After months of planning the finer details of your special day – the dress, the location, the guest list and more – your head will likely be spinning. But with so much to think about, it is important not to overlook your only opportunity to permanently capture your special day - your wedding photography.
According to the Bridal Association of America, each year couples spend nearly $5.2 billion on wedding photography, but your investment could fall short if you don’t plan ahead. Without realizing, there are 10 easy ways that you can take your photography from perfect to forgettable.
Top 10 Mishaps of Wedding Photography:
1. Not carefully choosing your photographer
Before choosing your photographer, take time to review their portfolio. If you don’t have someone with experience and skill, your photos will pay the price. Studios should provide album examples to review before you make your choice. If the studio does not allow you to choose your photographer, quickly move on!
2. Not chatting with your photographer a week in advance
It is important to discuss everything in detail with your photographer prior to the wedding day - don’t be afraid to be up-front about your expectations. Do your check in one week prior to the wedding so all instructions are fresh in the photographer’s memory. If you have specific requests, ideas to explore, or important don’ts to cover, express them. This is especially important because churches, synagogues, mosques and chapels may have specific areas that cannot be photographed. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises!
3. Not creating a photo "wish list"
Have you always dreamed of a romantic photo on top of a hill, in the middle of a field, or on a median along a busy street? Show pictures in magazines, old family photos, or any other visual to convey this to your photographer. From there, your wedding photographer should make your “wish list” happen.
4. Taking only stiff, posed pictures
Every album must have formal photos of the wedding party, but don’t let it stop there. It is important to have shots in a more relaxed setting – whether on the dance floor doing the electric slide or strolling around the reception.
5. Shooting at high noon
The sun is shining, the sky is bright, but what you may think is a perfect time to shoot is far from it. High noon sunlight creates harsh shadows on the face and doesn’t cast you in the best light – wait until the afternoon.
6. Sweaty, shiny photos
Of course it will happen - standing close together in full formal gear can turn up the body temperature. But don’t let shiny faces and (eek!) sweaty armpits take away from the special occasion. Be prepared with powder, anti-perspirant deodorant and paper towels!
7. Not scheduling enough time for the
photo sessions and driving time
It takes time to shoot pictures of the entire family, arrive at several different shoot locations and get all of those perfect shots with you and your hubby. Make your life easier – allot extra time for photography! As a plan of attack, get the large group shots finished first, starting with children and the elderly. Next, take pictures with the families and bridal party. Lastly, spend some alone time with your man and the camera, while the impatient herd heads towards the cocktail hour. After all, it is your day!
8. Badly positioned hands and feet
After several shots, you and your wedding party may become antsy – tapping fingers, leaning on one foot and fidgeting. It is important that your photographer works with you to keep everyone photogenic, focused and above everything else – comfortable.
9. Missing the small moments
There are signature special moments in a wedding – the bride and groom’s first kiss, the first dance between a father and new bride, the garter ceremony and cutting of the cake. But small moments - such as the flower girl smiling from the pew, a proud moment between the mother and father, grandma on the dance floor – cannot be missed!
10. Stopping photographs before the reception is over
Many couples want to turn the cameras off at 9 p.m., but some of the most memorable and interesting photos happen when the party really gets going. Keep shooting!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wow! I love my job!
We had a FABULOUS wedding in the Hamptons this weekend with a great couple! They had friends and family from the south (Georgia) come up to actually cater the affair. FROM GEORGIA!!! An amazingly beautiful bride and stunning bridesmaids along with a very handsome groom and gorgeous groomsmen! Then to top it off we had a fiftieth wedding anniversary today! The institution of marriage is an amazing thing. Our anniversary couple had their original wedding album at the event. We are so happy to have shared the day with them and look forward to a whole bunch of wonderful photos from this weekend. This is going to be one for the records. We can’t wait to get all of our new images up online for everyone to see. I have to say that Chris and I have been truly blessed with beautiful days and lovely people to work with this whole summer long but this weekend was the BEST. These are the times when we really relish being photographers…
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ramblings about a lot of STUFF...just STUFF
Hello friends...
AYWP has been so busy that there has been no recent Blogging, Facebooking, YouTube(ing) and you can totally forget about Twitter. Chris advises me that we have a Twitter account but I have yet to Tweet or would it be Twit? We have been updating our websites and we have been working on getting a new type of gallery up and running so that clients can purchase their images from a professional photo lab that has their color settings coordinated to what our cameras and computers are set to. We are still providing packages that gives our clients the rights to their images (copyright free DVD) and we are still keeping it simple by not locking our clients into a set number of proofs, prints, etc. So far our packages have been fabulously received but the only issue is that all photo labs print differently depending on their printer's settings and the type of paper they use. Also many computers are not calibrated for true color. Most people have their computers calibrated to factory settings so when you view your images on a computer they don't always look the way they end up printing. The images may appear richer in color or the complete opposite on a computer screen but when you get them printed, dependant on the lab that you use you will get a variation in the colors. We want all of our clients to be happy with our work and we want to make sure you get the best prints possible without costing you a fortune so we are working on doing what we think is best and suggesting that most images be shared on the internet via the share sites that I have posted in the past. The names of the sites are the actual hyperlinks to those sites so please use them. When you decide to print your images please consider choosing a few and printing from our website’s gallery. This is the way we can guarantee you are getting the best results.
