Wedding photography for beginners with the D850

Nadia now photographs most of her weddings with the Nikon D850, which she describes as “a real workhorse. The ISO range of 64-25600 is simply unbeatable for a photographer who doesn’t like to use flash. The D850 has quickly become my new favourite camera. Of course, I use it with various Nikon lenses such as the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G.”

The picture

Talk is golden. “I’m not only talking all the time,” Nadia explains, “I’m also photographing all the time. I don’t want to miss any of these unique moments. My tip is to press the shutter button as often as possible. Many times, it will be these spontaneous and accidental moments that become your favourite shots and those of your clients — such as this backlit photo, which conveys a very special aura and lightness. It’s because the three elements of the motif — man, woman and light — form a compositional unity and the scattered rays of light work perfectly with the woman’s hair blowing in the wind, both creatively and atmospherically. Good photography can be so simple.”

Nadia Meli's top tip for aspiring professionals

“It’s incredibly important to know exactly where you stand and what you want to convey with your images, and to do it in a style that is uniquely, uniquely yours,” Nadia says. “I always stress how important it is that my photographs look like a part of me. There are four concepts I want to include in all my work: joy, authenticity, familiarity and vibrancy. When you want your photos to reflect you and your very own style, you must first have come to terms with yourself.