I’m calling them the ‘UNTHINKABLES’. It sounds ominous enough, but really, it’s just a list of things that the everyday bride and groom would never think of— and frankly they shouldn’t have to! These are the little tips and helpful solutions to ensure photos are even more amazing! I’ve shot countless weddings in the last 4+ years and after every wedding, I come away thinking “Oh I wish….”. So I am putting those wishes to paper for future couples everywhere. How can you help your wedding photographer and in turn your self? Read on.
UNTHINKABLE #1 | Housekeeping
As funny as it may sound, I wear a lot of different hats on a wedding day. Yes, I am photographer extroadinaire first and foremost. But did you also know I landscape, feng shui, and clean? Yeah. Brides typically bring an entire TEAM to help them get ready. And with this team comes buckets of makeup, hair tools, odds and ends, food, food, and more food! So by the time I need to photograph the bride getting into her dress, there can be stuff everywhere. It’s a great idea to designate 1) a staging area which will be kept clutter free for the bride, 2) a bridesmaid to tidy up, or 3) a storage area for bridesmaids to keep their stuff.
UNTHINKABLE #2 | Hangers
Hangers is a funny one. It seriously is something no one thinks about! Brides have the most amazing dresses which 90% of the time come from the shop on a plastic hanger. Yikes. Wooden hangers are $5 for a pack at Walmart. A simple change can up the WOW factor!
UNTHINKABLE #3 | Prime Sunlight Times
I know that a lot goes in to planning the time frame of your wedding day. I get that photographers are at the bottom of the priority list, and we should be. However, if you are given the choice of how your day can play out, consider the lighting for your portraits. Prime lighting is about 90 minutes before sunset. Not always achievable. But anything closer to sunset is going to be better than midday. Sunlight is such an important factor for photographers, and for me, it’s an important factor because I know the right sunlight will deliver my clients even better photos. It’s not coming from a selfish point of view, it’s coming from me wanting to give my clients the very best they can have.
UNTHINKABLE #4 | Ambient Light
Mmmmmm more on the light topic. What can I say, Photography literally means ‘drawing with light’. I love nothing more than some moody venues. So dreamy. However, a simple string of cafe lights can make or break the mood. Many couples are able to have some input with how their venue is decorated. If you have the chance, take it, and string up some ambient light. But don’t photographers have flash? Why yes, of course, and I can guarantee that even with string lights, photographers will use their flash. However, providing ambient light, such as string and cafe lights as mentioned, or candles, etc, allows the photographer to use much less flash and instead set their camera “wide open” to soak in all of that glorious, moody, romantic ambient light. Pro tip- Cafe string lights can often be found in the Target Dollar spot.
These are just the first batch of UNTHINKABLES. More to come, but for now, soak these in like a sweet ray of ambient light.
xoxo