It is my wish to fulfill the vision of my brides.  Selenne was dreaming of a warm and glowy ranch style bridal portrait in a grassy field.  We shot at Cibolo Nature Center on an August evening.  For a glowy, romantic look, I like to shoot about forty-five minutes before sunset.  Selenne brought her sisters and mom along.  For locations such as this, I try to bring an assistant along, because though I do shoot natural light, I also like to shape and control the light to paint the exact look I am envisioning in an image.  I use tools such as a Profoto B2 as well as speedlites to create the images you see here.  Having an assistant allows me to carry more gear, and I can more easily flow through the various poses while adjusting and fine tuning my light.  

San Antonio BrideA rustic bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne, Texas. Photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

Above is an example of manipulating the light for a more dramatic bridal portrait to enhance the beauty and draw the eye to Selenne's gorgeous face.  

Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

This was how the session started with all natural light and my favorite 70-200 lens at 2.8mm to compress the long tree line behind Selenne.  

Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.
Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions. Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

As the sun sets behind the trees the light wraps around Selenne.  We add just one speed light with a mag sphere to soften and illuminate her face.  The above portrait is what Selenne chose to frame and have featured at her wedding reception.  This is a traditional pose, with the bride camera aware smiling and the full dress shone in the scene.  Parents of the bride love this picture, but I also like to photograph the bride in a more natural pose in more of an environmental portrait as you see below.  
Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

Texas Bridal PortraitsA bridal session at Cibolo Nature Center photographed by Sonia Freeman, Aria Productions.

How do you wish to be photographed for your bridal portraits?  Do you like the open grassy field, or would you like a more elegant or modern location?  I would love to hear your opinions of my lighting technique in the comments, too!

Hair and Makeup:  Laura Pena - Dashing Dollface

Dress:  Bella Bride Boutique Stone Oak

Floral: