Category: For Brides

How to Create Ambient Lighting at Your Wedding Reception | Allie Skylar Photography

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bride and groom dance their first dance under twinkling lights at stroudsmoor country inn

Ah, the wedding reception.  The hard part is over and it’s time to relax!  It’s time to dance, catch up with family and friends, and eat.  But chances are, at this time of the night, there will still be important moments that you want your wedding photographer to capture.  First dance, Father/Daughter, Mother/Son, cake cutting…. just to name a few.  The natural light is probably gone, and those iPhone photos just won’t cut it anymore.

So how exactly do photographers create those dreamy, natural looking reception photos?  And what can you do to help?

Ambient light, my friends, is all it is!  Photographers set their cameras to absorb (for want of better words) any natural light that is flooding the room.  The aide of one or more flash is most definite, but too much flash and too little ambient light can lend to a very 1980’s vibe.  Most venues have plenty of ambient light, yet some, usually those with outdoor dance floors, might be lacking.  So here are some tips to set the room and get the most dreamy reception photos possible!

tables decorated for a wedding at the ballroom at ellis preserve

  1. Sting lights-  It’s that easy!  And bonus- it’s Christmas time, so lights are everywhere!  Make sure and get white or warm- multi-colored lights will make your photographer cry.
  2. Candles- Not always possible, but candles add a warm glow around the tables and cut the shadows.
  3. DJ uplighting- Talk to your DJ/Band about the available uplighting they might have.  Be wary of those laser lights with multi-colored dots- they can be a nightmare!
  4. Chandeliers- It’s a give-in.  If your reception has them, keep them lit for the special dances!
  5. Lit walls- You know those blankets of twinkling lights?  So so dreamy!  If you are trying to dress up a more rustic space (think brick wall) and can’t install an chandelier, these lights could be the perfect backdrop to your dances!

couple dance in the Ballroom at Radnor Valley Country Club

For those outdoor receptions, I suggest stringing larger bulbed cafe lights across the dance floor and adding TONS of lighting around the dance floor in the form of candles, lanterns, lights, etc.

You can never have too much ambient light.  Keep it soft, keep it neutral, and keep it in line with your vision.  If your DJ and Venue plan to get the dancing going by turning off the lights, make sure and leave just a few twinkling.

bride and groom dance their first dance at Edel Haus Farms in NJ

 

Desmond Hotel Wedding | Becky and Michael | Malvern PA

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Malvern-desmond-hotel-wedding-photographer-photo_0329

All eyes were on Becky as she turned and started walking down the aisle in the Ballroom at the Desmond Hotel towards her groom, string quartet playing quietly in the background.  Michael grinned ear to ear, and for those watching, he and Becky seemed to be the only ones in the room.  They exchanged their vows, beamed down the aisle, and boogied the night away.

I can’t recall a more calm bride on her wedding day.  Becky was the picture of poise, her joy overflowing.  As she snuggled on the couch between her mom and sister, rain began to fall outside, which seems to be a daily trend during the summer of 2017.  They chatted about old memories and inside jokes until is a fury of tulle, they shuffled off to the Desmond to marry her husband.

The rains stopped just after the ceremony and allowed us some much desired time outdoors.  Despite the fact that the air felt like soup, Becky and Michael were nothing but smiles.  If there is one thing about these two that you should know, it’s that their laughs are infectious.  When one starts, it’s hard to know where the other one ends in terms of laughs.  And Micheal… he’s always watching Becky laugh.  It’s the cutest thing ever, and I’m sure he won’t appreciate me saying this 🙂

The party started off with a bang and featured a shout out to the Eagles, solo dance offs from the bride and groom, and a grand bubble exit.

Congratulations Becky and Michael!  Thank you for having me along for your day!

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Wedding Photography Tips : How to Organize Your Clients and Your Business

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I am not organized.  Let me repeat that : I am not organized.  My work space is cluttered, my closet is…. well, don’t open it, and my receipts stay tucked in a box until tax season.  It takes a lot of work for me to be organized, but I know it is a priority.  My clients need to count on me, they need to know that I have information they have given me.  Not only that, they need to know that I know what information to ask them!  ]

Until recently, I as wasting a lot of time sending emails asking for information, then follow up emails asking for more information, etc.  It can be exhausting with so many clients, and I was tired of it.  I started making fillable PDF’s for different topics, and not only do I love it, so do my clients.  It helps me keep everything sorted (plus, I can send the file to my second shooter— bonus!), it instills confidence in my clients, and it leads to a better overall flow on a wedding day.

To all of my fellow photographers out there, don’t reinvent the wheel each time you send out an email.  Here are a few pages from the PDF I send out about 6 weeks before the wedding day.  Hope this helps someone!  Click below to see:

 

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Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and Library | Stacey and Josh | Philadelphia Wedding Photography

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romantic photo of bride and groom in tree lined grove at Hagley Museum

Have you ever gotten goose flesh?  I’m sure you have, but for what reason?  It scatters across my skin when I’m cold of course, but also when I hear a strikingly beautiful chord in a song, watch a dazzling scene in a movie, or stumble upon something truly remarkable in nature.  It’s a sign to me that I need to pay extra attention or I could miss something divine.  As I drove through the back gates at Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and came face to face with a tree lined grove that trailed up to an old DuPont mansion, a shiver ran up my spine and goose flesh erupted.  I knew this day, this wedding, and these two people, were something extraordinary.

Now you might think this is an incredibly odd way to open a wedding blog post, and I’m sure it is, but there is really no other way to describe the beauty that surrounded this day.  I will try, though.

When I first met Stacey and Josh last year for their engagement session, I was instantly smitten with them.  They were incredibly kind, laughed at my jokes, and came dressed like they walked out of the 50’s (which, come on, why did we ever stop dressing like that?).  I had every faith that their wedding day would be spectacular, every detail flawless, and I was right.

Let me break it down for you. Succulents.  Floor length veil. Blush color pallet.  Strings of lights.  Cascading wisteria.  Need I say more?!?  The Hagley Museum is one of my favorite venues to date.  We were threatened with rain the entire day, and luckily, it held off.  Stacey mentioned that she would have been more upset if it had rained for my sake than hers because she knew how much I would love it.  And she was right.

Stacey and Josh were married at the old Soda House Library, a glass and stone building set back from the main house in the woods.  Once vows were said and rings exchanged, we toured the grounds, for which there could never have been enough time.  There were times when it felt we had been transported to the deep south or the hills of Tuscany, with its fine stucco houses covered in lush vines.   We laughed and enjoyed the cool evening air and our sweet chaperone, Dot, gave us a private, photo filled tour.

It could have rained.  It could have poured!  Nothing could have dampened this joyful day.  Stacey and Josh, the credit is yours.  You could have been married in an alley wearing paper bags and it still would have been one of my favorite weddings (but I’m really glad that wasn’t Plan A!).

Enjoy this preview!  Video coming soon!  Continue reading “Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and Library | Stacey and Josh | Philadelphia Wedding Photography” →