[frame]We believe that your photos should be about your wedding day – Your wedding day should not be about your photos[/frame]
One of the best ways to ensure you get fantastic wedding pictures is to allow your phtographer the time to take them
Great photographs need great light and sometimes this needs to be engineered.
Great photographs also require a little dram in terms of expression and posing and this can take a little time as well.
Allow some time for the magic to happen and it will.
Weddings plans are a little like birth plans, however, and on the day, things can often get a little rushed.
We have many years experience of creating great photographs from less than ideal situations. Not enough light, too much rain, too little time, and so on. We’ll orchestrate your big group shots so these pictures get taken with the minimum of fuss, we’ll capture whatever is going on, all the time. We will always get great pictures of your wedding, no matter what curveballs are thrown our way, but it always helps to plan as much as possible.
With this in mind, here are some things for you to consider…
Since we don’t charge by the hour, we highly recommend that you allow us to arrive early. Even if your hair is in curlers and your make-up’s not on.
Firstly, it helps us to blend in if we get there from the start. Allowing us to achieve more natural pictures. Secondly, we can spend more time taking detail shots of the dress, shoes, jewelry etc and we can then take some lovely pictures of you applying finishing touches to your make-up.
Get into your dress an hour before leaving fro the ceremony and make sure the Bridesmaids are ready before you are.
Pictures of you getting ready look better if everyone around you is looking dressed. When you’re ready we can then take some beautiful, relaxed portraits of you and your bridesmaids without feeling rushed.
After the ceremony, we generally like our couples to enjoy the moment and spend half an hour or so with all their guests. If it’s at a church, we’ll be photographing all that’s happening in a fairly discrete way and also arrange the confetti throwing.
Group shots after this and we feel these deserve special mention.
By all means, make a list of group shots you’d like and let us have them before the event but do please give a copy top the best man as well. He’ll know who the guests are in each group and will be able to round them up. (Brief him beforehand)
The list should include no more than 5 or 6 groups. ( Typically – close family members on both sides, the guys with buttonholes, the bridesmaids and flowergirls.)
Other, non family groups can be taken at the reception or later in the ‘mini-studio’
Remember to always allow 20 – 30 minutes photography time for intimate couple shots at the church and a further 30 minutes or so at the reception. (Sometimes we’ll set up some lights while your having your wedding Breakfast and ‘borrow’ you again during the coffee)
So… on a typical church wedding, allow an hour for the service and half an hour for the mingling. Then another 45 minutes or so for the group shots and couple shots.
Factor in the travel time to the Reception and another 45 minutes or so to create some less formal, more relaxed pictures of you and your friends.
From end of church service to Meal – that’s around two and a half hours (depending on travel time)
In Summer – we generally find it harder to photograph outside between mid-day and 4pm. This is when the Sun creates the harshest light.
In Winter months, however, photographs become more challenging outdoors from around 5pm.(This time, because of lack of light)
One other important point to consider when scheduling your day.
We photographers love the ‘golden hour’ which is when the light from the sun is the most magical and this is the hour leading up to Sunset. We would encourage you to allow us to photograph you outside during this time and to consider carefully how to fit this around the Meal and the speeches. ( Which often happen around the same time)
To find out when the Sun sets on your wedding day , click here… http://timeanddate.com/
Hopefully, all this information will allow you to be able to plan the timetable for your day and allow enough time for some fantastic photography.
We understand that even the best laid plans sometimes fall apart though, so, rest assured, whatever happens on the day, we’ll capture pictures you’ll cherish forever.
Allow enough time for pictures of the groom
arriving early allows us to photograph the important details
The Golden hour is the best time to shoot outdoors
groups like this require a little effort to set up
These kind of shoots can be set up during the meal
the couple took a car to the wood and we lit this with a video Light. Effort which pays off.
Lit behind by the Sun and in front by a large flash. Worth the effort? we think so.
One of the rainiest days of the season. Lit by video Light. Instant Sunshine!
The bride and groom are individually lit by flash. Time taken again pays dividends
TO FIND A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN YOUR AREA – CLICK HERE – http://www.findaweddingphotographer.co.uk
