Most photographers struggle to find inspiration when they only have flat or otherwise visually uninspired environments to work with. But there are ways to transform dull backdrops into something spectacular as long as you can construct a great shot using key wedding posing tips and lighting, says award-winning wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia. “I think what happens to a lot of people is that in an attempt to try and make things interesting, they overcomplicate the situation by making the lighting and posing complicated to go with a complex environment,” says Jogia, who’s sharing his wedding posing tips at WPPI 2022 this year in Las Vegas. “You have to start with very simple posing and  lighting and build it up. It’s about teaching people the process of thinking about it first, and then knowing what to prioritize as you’re going through the shot.”

Jogia will walk photographers through this process in his Photo Walk, “Lighting and Posing from Different Perspectives,” held on March 1 at 5:30 p.m. His Photo Walk is sold out, but we asked him to distill some of the wedding posing tips and what attendees can expect here. (And if you’re planning on being at the show, you can hear from Jogia at the RF Lounge on the trade show floor as he discusses “Inspiring Light: Expert Secrets”!) Attendees are encouraged to bring their own cameras, off-camera flashes and triggers so that they can take photographs as Jogia instructs. The Mirage, where the event is held, is the perfect place to put his tips into action, he notes: “The inside of the convention center is very dull,” while the casino is visually very busy. Both can serve as creative roadblocks for photographers, especially when they’re shooting weddings and don’t have much time to scout locations or prep shots.

Working with models during the Photo Walk, Jogia will first set up a shot of a bride. He will demonstrate how to light the shot using modifiers and off-camera lighting, and then how adjusting the focal length (or the distance of the camera from the subject) can produce a wide variety of shots. For example, these simple wedding posing tips:

1. A shot of the bride looking at the camera,
2. A shot of the bride looking at her dress to show emotion,
3. A full-length shot of the bride’s whole form in the dress.

He will do the same thing with the groom, and then ask the couple to pose together, showing how to direct and coax the pair to engage with the camera. “There’s always a formula that works, and then you can be playful with that,” Jogia says. As he describes it, his posing and lighting setups are like a recipe that can be made milder or spicier depending on the interaction between the couple.

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Keeping in mind that not every photographer has a complex lighting setup—especially not if they are mobile on the day of a wedding—Jogia will also demonstrate how to maximize a single light using modifiers like a beauty dish with a grid. He generally keeps his lighting close to his subject but never in the frame. “I frame my images so I don’t have to waste time removing lights and other types of equipment,” he says. He also tries to avoid visual distractions like fire exit signs. In this way, a dull background can aid a great, intimate portrait because it forces a photographer to focus on their subjects as opposed to framing them within the wider context of the environment.

When he is working with couples, Jogia says he must spend some time “de-programming” the wedding posing tips they’ve learned from looking at social media sites like Instagram. “In the process of doing that, you can be lighthearted, and it actually makes the couple feel more comfortable,” he explains. In the end, your goal should be to get the couple to physically engage in a way that feels natural.

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During the course of his Photo Walk, Jogia will walk participants to two or three different locations and encourage them to experiment on their own with lighting and posing the models. In addition, Jogia will talk about the camera settings he uses for each setup so that photographers can minimize the amount of work they have to do in post-production. “If you have your rules established at the beginning of the shoot,” he says, “all you’ll have to touch up in post-production is the hair and skin of your subjects.”

The Photo Walk, Jogia hopes, will help photographers see their environments a little bit differently without forgetting the basics of posing and lighting. “To help strengthen the image, you first have to strengthen these concepts,” he says.

Sanjay Jogia and his wife, Roshni, make up Eye Jogia Photography, a London-based luxury destination wedding photography business of ten years and counting. He is also an experienced educator and an ambassador for both X-Rite and Fundy Software. Jogia has earned nine WPPI accolades in his two years of entering the Annual competition, earning him an Associate of WPPI title.