Also in the works is post shoot editing on a number of events. We have had weddings, anniversaries, renewal of vows and portraits. Not to mention Birthdays and we actually spent a little time recently in New Hampshire. Those of you who know us know that Chris and I are avid riders. I have taken a number of images from the back of a Harley Davidson and am considering creating a gallery of images entitled just that "Shot off of a Harley". Well one of these days this will come to pass.
It really is wonderful and I certainly can't complain at the amount of work that we have had. We are now House Photographers for Miller Beach Surf Club as well as being added onto the vendor lists for the Historical Chapel and Coachman Limo. We are also planning on shooting a number of Art Pieces created by Mike of Michael Angelo Tattoo and Gallery. Mike has done some amazing work both on canvas, on Walls as Murals not to mention Chris' arm. He actually started out as an airbrush artist and co-owned Cycledelic Cycles on Long Island New York. It is truly amazing how much talent and vision Mike has and he is just the most easy going and happy person you could ever wish to meet. It is a pleasure to know people who are genuinely cool.
Ok, I think that is enough STUFF for now and I will continue with some other things in the near future.
Be Well!
Dollie
dollie@asyouwishphotography.net
AYWP has been so busy that there has been no recent Blogging, Facebooking, YouTube(ing) and you can totally forget about Twitter. Chris advises me that we have a Twitter account but I have yet to Tweet or would it be Twit? We have been updating our websites and we have been working on getting a new type of gallery up and running so that clients can purchase their images from a professional photo lab that has their color settings coordinated to what our cameras and computers are set to. We are still providing packages that gives our clients the rights to their images (copyright free DVD) and we are still keeping it simple by not locking our clients into a set number of proofs, prints, etc. So far our packages have been fabulously received but the only issue is that all photo labs print differently depending on their printer's settings and the type of paper they use. Also many computers are not calibrated for true color. Most people have their computers calibrated to factory settings so when you view your images on a computer they don't always look the way they end up printing. The images may appear richer in color or the complete opposite on a computer screen but when you get them printed, dependant on the lab that you use you will get a variation in the colors. We want all of our clients to be happy with our work and we want to make sure you get the best prints possible without costing you a fortune so we are working on doing what we think is best and suggesting that most images be shared on the internet via the share sites that I have posted in the past. The names of the sites are the actual hyperlinks to those sites so please use them. When you decide to print your images please consider choosing a few and printing from our website’s gallery. This is the way we can guarantee you are getting the best results.
Also in the works is post shoot editing on a number of events. We have had weddings, anniversaries, renewal of vows and portraits. Not to mention Birthdays and we actually spent a little time recently in New Hampshire. Those of you who know us know that Chris and I are avid riders. I have taken a number of images from the back of a Harley Davidson and am considering creating a gallery of images entitled just that "Shot off of a Harley". Well one of these days this will come to pass.
It really is wonderful and I certainly can't complain at the amount of work that we have had. We are now House Photographers for Miller Beach Surf Club as well as being added onto the vendor lists for the Historical Chapel and Coachman Limo. We are also planning on shooting a number of Art Pieces created by Mike of Michael Angelo Tattoo and Gallery. Mike has done some amazing work both on canvas, on Walls as Murals not to mention Chris' arm. He actually started out as an airbrush artist and co-owned Cycledelic Cycles on Long Island New York. It is truly amazing how much talent and vision Mike has and he is just the most easy going and happy person you could ever wish to meet. It is a pleasure to know people who are genuinely cool.
Ok, I think that is enough STUFF for now and I will continue with some other things in the near future.
Be Well!
Dollie
dollie@asyouwishphotography.net
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tips for choosing a photographer
Always speak with the photographer and definitely try to meet with them prior to booking your event. Be clear about what you want to accomplish and advise them about what you do not like so they can avoid it. Make a list of the things that you would like to have. Don't drive yourself crazy about what you can afford to have. Just list it. Decide what you would like in each category -Prints? -Album?-Enlargements or additional albums for special people? -Enlargements or wall portraits for myself? -Do I want the photos on copyright-free DVD so I can make reprints?
