1- Who is photographing my wedding?
Here are some interesting tips about your wedding Photography
So there's going to be a Wedding! I'm sure you have a number of things that you would like to know about Wedding Photography before the Wedding.
Please let me try and give you some suggestions that will help you and your photographer to record your memorable day in beautiful images. If I have not covered what you want to know, please give us a call at : 310-656-1155
1- Who is photographing my wedding?
You have hired a professional photographer to take
beautiful and memorable pictures of your special day. It is important that the
professional be allowed to do his very best. To this end, please ask your friends and
family to be sure and wait until the photographer has finished taking his pictures before
they start shooting. This is especially important during the formal pictures at the church
in front of the altar and at the reception during the cake cutting. There are two reasons
for this; first of all the photographer composes the formal pictures as well as those at
the reception to produce the best images possible for your album. Secondly, in most cases,
a professional photographer uses more than one flash unit both on the formal and cake
cutting pictures. These other units are called "slaves" which means they light
up just at the instant the flash goes off on the camera. The light from other people's
camera flashes will also trigger the "slave" to flash. The "slave" is
battery powered and requires a few seconds to recycle for the next flash. If the flash has
just gone off from another person's flash, the photographer might miss a good picture or
you will get pictures where his flash did not fire because it did not have time to recycle
- thus a bad picture.
2-How big a wedding album or package do I want -
how many pictures?
Well before your Wedding day, the couple should
sit down with members of your Wedding party, family, and friends and draw up a list of
pictures you want to have in your album and to give to others as gifts. In addition,
family and friends will want to have pictures also. The photographer should have a
standard set of pictures which he takes for most albums, but he has no way of knowing your
special needs if you don't tell him. You may want formal pictures with certain people - a
special friend or relative, for example, or you may want an informal picture at the
reception with a special person. It's always best to give him a written list of pictures
you want taken well in advance of the Wedding day so you can go over it with him. Some
photographers will have a check off list which shows the pictures that they usually take.
In addition, there should be space on the form for you to add your special requests.
3- How much time should we allow for the taking of
the formal pictures at the church?
This depends on the size of your Wedding. On
average, I would say most photography of this type takes one half hour or more depending
on the number of pictures wanted for your album and how many different groupings you would
like.
4-How can we cut down on the time it takes to do
the formal pictures?
To make this time as short as possible we suggest
that right after leaving the Wedding ceremony you and members of your Wedding party get
out of sight by going downstairs or into a side room. After the church is emptied, all
those participating in the formal pictures then return to the altar area and the
photographing can proceed very quickly. If you would like to have a receiving line, this
could be held later at the reception.
5-How to make the formal picture taking go smoothly
and quickly?
Before the Wedding, assign a friend or family
member to help the photographer locate the people who are to be in each of the formal
pictures. It may be necessary to have 2 helpers; one for the groom's family and one for
the bride's. Sometimes, someone - a groomsman or a parent, for instance - may leave the
sanctuary and this can hold up the photography for quite some time while the search is on
to locate them. The photographer is often accused of taking a long time to do the
formulas, when in fact it was the people being photographed who caused the delay. Please
request that all those who are to be in the formal pictures, remain in the sanctuary, or,
if they must leave, to let the "helper" know where they are.
6- How can we have more informal,
candid photographs at the reception for a minimal cost?
One way to get additional candid pictures of your
reception is to place the little, one-time-use, throw away cameras with flash on each of
the guest tables and ask them to take pictures. They return the cameras to you at the end
of the reception, you have them developed and printed and then have more pictures than you
ever dreamed of having. We have these cameras for sale at our studio. They are
attractively packaged with a wedding design of ribbons, flowers and rings.
7- Are there things I should do to make my
photographs better?
Special precautions at the reception for the
background behind the Wedding cake will result in better pictures. Avoid shinny walls,
mirrors, windows, exit or no smoking signs, coats racks, etc. The best backgrounds are
plain walls or drapes.
8- Should I decorate the cake cutting area?
Adding wall decorations or bordering the cake
table with flowers can add a lovely frame and color to the cake cutting pictures. Wall
decorations could include ribbons, paper bells, streamers, balloons or just a pastel drape
- all of which define and frame the area. If you use flowers in the church that are
arranged in pedestal baskets, these can be placed at the ends of the cake table, if there
is room. They add to the occasion and bring in more of your colors to the several
important pictures that are taken at the cake table. It is best to not have any balloons
on the cake table itself because they will cast shadows onto the bride and groom from any
side lighting that is used.
9- What else should I remember to bring for the
photographer's special photographs?.
At the reception, after the cake has been cut, we
always like to set up an artistic arrangement to show your wedding rings on your hands.
Included in this image are the bride's bouquet, the top of the wedding cake, the signed
Wedding Certificate, the wine or toasting glasses, and any other small remembrances of the
day. This results in a very popular picture for the album. Please arrange for someone to
bring the Wedding Certificate to the reception so that it may be included in the
photograph. This is a good assignment for the mother or father of the groom who can
sometimes feel a bit left out as far as helping out on the Wedding Day.
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