What You Can Do (Part 5)

This is another entry in my continuing series on what you can do to help make your photography spectacular. All of these posts are merely suggestions and not requirements. You'll have beautiful and wonderful photography from me regardless. But take some of these things into account and your investment will have much larger dividends. I'm not a magician and some of these suggestions can make a huge difference in how stunning your photographs can be.

What you can do #5: Invest in your photography experience.

You think I'm talking about money -I'm not. (though that is another meaning for this, and well, another post) Investing in your photography experience is fairly simple to understand - what I mean is that the more you put into your photography, the more you will get out of it. It is more than just hiring a great professional artist - the process of getting those amazing results rests halfway with you.

Here are some of the ways you can "invest" in your photography experience:

Commit to the fact that you are having your photograph taken.
Coming to any photo shoot with an attitude of "I don't like having my picture taken", "This is awkward", "I'm embarrassed" or any other negative attitude will absolutely affect the energy during the shoot and show up in the pictures. Absolutely, everyone is awkward at first and it takes a little time to shake that off and get comfortable with the process. You will be, I'll be patient and help you, and you will get comfortable - I swear. But if you decide that 'Yes, I am having photographs taken here, I want them to be incredible. I'm going to look at the camera with intention, ignore it and focus on my fiance as if we were alone and do all the things that I want captured' your results will be better. How do you know you are committing? When I tell you "Go over by that door and act and feel sexy" for example, and you DO IT, without hesitation, and enjoy it, then you are committed to the process. It is natural to feel self-conscious in front of the camera. What you have to do is decide to ignore that and just go for it. Who cares if anyone sees you and makes fun of you? You're an adult, confident in your own skin who could care less what others think. My best example of this was on Tom and Julie's engagement shoot - we were shooting around Alterra on KK, and Tom ran into at least two friends while I was firing away frames. He could have slipped into "embarrassed guy, my fiance is making me do this" mode - but he didn't, he owned the fact that we were taking pictures and we kept right on shooting to great results.

Never settle for "Just", "Good Enough" or "Only"
I hate hearing those phrases come out of any bride or groom's mouth. Life is short, we live once. Don't settle. If the choice is between staying here on the sidewalk for a shot that is "good enough" or embracing in the middle of the street (while obeying traffic laws) and getting an amazing shot, why in the world would you stay on the sidwalk? Because you are embarrassed?
If the choice is - take a picture here on the edge of the parking lot, where it will be "good enough" and we can "just stay here" or we can walk an extra five minutes to a location with the most beautiful sunset light that will frame the two of you amazingly, and put you five minutes later to your cocktail hour - then go for it - take that five minute walk. Do it. Be bold. Decide that going that extra step will pay you big dividends - because it will.


Trust Me.
As much as I want every one of my couples to absolutely look like themselves in their images - sometimes you all have to be pushed to expose that. I'm more fearless than likely I should be, but I think that is what helps make me the photographer you chose. So when I tell you that if you go sit on the edge of that roof there will be a great picture in it; believe that I know what I'm talking about. Yeah, it might be dirty, yeah it might not look like the most bucolic location, but I see something you don't. And, I see the final result with lighting, camera lenses and editing all factored in. I would never put you in harm's way, but I will ask you to do some things that you might not have thought of - which quite frankly, is why you hired me. So trust in your choice by trusting my direction and we will have a winning combination.
Once on a wedding shoot I had set up a shot with the bridesmaids and bride, and just as I was about to click the picture - one bridesmaid jumped out of the shot and declared she didn't think she looked good in it. I was devestated. I never want anyone to feel as if I would purposely take a picture that would not put them in the best possible light. A quick conversation revealed that she felt too close to the camera - when I explained that I had a wide lens on and she was actually farther away than she thought from the camera's perspective, we were all good, she went back into place, we got the shot, and it was great. The lesson here is trust though. Trust that I will only take amazing pictures of you - that even if you think something looks weird or won't turn out - I know things you don't about the angle, the equipment, the lighting, or whatever and it will turn out better than you could have imagined.

Follow my "What you can Do" pointers.
Truthfully, the ways in which you can invest in your photography experience are numerous, and the above list really only deals with some of the emotional and behavioral ones. Every consideration you make in respect to your photography increases the returns on your investment, and so I encourage you to click on the "What you can do" listing to the right and explore the rest of this series. The real bottom line is that I aim for every one of my clients to not just have great pictures, but to have a great experience achieving those pictures, and committing to and investing in your photography in these ways will allow that.

