Brides are often a major focus at a wedding shoot. The bride is typically the hero of the story on their special day. However, experienced photographers know that groom portraits can be equally as fun to create and an important detail for their clients.

With decades of experience in the wedding industry, Chicago-based photographer Bob Davis has perfected his style of modern portraiture and has some very useful tips for capturing interesting groom portraits….

Capture shots of bridal prep first. Then, transition to groom prep portraits. Brides typically take much longer to get ready than the groom.
Take a moment to tidy up. Things can get a little messy and you’ll be happy when you don’t have to edit out a bunch of stuff in post.
Look for the light. Analyze the ambient lighting in the room to know what you’re working with.
Supplement ambient lighting with studio lighting. This will help you keep a lower ISO while maintaining the natural look of the scene. Choose portable and easy-to-use tools like Apollo Softboxes and speedlites, which are perfect for jumping from scene to scene.
“Pretouch” instead of retouch. Guide the viewers eye to your subject by precisely directing your lighting. This will save you time in post.
Experiment with light. Change your light’s power settings and play with different lighting configurations to capture a variety of shots and moods.