t ideal. The position of the dip kiss showed me the top of their heads but no significant facial features or attire detail.

4.

Sometimes there is a whole media team: photographer, videographer, content creator, & me, all sort of vying for the centered aisle shot. I refuse to impede another vendor from getting a good shot.

In the past, I’ve let the planner know I’d like to retake the photo whenever the couple had a moment, & I proceeded with the background. The retake provides me with a pose to work from but often that means the reception attire is a little different from the ceremony and/or that the lighting was drastically different (indoor vs outdoor, & the time of day differences all play a part).

I can be crafty & “photoshop” the attire needed using other reference photos. I’ve also studied the lighting from the original moment so I could apply it to the new reference & painting. I managed & am really proud of how the paintings turned out. More importantly, the couples loved their painting!

Still, for the best results, I highly recommend couples take just a few minutes out of their day to pose for me & built it into the timeline. This gives us time to find the right pose, straighten the dress, allow space for vendors to perform, & the painting looks more realistic when using fewer references.

I still capture reference photos of the authentic moment, but this insures I have exactly what I need to capture all the details & paint the moment in the most realistic way!