Employing street photography techniques to shoot unscripted wedding photos is something many photographers try, but not many succeed at as nearly as well as our member photographers.

Scroll down to see thoughtfully composed frames with challenging layering, filling of the frame, and impeccable timing that captured perfectly synchronized seconds at weddings. Taken with patience and accuracy, these five photographers created breathtaking, completely unscripted tableau vivants with the randomness of life as their ultimate director. Take more than a hot second to look at these photos because when you do you’ll find there is SO much more to see. Plus, you’ll find some great tips from the artists on how to achieve phenomenal captures like these.

Photography Tips from Andrew Billington: “Look at the entire frame, not just your main subject. Everything needs to add to the overall picture. There are a lot of elements in play when you shoot wide with deep focus and it’s a balance of strong composition and little luck that everything comes together with no detracting or distracting parts of the frame."

Photography tips from Dominique of York Place Studios: “It’s incredibly important to give equal consideration to what’s not in the frame as what is. No matter how many elements you try to combine they all must serve an essential purpose, whether that’s connected with the story or just the balance of the composition. If a single element is off then the whole image falls apart."

Liam, of York Place Studios: "A layer in itself does not generally make for an especially interesting photograph. For the image to work the layer needs to be built around an interesting moment, with the rest of the frame used to add context and subplots.”

Photography tips from Samo Rovan: "A complex composition is poetry of harmony of different content in one shot. Shooting a complex composition requires the photographer’s 100% concentration in observation, anticipation, and the exact right moment to execute the shot.”

Photography Tips from Tyler Wirken: “I would say the one tip about shooting and looking for complex compositions I learned from Sam Abell which is to build the photo from the back to the front. So scene first, subject second. In essence, it requires patience to wait for all the elements to line up and work in harmony.”

Isabelle Hattink of Fotobelle: “The tip for the picture with this complex composition, is just waiting.

These are things that happen before or after a group picture. When you want to tell a story in a group picture, you start to make it before everybody is in place. For example, during a reception, when everybody is drinking, chatting, having fun. The chaos makes for some great spontaneous moments. 

What I keep in mind with those moments, is to keep shooting until people disappear out of frame. I also keep my eye on what happens next, behind me and behind the group. Your focus is not only the people in the group, but around it and around you.”

Check out our directory of the World’s Best Wedding Photographers and find the best artist for your wedding!

Post written by Jenn Tai - Managing Editor of WBWP.