Daniel's Tips for the Bride #1
One of the best ways a bride can prepare for her wedding photography is to be well-rested.
No one looks or feels their best if they are tired. Make sure you have all of the wedding details taken care of well in advance of the wedding day so that you are not stressed with last minute craziness. If you can avoid it, don’t plan your rehearsal dinner the night before your wedding. Schedule it two days prior, instead, to avoid being over-scheduled before your wedding.
You'd be surprised by how long it takes to get ready and for the photography on your special day! Double the amount of time you think you will need for the photographer to take great photos of your wedding dress, accessories and portraits of you and your bridesmaids.
Make sure you have your "wearables" - your dress, undergarments, garter, accessories, shoes, etc, all in one place so the photographer can take detailed shots of them before you get dressed. An alternative is to:
More and more brides are scheduling a photo session apart from the wedding day to ensure lovely portraits. This is a great solution if you don't think you'll get enough sleep the night before the wedding.
Scheduling a post-wedding photo session is also a great option for couples who are unable to get the perfect photos they envision for their wedding day due to inclement weather.
If at all possible, schedule your photography session in a sunny day, close to a sunset, when the light is best for photography.
Also, you can experiment with a “trash-the-dress” session.
(In northeast Ohio, the average cost of a post-wedding session is $700. Daniel Photo Pro offers a free post-session if you book your wedding with us but weather prevents our getting the perfect photos on your wedding day.)
This is when a bride puts her dress back on, after the wedding has taken place, and models for some “non-traditional “pictures.
Regardless of the bride’s choice for the shoot, the goal is to create something different and fun. A bride may now let her personality shine, really having fun and not worrying about having an audience or guests to attend to. The idea is for her to get outside of her comfort zone and became the fashion model she may have always wanted to be. If there are no other times in her life this has happened, post-wedding is the time to “pull the trigger”. Most brides are in their best shape at wedding time. She should do it now!
Whatever her reason, she should just do it. She will never regret it. It’s no pressure—just time to play in front of a camera. And don’t forget the Groom! He is welcome too, and opens the door to even greater possibilities.
We photographers, love to take pictures and love to be creative, so brides, put your head together with your photographer and get out there and create some art!
I will never ask a bride to trek through mud or run into the lake. However, getting lovely photos, sometimes means getting that hem a little dirty for the sake of a timeless image. That's why I highly recommend a post wedding session (“trash the dress session") of the bride and groom, for the lovely shoots.
The background matters when you're having photography done. Choose a gorgeous place if possible. Most importantly, make sure it is de-cluttered and cleaned up. In a beautiful space with lots of available natural lighting, you will look your absolute best.
Make sure your bridesmaids are already dressed before you, so they can be in picture helping you to get ready.
I want to tell you something about “the art of light”.
The photography is the art of painting with/by light. So, the most important word in that sentence is LIGHT! If you ask a photographer what is the most important part of a photograph, the answer should be: good light. We (photographers) live for beautiful light. A beautiful light can come from a gorgeous sunrise, from a romantic sunset, from a soft window light or from an artificial source (softbox). Beautiful light= beautiful photos.
It will explain why, to get better photographs of your wedding, we have to “hunt” for a better location, a better angle, a better day time.
So, help your photographer out by trying your best to be mindful of the settings of your photos!
Another thing that couples tend not to consider, is the fact that the light changes throughout the day, and different light will result in very different photographs. For example, if you’re having a winter wedding it will likely start to get dark around 3:30 – 4:00 pm, therefore you really need to have your ceremony early in the day, to give your photographer a fighting chance to get some great portraits and your group shots done before the light starts to fade. Another example, when looking at venues think about the light in each room: are the ceremony room walls covered in dark wood with small windows? etc. (if there isn’t any natural light, your photographer may have to use a flash! So, you want to make sure you’re allowed to use flash in your ceremony time.)
It's not every day that you get to wear a big, fluffy dress or a cathedral-length veil. It may feel very awkward. Spend some time in your dress, learn how to move in it, have fun wearing it. Realize that it brings out your inner beauty and let yourself glow. That glow will show up in your photography.
To make sure you look stunning on your Big Day, choose hair and make-up professionals, but be sure you show them in advance how you want to look. You would be amazed at how many brides are unhappy with their final look. Work with a professional who is going to do what you want, not what's fun or interesting for the professional. You want to look like YOU at your most beautiful. How you look will affect how you feel. Your mood will affect your photography so prepare in advance and don't let anyone talk you into a look that is not you.
If you've never done spray tanning, do not try it for the first time on your wedding day or for your photography sessions. Tanning has come a long way from its early orange glow, but you can still come out looking splotchy.
If you want to tan, do it a week before your big day so that you have time to recover from discoloring or an allergic reaction.
The beautiful thing about the evolution of the wedding industry is that weddings are becoming so unique and a chance for the couples to express their personal style. Think about what is special and meaningful to you and your groom (example: if you and your groom met while working at a library, consider to incorporating a book in the center-piece or prepare “library cards” for guests to found what table they were sitting. If you had your first date at a
restaurant, consider to having them cater your wedding meal in their style. Or, if you or your groom play any instrument (let say violin) consider having your wedding cake or grooms cake shaped like a violin). It is best if you can select a location or a place that goes with your theme. OR:
Choose a family heirloom or any object that has meaning for you and your groom. Take a lot of time to think through what you want to see in your photos besides yourselves. As you grow older, the photos will become more and more meaningful to you and your families.
If any of my tips shed some light on your questions about the wedding day, I have reached my goal of helping you.
Thank you!
Daniel
440-930-0239
Copyright 2017. Daniel Photo Pro LLC. All rights reserved.