What You Can Do (Part 4)

This is another entry in my continuing series on what you can do to help make your photography spectacular. All of these posts are merely suggestions and not requirements. You'll have beautiful and wonderful photography from me regardless. But take some of these things into account and your investment will have much larger dividends. I'm not a magician and some of these suggestions can make a huge difference in how stunning your photographs can be.


(this is a shot from the shoot I did for The White Box {a hidden sneak peak!} - to me it is the epitomy of the relaxed bride who is really enjoying her day - a good illustration for today's post)


What You Can Do - Be an Organized Bride

I'm not asking for a fire-breathing, micro-managing Bridezilla, please don't misunderstand. (please don't.) But being organized before your big day can go a long way in making things run smoothly on your day, and this will help your photography go smoother. For one, you'll be more relaxed, and that will translate to your photos. Some photography-specific organization tips:

-Know who you want formal shots with. I talk to all of my couples about a month before the wedding and we make a punch list of the groupings they want formals of (i.e. bride with parents, bride with both sets of parents, etc). Having this done ahead of time means we aren't standing there on the big day trying to figure out who we haven't taken pictures of yet, who might be missing, etc. My assistant has the list, we make our way down it quickly and swiftly, and formal shots are painless. No one likes taking formals, not even me, so we do what we can to make this part of the day short. I myself made the mistake of not having this list done for my wedding day, and the only formal shots we have are of the two of us with our parents - nothing with our immediate families, our siblings, nada. We were so caught up in the day (and running a little behind schedule) that it totally slipped our minds.

-Inform the necessary family members and the wedding party of the photography plans. If you plan to get the formals done right after the ceremony, please tell everyone involved. Tell them where they should gather and when. Hunting down people is the quickest way to make formal shots painful and lengthy. In particular, be sure your grandparents, and anyone who might be assigned to them that day are aware of their need to be in pictures. Make sure the wedding party has a clear outline of what their duties are for photographs. I have seen many a groomsman or bridesmaid disapear with their significant others or own families precisely when we need them for photography because the didn't know what was expected of them.

-Provide transportation to your wedding party between the ceremony and reception. This is most important when you are planning to go to alternate locations for pictures between the two events. The ability of possibly 10 or more people to get to another location and park, in separate vehicles, is highly limited, especially in all of the excitement of the wedding day. If you are waiting for people to arrive, trying to direct them by cell phone, etc - we are loosing photography time.

-Have an overall itinerary for our day and make sure everyone knows it. Not to say you should make a schedule and become a nazi about following it, but knowing a general outline for the order of events is helpful to every wedding professional, and the integral personal participants of your day. This kind of thing gets fully discussed with each of my couples at that 30 day point, but make sure everyone else knows the schedule too. I can't tell you how many times the caterer has approached me asking when the couple is planning to cut the cake. I know, but they shouldn't have to ask. Having a general outline for your day allows me to plan appropriately for memory cards, lighting and other equipment issues. And, if everyone has a reasonable idea of the plans, you'll answer less questions and the day will run smoother.

-Send me a copy of your invitations, ceremony programs, menu cards, etc ahead of time. If you want fun detail shots of these types of items, send me one ahead of time. Not to say I won't be able to get these shots on the spot the day of, but if I have a Ceremony Program in my bag and have an idea for a cool shot of it in the middle of your ceremony, I don't have to steal one from a guest (because there are rarely extras). The invitations though are the big thing to send me. It is so nice to have a few shots of these available for your album, and I won't be able to scrounge one of these up at your wedding. PLUS, and this is a big plus - having your ceremony program lets me know the exact order of your ceremony and allows me to plan for when I can run up to the balcony or to some other vantage point without missing something.

-Give me a point person. Assign a bridesmaid, sister, cousin, someone to me. Make it somebody with a good overall knowledge of the day and the guests. I can go to this person then when you have requested a shot with your Aunt Sally and they can retrieve her, because they know who she is. It is not a big job, and they don't have to shadow me all day - but if they are willing to fetch people for me, then I know I can bug them when I need to, and not you.


