Tips

As you are planning your wedding, one of the best ways to enhance your photography is to add fun photographic moments into your day. While traditional photography involves the photographer posing people, photojournalism captures your wedding as it happens, and it can result in fun and genuine expressions. With a little pre-planning you can really add to the opportunities to make these photos awesome. The best advice we can give you is to DO things. People tend to be pretty static when left to themselves, which creates for static images. Here are a few ideas we’ve seen to create fun moments.

~ Make a fun exit on your way from the ceremony site to the reception. Some ideas are to have your guests blow bubbles, throw flower petals or bird seed, make an archway for you to run through with their arms, or if its at night, light sparklers.

~ Dance Dance! Try taking a couple of dance classes to learn a waltz or foxtrot for your first dance. Or just spend a fun Saturday night playing around with some spins and dips. If you have any dancers in your bridal party, encourage them to do a fun couple of minutes out on the dance floor. A little swing dancing or a funny break dance will get lots of great expressions from your guests.

~ Cool transportation. Limos, classic cars, your favorite pick-up truck, or even a horse drawn carriage or wagon!

~ Include family or cultural traditions. Talk to your friends and family, and find out what ideas they have. Things like a traditional tea ceremony, or your mother pinning on a broach from your grandmother can add meaning and memories to your day.

~ Stop at a river or lake and have fun on the beach, skip stones, or walk barefoot at the edge of the water.

~ Your entrance to the reception can also allow for some great candid's. Encourage your bridal party to do something fun when being announced in. Some goofing around is a great way to get into the spirit of the party.

Pay attention to backgrounds. If you have a chance to choose where you’ll be getting ready, try to choose a room with as little clutter as possible. Think about your ceremony and reception in light of your photos. Is there enough room for people to move around? Are there enough decorations so the reception site doesn’t look empty? Tall centerpieces, Japanese lanterns, white lights, and candles are just a few of the decorations that can add a lot to your photos.

Try taking photos a second location?
If there isn’t a nice outdoor spot at the ceremony site, it’s great to stop at a park or other location to get some more photographs.



A few other tips
~ Reserve an isle seat in the second or third row for the photographer- this will give us a clear view without needing to move around to much. Also, if you assign seating at the reception, please make sure that whatever table the photographer and assistant are assigned has a clear view of the head table. It doesn’t have to be close, but it’s much less distracting if we can get a good view with a zoom lens while sitting, than to have the photographer trying to weave through tables whenever you kiss or someone makes a toast.

~ Ask the bridal party to walk in slowly and make sure they look straight at the camera a couple of times coming down the isle. Often bridesmaids watch their feet when wearing long dresses and high heels. This is particularly true for outdoor weddings when bridesmaids are in high heel shoes and trying to walk on grass.

~ Make sure to try on your dress the week of the wedding. Wedding planning is stressful, and often people gain or loss a few pounds in the months before the big day. Often a little last minute tailoring can be needed. This also a good chance to try on your shoes for a while and make sure they are comfortable.

~ Check with your ceremony location to see what there policy is on double booking. Is there a chance that another wedding, or a funeral or other event will be there on the same day but at a different time? If so, ask how close events are scheduled.

~ A tip for outdoor weddings- don’t use a thin fabric or a paper runner. They tend to blow away and women's shoes punch right through them when they are laid on grass. Either have a heavy fabric runner, or throw rose petals and skip the runner all together.

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Lastly- Relax! Drink plenty of water, and enjoy your day!