Wedding Photography Tip #8

Wedding Photography Tip #8-- Tailoring

Wardrobe malfunctions simply should not be a part of your wedding day. Who wants to constantly be tugging at a dress or fussing with a bustle? A big reason why the planning books tell you to purchase your dress so far in advance is not simply that they can take awhile to come in, but also so that you have time for alterations.

Strapless dresses probably make up about 90% of the gowns that we see now. But I would guess only about 50% of those are actually fitted properly. A strapless gown should fit comfortably from the top through the entire bodice. Making the very top as tight as possible or just having the bodice fit isn't the answer. Gowns with straps should also fit comfortably, but the straps need to be triple checked for a no-slip fit.

Wearing a dress that is too tight in any area is not only uncomfortable, but it really does not photograph well. Many strapless dresses also have a corset back which can help to create a custom fit. Make sure whoever will be dressing you on the wedding day has practiced lacing the dress (and knows how to bustle it)! Oftentimes we see a corset dress cinched waaay too tight in a very Scarlet O'Hara-esque attempt at a tiny waist? The end result is an uncomfortable bride and some unsightly bulges at the top of the dress! :)

If your dress does not fit correctly it will have a definite impact on your day-- photojournalistic shots of a bride tugging at the top of her dress all day aren't exactly what most brides have in mind. There are lots of great seamstresses and tailors here in Tallahassee and Thomasville that can help fit your dress. Be prepared for this to take two or even three fittings and many weeks to accomplish! If you are still worried about how the dress will fit for the wedding day, try wearing it for awhile. Wear it around the house, or even better, for a bridal portrait session so that you know how the dress will fit and feel, but you will also know how to walk in it!!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Wedding Photography Tip #7

Wedding Photography Tip #7- Makeup!

How many times have you heard that you need to wear extra dark or heavy makeup for photos? It seems that almost every bride is told to apply her wedding makeup dramatically different than the way she normally wears it. The result? Photos of a bride who looks NOTHING like the real person!

Makeup for photography is NOT like stage makeup-- there is NO need to apply extra heavy eye makeup or a dark shade of lipstick. The best makeup for photography enhances your natural beauty using natural colors. You want to look like a more glamorous version of yourself, not a completely different person!

For eye makeup, try to not use very heavy eyeliner or a very dark eyeshadow. Your eyes will be lost in the darkness of the makeup. Many girls are now wearing false eyelashes which can have a very dramatic look. If you are not familiar with applying these eyelashes or if you are not very comfortable wearing them, they can create many problems and become very troublesome! They can take a good amout of time to apply and if they are not applied correctly, you may blink a bit, they can irritate your eye and cause you to tear up-- in addition to your wedding emotions!

I advise my brides to choose a long lasting lipstick. Although you will be able to check your makeup a few times, trying to reapply lipstick all day is nearly impossible! We have also seen many brides inadvertantly get lipstick on their dresses-- from it getting on their hands, champagne glasses, etc.

Another problem we encounter often is glitter. Glitter reflects light-- thats what makes it glitter. So, when we use any type of flash for our images, parts of the glitter will reflect back at the camera. Also, glitter in lotions and powders tends to rub off-- on your dress, on your Groom's tux, on your dad, etc. We want YOU to shine through your images, not your skin and hair to literally glitter! :)

The moral of the story? You need to be yourself and look like yourself. Then, when you look back on your images 30 years from now, you will recognize the face looking back at you!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Wedding Photography Tip #6

Wedding Photography Tip #6-- Be Organized!

There are thousands of details that go into a wedding-- from booking your vendors, to selecting food, printing programs, scheduling arrivals, etc. It's easy to get overwhelmed! I smile whenever a bride comes into the studio with a book in hand that is stuffed with information sheets, fliers, magazine tear-outs and scribbled down phone numbers. There are so many things to keep track of, it is difficult to manage the amount of information that has to be coordinated (hence the creation of the "wedding coordinator")!

Start early. Earlier than you think you should. Get all your vendors booked as soon as possible, so that is set in stone. Get the dresses ordered so you are not stressed with last minute alterations. The bride's mantra-- if it can be done now, DO IT! :) No matter how well you plan or how organized you are, the last few weeks before the wedding are inherently chaotic.

Do everything in writing and make sure you have a copy as well as the vendor. For instance, when your groom and groomsmen are measured for tuxes, keep a carbon copy of the order with their measurements on it. If for some reason, the tux orders are not correct or happen to get misplaced, you have a copy of everything.

