Brides normally love these shots, especially when you can make their details look like they just walked out of a fashion ad! So how do we do that?! STUDY THE ADS!! Not all, but A LOT of detail images are shot in a way that minimizes distraction and forces the viewer to pay attention to the subject. In my case, the subject of a detail shot may be a bouquet or necklace, etc. The best way I have found to minimize distraction is to crop out the eyes. Focus on creating a flattering jawline and then focusing on the subject. We naturally look to the EYES in an image FIRST THING. “Eyes” draw us in and we subconsciously look for them in order to tell if the image is in focus or not. So when you’re focusing on a necklace or bouquet and the EYES of your model are included in the shot, you’re taking away from your subject!! So here are some tips for accessory shots! :

1. Minimize Background Distractions. Try to have a CLEAN background when shooting details. In my opinion, a light, smooth background is best! Ex: A bride’s dress! That’s the EASIEST setup for a bouquet shot because the florals are going to “pop”!

2. Crop out Distractions you can’t get away from…. the BIGGEST distraction are the EYES! :

3. Focus directly ON the subject of the image. This sounds elementary but it’s a common mistake. Be sure that you’re focusing in on EXACTLY what you want to be the main focus! Ex below: I wanted to get a shot of Sara wearing her beautiful sapphire necklace from Dave!…

4. Take a secondary shot… especially if you’re a blogger! This is just how I think when I’m shooting! If I take a detail shot, I need to take another shot in that same vicinity to be able to blog two vertical shots side by side! I know, I’m type “a” when it comes to this stuff! But this really does help my blog posts flow more evenly! :