Resources for Brides & Grooms
Here you will find resources to help make your wedding day PERFECT!!
Articles:
1. DO YOU WANT A PHOTOGENIC WEDDING? Article by Darbi G. Photography
2. BRIDES GUIDE TO BETTER WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY! Article by Marksbride.com
3. Edited Photos Vs. Digital Negatives Article by Stacy Reeves
4. What to Wear for Portraits Article by Stacy Reeves
Here is an article I came across that was written by a very respectable wedding photographer. Happy reading!
Brides Guide to Better Wedding Photography
by: Marksbrides.com
I’m sure you already know that choosing the right wedding photographer is more important than choosing the right groom. (Just kidding). Getting the right photographer is important, but there are lots of things that YOU can do to ensure that your wedding photos are as good as they can be.
1.Pre-Wedding Photo shoot.
Having a pre-wedding photo shoot can improve your wedding pictures more than anything else you might do. Think about it, your photographer is VERY comfortable on his end of the camera. The time you spend with your photographer in front of the camera will help you become more comfortable being the subject. Try to get to know your photographer. Have fun. Be crazy. Let’s face it; those “magazine bride photos” that you have been looking at do not happen all by themselves. They are well planned, rehearsed, and the photo that you finally see in the magazine was probably picked from hundreds of photos. The more time you spend with your photographer, the more likely it is that he will capture that one special moment that only happens once.
2. The Pose.
“Chin up, a little to the left, shoulders back, stand on one foot, hold your breath…hang on…don’t move. ” Any photographer worth his salt should be able to pose you in an elegant and attractive position. Do you know the reason for all these the contortions? By lifting your chin you banish the double chin. Holding your elbows away from your body reduces the apparent width of your torso and accentuates the bosom. Shifting your weight to your rear foot cocks your hips into a position that gives you a sexy curviness. There are many other little tricks your photographer may teach you. Just listen and he will not lead you astray.
3. Hair and Makeup.
Your wedding day is not the right time to experiment with makeup and hairstyles. Be sure to plan a separate day to have a hair and makeup “dress rehearsal”. If you plan to wear a headpiece, use this time to make sure that it will fit with your hairstyle. If you plan it right, your photographer may be available to take some formals on this day too.
4. Props.
Give you photographer the tools he needs to be creative. When ordering flowers for the wedding, be sure to order an extra single rose, boutonniere, ribbon or other inexpensive items that the photographer can use in your photos. Don’t forget to have a copy of your wedding invitation that he can incorporate into the detail shots of your big day. Photos of wedding rings with flowers, invitation, maybe even your shoes and garter can really add to your album.
5. The Bouquet.
How should you hold a bouquet? In a single word.. DOWN!! Never hide your thousand dollar dress with a hundred dollar bouquet. If you’re a five foot bride, do not order a 3 foot cascading bouquet. It’s going to be a long day. By the end of the day, you will be wishing that your bouquet was smaller, lighter, more durable, and maybe even artificial. And if it’s too big you may even injure your guests during the bouquet toss.
6. Backgrounds and angles.
Remember, your wedding day is all about you. Many times complicated backgrounds in your photos distract the viewer’s attention away from the bride and will take away from your photographs. Keep backgrounds as simple as possible. Interesting angles are what keeps the images of a professional photographer from looking like the images of “Uncle Joe”. Everyone knows what a wedding looks like from 5 feet 6. You may see your photographer lying on the ground or climbing trees. Don’t laugh at him. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
7. Lighting
When choosing your venue and time of day, keep lighting in mind. If your wedding is outdoors, the best light happens 1-2 hours before sunset. If your wedding is indoors, try to avoid buildings with high dark ceilings and few windows. Since natural light will look much better in your photos, try to plan your wedding when the room will be the brightest. By the way, photographers hate fluorescent lights. They make you look green.
8. Single Use Cameras
Lots of people use them and they seldom work. You may get a few good photos here and there but don’t expect too much. You’ll probably get a whole camera full of photos of Cousin Skip’s girlfriend that you hardly know. Your three year old niece will probably take a lot of pictures of people’s belly buttons. And if anyone gets tipsy at the reception you may get a lot of photos of the ground, shoes, or eyeballs (from holding the camera backwards). Your photography is best left to professionals. Well that’s it for “The Brides Guide to Better Wedding Photos”. Congratulations on your big day. Now let’s make those memories last! Mark Parker is a Birmingham Alabama Wedding Photographer. His work can be seen at http://www.MarksBrides.com
___________________________________________________________________________
Here is a fantastic article from another fellow photographer: Darbi G. Photography. The original article was found on Darbi’s blog and the whole article can be found HERE. Darbi is a Missouri wedding photographer who was recently a bride herself, and she shares some wonderful ideas and tips.
Here is an exert from Darbi’s Blog Article:
1. Location, location, location.
Location sets the mood, location maintains the mood, and location impacts memories. Location ALSO affects your photographs. Most churches aren’t sources of fabulous lighting. But you have tons of control over where you choose to have your reception. One of the best decisions I made was to find a venue that had floor to almost-ceiling windows. That meant that there was good lighting up until the time to dance. PERFECT for photos. AND perfect for me, the bride, to take in all the faces of those I love who were around me…and to see that all the hard work I put into the reception details paid off.
2. Be aware of sunset hours. And plan accordingly.
Because good photography revolves around good lighting, sunset times are crucial to know. After you choose your date, look up what time the sun will go down here. The two hours prior to sunset are what we photographers call “the golden hours.” Why? Because the lighting is perfect and soft. GOLDEN. So now that you know what time the sun sets…what to do then?
Well…if you’re not seeing your honey before you walk down the aisle, and you want to get stellar pictures of just the two of you…and pictures of the entire wedding party doing something fun and cool outside, schedule the ceremony so that you still have at least 1.5 hours of sunlight to play with. If you’re doing a receiving line after the ceremony, don’t start counting that 1.5 hours until that is finished. Receiving lines typically last 30-45 minutes (Even if you swear you’re going to get through yours in 15 minutes, it just doesn’t work.)
On that same token, if you’re having an outdoor wedding without shade, steer clear from ceremonies that take place when the sun is directly overhead. First of all, it might be hot for your guests (assuming it’s during late spring/summer months). Secondly, direct sun causes harsh shadows and washes faces out. So instead, aim for that time in the afternoon when the sun has started going down in the horizon. Sun coming in at an angle makes everything look better. To guests…and to your eyes when you look at pictures later.
3. Your photographs should be a priority. Therefore, whom you choose for a photographer should not be a light-hearted decision. Weeks or months after the wedding, when the buzz has worn off, you will have your photos to look at and relive the best day of your life. If you don’t have good images, you’ll be upset. You might even cry. And you might be filled with that deep sense of regret because you cannot go back in time to get those coveted images with your best girl friends, or with your husband, or he with his friends, etc. It’s done and over with.
But if you go into the wedding planning with a timeline that takes into account the photography, you’ll be so happy. On the day of, and for all the years to follow.
The rest of Darbi’s Blog Article can be found HERE. She does an amazing job summing things up with very logical and useful tips to help your day be a smash!