I am a super organized person, or I at least try to be. And many of you know I'm also what I affectionately refer to as a "recovering bride". So, I am always happy to talk over the schedule of your day with you and help you fit in everything you want photographically with everything you want to experience in your day. It is never my goal to spend more time capturing your day than you do experiencing it. What would be the point of that?

What You Can Do (Part 3)

This is another entry in my continuing series on what you can do to help make your photography spectacular. All of these posts are merely suggestions and not requirements. You'll have beautiful and wonderful photography from me regardless. But take some of these things into account and your investment will have much larger dividends. I'm not a magician and some of these suggestions can make a huge difference in how stunning your photographs can be. If you want to see the other installments in this series, look to the post organizer on the right side of the page and choose the one labeled "What You Can Do".



What you can do: Hire a Professional Makeup Artist

Even if you are really great at doing your own makeup, hire someone professional. Why? Let me itemize the reasons:

-Because a professional knows how to do your makeup not only for real-life beauty but also so that the camera interprets your face correctly. There is a certain amount of contouring, etc that can be done (and imperceptibly for real-life viewing) that will make you look that much more fabulous on film (or in my case, pixels).

-They are also able to gage just how much makeup you need for photographs. Your normal everyday amount is, more times than not, going to leave you looking a bit washed out in photos. It is similar to that saying "the camera adds ten pounds", so actresses are all at least ten pounds underweight. Well, the camera also removes a layer of makeup on most occasions, so you have to wear a little more to have your features accentuated correctly. (this is more true of situations where the flash may be used, or lighting may affect the shot)

-Many makeup brands, particularly foundations and concealers, contain ingredients that will reflect light (like a flash at your reception, even when it is bounced) and make your face look flat as a pancake. A good makeup artist knows which brands to use to avoid this. On the same accord, a foundation that you think makes you look "tan" will look much too dark and unnatural on camera.

-Your favorite shimmer shadow that you wear to go out at night will reflect light and not look so great on your wedding day.
I'm as guilty as anyone here - I own almost exclusively eyeshadow with shimmer, but on my wedding day I defaulted to the
makeup artist's choices and it looked great.

-Professional makeup has staying power. You are likely to cry, sweat, dance, be hugged more than you have collectively in your entire life and have cake smashed into your face. A good professional makeup job will stand up to all of this, and you'll still look great at the end of the night.

-There are a number of non-photography reasons to get a pro to do your makeup, if you are interested, J.Cricket did a great job of pointing them out here.



There are several very good local makeup artists available to brides on location at their getting ready space, or in salons. If you need some recommendations, feel free to ask.

What You can do (Part 2)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled TTD posts for a "What You Can Do to make your Photography Better" post. It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but I've been planning a few, this one in particular, for awhile. As always, these posts are meant as educational, and all are ways you can help me (or any photographer) take even better pictures for you. If you don't do any of these, you will still have great pictures, because I am equipped to handle these situations. But do take some of this advice and you can expect a super happy photographer who will hand you stunning photos that take your breath away.

Last night I met with a potential client who inspired me to post on this particular "What you can do" immediately. In every consultation, I ask a lot of questions about the couple's plans for their wedding day. And last night this bride mentioned, almost off-handily, that she has hired a lighting designer for her reception. I discuss lighting with all of my clients, but this is the first time a client valued it enough to already be three steps ahead of me. I got seriously excited about this one aspect of this wedding because it means I can really get some amazing shots that are going to positively sparkle with personality.

What you can do: Think Critically about your Lighting.
"My venue has lights, and they said they can dim them for us" - that is what the majority of you are thinking. Let me tell you, 90% of the really stunning wedding pictures you have seen and love are that great because of lighting. Great lighting in the space, and a photographer who knows how to use it. And a huge portion of your day - your reception- occurs in a venue where you have complete control over the lighting if you want to. Your ceremony may be outside, or in a church (where likely you have no control, but there is natural light windows) and natural light is fantabulous to work with-I'll choose that over all else in fact. But at night, during your reception the lights are low, maybe your DJ or Band has some lighting set up, but for the most part, the rest of the space is dark and flat.
You know when you walk into a really great restaurant or club and a feeling takes you over that this is something special, and inside you go "Ooooo". That happens because the mood and tone have been set very deliberately with lighting. Great lighting can enhance every one's perception and experience. It can hide things you aren't crazy about and direct attention where you want it. Think about your venue for a moment - unless you chose a knock-down architecturally amazing space, it could probably use a little help. Not crazy about the mauve-ish walls? Add colored light to change the tone. Dealing with what is essentially a big windowless box? Add some lighting and suddenly your space has dimension. I can guarantee you that the big fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling aren't going to be enough to transform the space. Lighting is NOT only for those eligible for "Platinum Weddings" ! The rest of us can have amazingly lit weddings too. I swear.
Hiring a lighting designer isn't as expensive as you would think and the value it adds to your look can be tremendous. You can get away with much simpler linens and centerpieces if you have lit the space beautifully. And that is just the basics. Pin-spot your cake for high drama. Add a monogrammed gobo light to your dance floor for a signature look sure to get noticed. Let the color change from dinner to dancing time. Project a beautiful silhouette on your plain tent walls to transform the feel.
The possibilities, if you are open to them, are endless. It doesn't cost you anything to get a quote. "Light My Wedding" has a really great article detailing some of the possibilities. Click Here to read it.
Some examples:








