What do I wear to my photo session?
Whether it’s a family session, engagement session, or senior session, I have tons of ideas that I can share with you that will take the stress out of looking great during your session. I have created a pinterest board that provides examples for a wide range of styles and body types. I’d also suggest reading my blog post for tips on old clothes vs. new, matching vs. coordinating, form vs. function, and more. Click here for my pinterest board (look for boards titled “clients fashion and click here to read the blog post.
First look. To see each other before or not?
I am a huge proponent of seeing each other before the ceremony. The most important photos of the day are of you and your soon to be husband/wife, so why not take the time and get the most out of it? The bottom line is after the ceremony there is one hour to photograph before the reception. One hour to photograph your family, your entire bridal party and then whatever time is left over is for the bride and groom. This can be as much as 30 minutes or as little as 5. And by this time you are stressed from the family photo chaos. My opinion, take an extra hour and see each other before.
Here are just some of the reasons I recommend a first look.
– Intimacy: It tends to be a more emotional experience. You don’t have the pressure of several dozen (or even hundreds) of wedding guests staring at you as your eyes lock on to your fiancé’s. I create an intimate atmosphere with just the two of you. You are able to savor that moment when he first sees you, his jaw drops, and he’s speechless. Rather than standing 50 feet away at the end of the aisle with a sea of people between you, he is right in front of you, able to touch you, hold you. My first look photos are my favorites from my wedding! The look on Christians face is priceless!
-More time for photos: Like I mentioned before, by doing this we can dedicate some time to the most important photos of the day.
Daylight: Depending on the time of the ceremony, especially for winter weddings, there may not be very much light available afterwards. This will ensure you to get beautiful naturally lit photos.
-Cocktail hour: By taking photos before, it can give you more time to enjoy cocktail hour with your guests and who wouldn’t want that!
-Less Stress: Like I mentioned before, cocktail hour can be stressful, especially after corralling all the family members for photos. Do you want to feel stressed when it comes time for your bride and groom portraits?
Can you recreate pictures I find on pinterest?
This is a big point of contention for me and most other photographer. Although I love pinterest (I am on it daily getting recipes and looking up crafts), asking a photographer to copy other people’s photos is never a good idea. My advice in this regard is to look on pinterest when you are figuring out the style of a wedding you want. Find the type of photos that speak to you. Then use that board to figure out what style of a photographer you want. If you find a photographer with the same style as the photos you have already pinned, you are on the road to success. Once you choose your photographer, trust that they will produce the images similar to the ones you pinned. If you present me with a list of posed photos and I’m needing to constantly refer back to it every couple seconds, chances are that I may miss what is genuinely unfolding in front of me.
What does a timeline on a wedding day look like?
Your wedding day may look very different from another couples day. It just depends on what you want to have photographed. I recommend at least 6 hours of coverage in order to get everything you need without feeling rushed. Below are two examples. One with a first look (7 hour coverage) and one without (6 hour coverage).
Example WITH first look: 7 hours
1pm Photography Starts-ALL BRIDESMAIDS DRESSED, Brides Hair and Makeup ALL DONE. Photos of bide touching up makeup.
1pm Detail Shots: Shoes, Jewelry, Dress
1:20pm Bride Stepping into Dress
1:40-2:15pm Bride + Bridesmaids Portraits
2:30-3pm Groom + Groomsmen Portraits
3-3:45pm First look/ Bride + Groom Portraits
4-4:30pm Ceremony
4:30-4:50pm Family Portraits
4:50-5pm Whole Bridal Party Portraits
5:30pm Grand Entrance
8pm Photography Done
Example WITH OUT first look- 6 hours
2pm Photography Starts-ALL BRIDESMAIDS DRESSED, Brides Hair and Makeup ALL DONE. Photos of bide touching up makeup.
2:00pm Detail shots Dress, jewelry shoes
2:20pm Bride Steps into dress
2:30-3:00pm Bride + Bridesmaids Portraits
3:00-3:30pm Groom + Groomsmen Portraits
4-4:30pm Ceremony
4:30-4:50pm Family Portraits
4:50-5:00pm Whole Bridal Party Portraits
5:00-5:30pm Bride + Groom Portraits
5:30pm Grand Entrance
8:00pm Photography Done
Do you stay for a grand exit?
I can, but I find that it often isn’t necessary. I tell my brides and grooms that if they give me 5 minutes during the reception, I can give them a beautiful nighttime shot that we can put at the end of the album and it will be just as good, if not better, than that sparkler shot where you are all sweaty from the reception, your makeup has run off, and half the guests have left and the other half have had one too many drinks. That being said, for the clients who would like to pay for me to remain to the very end, I’m happy to oblige!
Take a look here at some nighttime shots I’ve used to close these clients’ albums.