Once you've got your photographer booked and you are amassing all the things needing to be done before your wedding day, considering items regarding photography generally isn't one of your top concerns. But if you are a very photo-minded bride, you may find these little tidbits good to know.
Pointers To Mind BEFORE the Big Day
1. Tell me if you plan to do something unexpected. If you want to surprise your guests by dancing down the aisle, choreographing a reception dance, or cake-facing your maid of honor and best man instead of each other, don't keep your photographer in the dark about these great ideas. I don't need to be a surprised guest, but I do need to plan how to frame unexpected movement if you want the best coverage of it. My communication of your activities via imagery is much enhanced by your communication to me as to what's going to happen.
2. Avoid fake flowers. I respect your decision to go for fake flowers in an attempt to preserve your bouquet better in the future, but if you're trying to cut on the cost of going with real flowers, make sure you don't go for something cloth-y looking which magnetizes lint and shreds of thread to them. I always utilize close up floral shots as borders or background accents in your album or on your DVD case cover, and yes, you can tell if they are fake. If you must go for fake, I recommend going for some pretty amazing looking fake flowers. If they are not wowingly realistic fake flowers, just stick with the real ones.
3. Please mind your skin. This sounds like a no brainer, but some brides do not pay attention to their nutrition and skin chemistry before their wedding day. Yes I can digitally clear up your blemishes and other unsightlies, but doing so on a major blemish means doing so to that same spot in every single photo of you. Consider 700-900 images. Yes. A lot. My editing time directly impacts your turnaround time for receiving your images. Plus, healthy skin is not simply a photographic concern, it's a confidence booster on a day when you're getting a lot of face time. Eat healthy and exercise prudently during the entire duration of your wedding planning, or at least a month or two prior to the big day. Be radiant on the inside and out! This goes for guys too, who also have blemishes and skin concerns that can easily be cleared up with a healthy and nutritious lifestyle.
Digest These Thoughts ON the Big Day
1. Don't mind me. I haven't had a bride yet who said she didn't like photojournalistic style candid photography. Being that this is the photo style preferred by 100% of brides, you also need to understand how the style works. It means forget about your photographer and be natural in your settings. Don't be a camera-seeker, unless I tell you to give me a smile (because sometimes you forget). This also requires a sort of tune-out-that-person-with-the-camera focus, even if I'm right in your face getting close up details. I wish I could truly be invisible sometimes, but hey, if I could invent that, I would. Don't feel the need to seek me out and strike a pose for every shot!
2. Ask me to pose you. Even if you prefer candid natural shots, it's still refreshing to have a bride who has some creative intuition of her own. I love that. If you want to be posed a specific way, tell me. If you have a photo of "Kissing the War Goodbye" and you want to be posed as such (above), show it to me and I will tweak your arms and legs to look exactly like a famous pose. Likewise, if you are camera shy and still want naturalistic poses, let's chat, and I'll come up with some ways to make you look comfortable in front of my camera.
3. Let kids be kids. I know it's challenging to babysit the wedding party kids sometimes, especially if you're the bride and also the mother of one of those kids and they're small and restless. Please assign a non-bridal-party member to keep tabs on your kids so you can have your wedding moments. Otherwise, let the kids do what they will if it's within reason. If he's being an over-persistent bubble blower, don't tell him to stop, just offer me that chance to get those shots of him in his moment.
4. Don't wear "comfort shoes" for your first dance. Fashion is not always comfortable, but do you really want to hang a living room portrait of you and your spouse during your first dance, with a flip-flop foot peeking out from beneath your skirt? If your feet hurt that badly in your nice shoes, then wear your comfort shoes during times when your feet are covered (mingling with guests at the reception). Also, if you need to tell me "Don't get my shoes in this shot", I'd say find a different pair of more photogenic shoes. There are shoes out there which are both photogenic AND comfortable.
5. Take it easy. Find a way to de-stress before your wedding day gets here. If you are stressed or over-worried on your wedding day, it will show everywhere on your face in your photos. Stress free people have happy faces, and that is what you and I want to see on your wedding day, and in your wedding album. This being said, there is absolutely no reason to be stressed on your wedding day. Even if the cake falls over or something explodes, you'll still be marrying the love of your life, and you should be constantly rejoicing in that. Find the fun in disaster, if you must. It'd make for a great photo anyway!
6. Oh, and P.S. - I have umbrellas. By default I have one large white umbrella and a few other colorful ones in the trunk of my car. If you want outdoor shots and the weather may be borderline unsavory, let's take a chance with those outdoor shots and pose with the umbrellas. They're fun!
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