Keep your contracts! There are tons of cute bridal planners out there, but you may want to invest in a theee ring binder and sheet protectors. Every contract you sign is placed in the binder and put away for safe-keeping. This way, you can always refer back to the contract to clarify the services and products that you have agreed on. Keep your emails! A lot of wedding planning is now done via email, so instead of keeping your paper trail, keep all your electronic documents in a folder.

When you are working with the photographer on your itinerary, why not provide a copy to all the major players? The DJ, caterer, coordinator, officiant, family, bridal party, etc. Its OK to give people too much information-- its better than keeping them in the dark!

Some of you might be wondering how organization relates to photography, but I promise when you see a bride completely stressed out searching for a contract to contact a missing vendor, you will understand! :)

www.longsphotography.com

Wedding Photography Tip #5

Wedding Photography Tip #5-- The dreaded formals!

For so many people, the formal portraits are the most dreaded part of the wedding day, but they don't really have to be! Three things you can do to make it less tedious--

1. Find a photographer who has fun with the formal groupings and who works quickly.
2. Accomplish as many of the formals before the ceremony as possible (even without the bride and groom seeing each other!)
3. Limit the number of people and different groupings.

We have done SO many weddings where we spend well over an hour (sometimes two!) after the ceremony working through a formal portait list. This is a major concern for most couples, as they do not want to leave their guests sitting idle for so long (and they also don't want to get face fatigue from smiling so long!)

One of the easiest solutions is to allot some portrait time BEFORE the ceremony. We like to have 45 minutes with the Bride, Bridesmaids and Bride's immediate family followed by 30 minutes with the Groom, Groomsmen and Groom's immediate family. This way, the only shots to take AFTER the ceremony include BOTH the bride and groom.

Sometimes we have six different groupings that either simply add one person or remove one person. Othertimes we have large family groupings that can involve 30-45 people and take 10-15 minutes to set up! The sad thing about both of these situations is that for the most part, the images are not included in an album and no one orders a print of these images, so they are left in photo purgatory.

We advise couples to use their post-ceremony portrait time for the images that are the most meaningful to them. Do you really want an image with your second cousin Larry and his third wife Wanda? If so, do you want it to be in your formal portraits, or do you want to grab a fun shot with them at the reception?

We spend our post ceremony portrait time working from the largest groups to the smallest so that we can send people on to the reception when we are finished. It also means the bride and groom's portraits are last, so they can have a few quiet minutes alone. Unfortunately, this means that their portrait time can be cut short when family members cannot be located for group portraits, or when mom insists on adding another 10 groupings.

While we never limit the number of formals that you can have or the time we will spend on portraits, we do recommend spending some planning time thinking over the groupings you would really like to have. Also consider when they would be best-- before the ceremony, after the ceremony or as a relaxed reception portrait?

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Wedding Photography Tip #4

Wedding Photography Tip #4-- Be Confident

Most people become self-conscious in front of a camera lens. They worry how their hair looks, if there is anything in their teeth, or if those pants do indeed make their butt look big. For the most part, the same is true for couples on their wedding day-- and it shouldn't be!

Most people never look better than they do on their wedding day! You have on very expensive clothes tailored to fit your body, you have hired someone to do your hair (and maybe your makeup), and most of all YOU ARE HAPPY!

While you might not be a model, you can have images from your wedding that make you look like a model! Most couples today want modern, contemporary, photojournalistic images from their wedding. To achieve this, your photographer needs something to capture. If you and Mr. Right just stand stiffly and stare at one another, its not documenting what you had envisioned.

The photographer should have a few tricks for getting you to relax and interact, but you also need to do your part. Let go of your inhibitions, trust the artist you hired, ham it up and have fun! Don't be afraid to laugh! My favorite images of all time are when I get a couple to laugh out loud.

Don't take posing too seriously! If something doesn't feel right to you, change it up! If you feel like kissing, running, skipping, etc. just do it! Your photographer will tell you if something isn't working, but if you are having fun, chances are they are getting a lot of great images!

A great way to prepare is to have an engagement session. Learn how your photographer poses, how they direct and how you both feel in front of the lens. The same advice holds true-- be yourselves and have fun! Once you see how awesome the images are, you will be even more ready for a great shoot on the wedding day!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Wedding Photography Tip #3

Wedding Photography Tip #3- Controlling the Paparazzi

Every wedding has them. The aunt, uncle, friend, etc. who is an avid photographer and sees your wedding as a great opportunity to practice their hobby. They have the best of intentions-- they want to capture some of the wonderful moments to share with the bride and groom! What could be bad about that?

These loving paparazzi can be one of the biggest challenges at a wedding. We have seen brides who cannot get down the aisle because of a horde of their loving paparazzi. We have been pushed aside so that a friend can grab a moment on a camera phone. We have literally thousands of group portraits where part of the group is looking at someone else's camera.