So say you do get a quote and it just won't fit in your already tapped-out budget. Now what? Candles people. Lots and lots of candles. I can testify this works with experience - for my own wedding we had over 700 candles. Everything that stood still had a candle on it, and the effect was gorgeous. Surfaces glowed, people were surrounded in some of the most flattering light available and the romance factor was high. I have also seen couples use Christmas lights or Chinese lanterns in very smart ways to elevate the wow factor. Here is some inspiration from around the Internet:



Still not convinced? Think about when you and your friends are out having fun - you look around on the dance floor or at the bar and everyone looks great. Then you get home and look in the mirror - and ugh, how could you have thought you looked good? The lights in your bathroom are usually harsh, not flattering. The lighting in that club - flattering. (The same holds true for just about any dressing room - fluorescent lighting is not your friend) At the very least make sure your DJ or Band comes with a lighting package of their own. I can do a lot with a spotlight and/or a well used disco ball.

Happy Planning!

(pictures are from Stortz Lighting, The Lighting Guy, TRLEvents, Light my Wedding, Bentley Meeker, Get-Light)

What you can do (Part 1)

This will be the first of many posts about what you can do to make your wedding day photography better.
"Wait, I thought that is why we were hiring you?" You say? Of course - and me and my eye and my lenses will do everything in our power to make your day look as beautiful as possible. But there are many things that Brides and Grooms can do to improve their pictures that I have no control over really.

Number One - Getting Ready Pictures

The coveted and beautiful "getting ready" pictures have become some of the most popular pictures from the day. It is hard not to catch the anticipation in the lens. So, what could you do as a bride or groom to improve the chances you will have getting ready pictures worth coveting?

1. Choose a space to get ready in that is well lit.
Light is the most important tool a photographer has. If at all possible, choose a room with lots of natural light. That means windows people. Windows with somewhat transparent curtains are even better - the curtains filter and diffuse the light, making it softer and more flattering. Put us in a windowless room with flourescent lights and you can expect some underwhelming results. Give me a room with natural light and I will knock your socks off.

2. Keep the space uncluttered and clean.
Seems simple, but all those target and walgreens bags, shoeboxes, soda cans and candy wrappers really do distract from the emotions in an image and de-class your pictures. Mention to one of your attendants that you only want wedding related stuff out. They can keep tabs then on stashing trash, hiding things under chairs or beds, etc. Shoes (but not boxes), dresses hanging off of furniture or curtain rods, jewelry laying out on the desk or dresser, etc. This all looks beautiful in pictures and adds to the story. Oh yes, and make the bed.

3.Hang your dress on a nice hanger on display.
Nothing is more distracting than a gorgeous shot of your dress (lit beautifully by all that natural light you gave me) and noticing that is hanging on a goofy plastic hanger. This is your wedding dress - give it the royal treatment! Take it out of the bag, put it on a padded hanger or something.

4. Put out your "stuff".
Lay out your jewelry, perfume, garter, cufflinks, vows, bowtie, funny socks, grandma's hanky, whatever the details are. That way when I arrive I can get some nice detail shots of your "stuff" without bugging you for it and taking away from this special time. Your interaction should be with your attendants and the rest of your close people, and as little with me as possible.

5. Trust Me.
I won't take any pictures of you (or anyone else for that matter) that show more than a swimsuit would. Most of the time, any picture I take shows much less. So just enjoy your moments, forget I'm there and have fun getting ready.