A professional photographer is hired to photograph a wedding and capture all of those special moments. Although the guests intentions are wonderful, the result is often less than ideal. We actually request that no other cameras are allowed during our formal portrait time so that we can produce as many outstanding images as possible during our limited time. We want our couples to not only receive amazing images, but we also want to get them to their reception as quickly as possible! Nothing makes a crowd more restless than a photographer who takes forever to get the couple to the reception!

What is the solution? How can you ask these dear friends and family to put down their cameras?? Well, you don't really have to. The best solution is to ask them to cover what the professional photographer cannot. While we are photographing formal portraits, there are lots of things we cannot be doing! We cannot photograph the cocktail hour, the mingling of your guests, or the decorated tables before any guests are seated. While we are photographing the first dance, we might not be able to see your sister at the back of the crowd with tears rolling down her face. Those memories are just as precious and are actually more of a gift to the couple than a duplicate photo of what the professional has already produced for them.

www.LongsPhotography.com

Wedding Photography Tip #2

Wedding Photography Tip #2 Hire Vendors You Trust and Have Confidence In

Probably the biggest part of planning a wedding is meeting with and hiring vendors. Whether it is your DJ, Cake, Dress, Venue, Photographer, etc. it can be an overwhelming task. The best way to start? Recommendations. Ask your friends and family. Once you have chosen a venue, ask them. Every vendor you meet with can also provide you with recommendations for other vendors. Typically, wedding coordinators, photographers and DJs can provide you with the best recommendations, as they are at events all day long and know other vendors well.

When you meet with a vendor, try to be as specific as you can about the things that are important to you. Look carefully at any samples the vendor shows you-- are they what you are looking for? Does the vendor seem to care about your concerns and your wishes? And finally, when you leave the meeting, do you have a gut feeling that the vendor will be able to fulfill your vision?

This is probably most important with your photographer. You need to have full confidence that your photographer is not only competent, but also that they can create the artistic vision you have in mind. Every photographer is not for every bride. Photography styles differ drastically between individuals, so it is important to look beyond price and package offerings.

When you trust your photographer, they have the ability to create masterpieces. You know they are the best and when they ask you to take a risk and try something new, you have the confidence to do it. When they tell you that the lighting at the beach at noon isn't the most flattering, that it would be better to take photos inside the beach house, or in the shade of the pier, you know they are right.

The trust extends beyond the images as well. You have to trust that the photographer will reserve your date, that they will show up, produce quality images, deliver the products and conduct themselves in a professional manner. If you doubt any of those things, then you need to continue your search for a photographer.

If you are a skeptical kind of person and your gut feeling isn't enough, don't hesitate to ask for referrals. A photographer should have no problem giving you a list of past clients that you can contact. You can also do things like contact the BBB, post on a local message board for feedback, ask other vendors about their experiences with the photographer, etc.

My biggest advice is to never sign a contract with someone you don't have full confidence in-- regardless of what the contract is for. Ask questions before the contract is signed and don't let any vendor pressure you into signing a contract with a special offer, a fear of losing a date or any other sales tactic.

When you have full confidence in the vendors that you have hired you are able to relax and enjoy your wedding!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Wedding Photography Tip #1

The massive tidal surge of weddings and portraits has slowed slightly, so I thought I would start something new for the summer. As spring 2008 brides are now booking their vendors, I thought it would be a great opportunity to put out a series of wedding photography tips for brides. After more than 100 weddings, Olyn and I have pretty much seen and heard everything, so we thought we would give back a little and share some hopefully sage advice!

Wedding Photography Tip #1 Manage Your Time

Your wedding day will pass by faster than any other day in your life. There is no getting around it, so you need to have reasonable expectations for your time. Many of your vendors- photographer, caterer, dj, etc. will work with you to develop a timeline for your day. Staying on time with a wedding is a rarity, so the best piece of advice I can give you is to fib. That's right, just lie to your bridal party and family! Tell them they have to be dressed for photos at 3, when they actually don't have to be ready until 3:30. This gives them a half hour to be late (you hurry when you're late) and it won't affect your wedding day schedule at all.

I also recommend building in extra time for the unexpected. If your stylist says you will be finished at 1:00, just plan to be finished at 1:30. The worst that happens? You are early and you have time to sit, relax and check out all the details that you so meticulously planned! Or you have extra portrait time with your photographer and you get some really awesome shots! (YIPPEE!)

Weddings can be very stressful events and being in a time crunch magnifies the stress. Do you want to be a bride that is running ragged because she is late, or do you want to be a calm, serene bride who can take her time and enjoy her day?

www.LongsPhotography.com