You will likely spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than with any other person (other than your new husband or wife). You really want to select someone with a personality that will make all of the event and together time as comfortable as possible! So how do you tell if they are right for you? Just look at the way he or she communicates with you. Is he or she patient? Friendly? Easy to be around? Do you feel comfortable with him or her?
You will likely spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than with any other person (other than your new husband or wife). You really want to select someone with a personality that will make all of the event and together time as comfortable as possible! So how do you tell if they are right for you? Just look at the way he or she communicates with you. Is he or she patient? Friendly? Easy to be around? Do you feel comfortable with him or her?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Free Image Hosting Sites
Name | Description | Storage |
Free uncensored image hosting website. | Unlimited | |
Free and paid photo sharing, prints, selling site. | Unlimited | |
The most popular one. Basic account is free. | 100MB/month | |
Free and premium membership photo hosting. | 50MB | |
Share pictures through online photo diary, photo blog. | 1 Pic / day | |
The popular free image, video hosting site. | Unlimited | |
Photo sharing software and website . | 30MB | |
Free standard with 1 completed transaction per year. | Unlimited | |
Geolocation-oriented photo sharing website. | 2GB | |
The most popular one. Up to 500MB of space for free. | 500MB | |
Photoshop.com is available in English for US residents. | 2GB | |
Free online photo sharing and unlimited photo storage. | Unlimited | |
A popular free online photo hosting from Google Inc. | 1GB | |
Photo sharing, photo slideshows, and image hosting. | Unlimited | |
Free and unlimited picture storage. | Unlimited | |
Free online photo uploading and sharing. | Unlimited | |
One of most popular photo and video sharing services. | Unlimited | |
1000 photos + 100 more each month of membership. | 1000 Pics + | |
No limits on uploading, storing, and archiving photos. | Unlimited |
All free site hyperlinks are in GREEN. Please feel free to share these with your friends and family. Let me know which of the sites are your favorites.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Lucky Laces Casino Night
AYWP was happy to donate our time to Lucky Laces on May 13, 2010 for a fundraiser to help raise money to get Pat Budani a replacement vehicle and wheelchair. Pat was trapped in his car which had caught fire and was saved by a member of the Huntington Hospital staff. The story was on Channel 12 news for a few days. The images from the fundraiser have been posted on our Picasa Web Album.
Please visit Lucky Laces at http://www.luckylaces.org/. Once you read a little more, hopefully, all of you would be willing to help.
We are proud to have been a participant of the event and will continue to help for this very important research foundation.
Thank you and we will share more about it later.
Please visit Lucky Laces at http://www.luckylaces.org/. Once you read a little more, hopefully, all of you would be willing to help.
We are proud to have been a participant of the event and will continue to help for this very important research foundation.
Thank you and we will share more about it later.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Online Galleries of Weddings Posted by Photographers as Opposed to Bride and Groom Posting Their Own Images ~ Looking for Feedback
The other day we posted an image and a link to an online gallery to view images on Picasa. We are often asked about online galleries and what we have done in the past, and still continue to do, is to give our clients their images on a high resolution DVD of which they own the rights. They can choose to share, print, email, post, do anything they want with their images since we give our clients the rights to everything. Also, the bride and groom can pick and choose what they want to share instead of having all of their images up on the web (this is especially important to some brides who are very self conscious - even though every bride is stunning on her special day many women can be very critical of themselves). We have been asked about online galleries in the past and below is a short explanation of why we don’t use them. But we are considering a change.
Many Photographers have online galleries for people to view and purchase the images as well as cool merchandise but what most people don’t realize is that these galleries are run by companies (which I am not going to name so I don’t get in trouble) that have you sign in and create an account in order to view the images. The only issue with some of the companies is that you begin to get bombarded with emails trying to sell products and it reads as though they are coming from the Photographer but are in fact from the company itself. It is a marketing tool on their part to increase sales since they get a cut of anything purchased. They cater to the bride and groom’s parents and other family members. Anyway, we have always steered away from this because we know that we hate getting mass emails trying to sell us a lot of garbage. Also, these emails inevitably begin to be ignored and when we send an actual email out that we need to get a response to we are then ignored.
We would like to try to use Picasa since they don’t seem to send as many emails and the emails will be coming directly from Picasa if they do send anything. This is where we need our clients and friends feedback. So we hope to hear from you.
Thanks. I will post again soon, so until then…be well.
Many Photographers have online galleries for people to view and purchase the images as well as cool merchandise but what most people don’t realize is that these galleries are run by companies (which I am not going to name so I don’t get in trouble) that have you sign in and create an account in order to view the images. The only issue with some of the companies is that you begin to get bombarded with emails trying to sell products and it reads as though they are coming from the Photographer but are in fact from the company itself. It is a marketing tool on their part to increase sales since they get a cut of anything purchased. They cater to the bride and groom’s parents and other family members. Anyway, we have always steered away from this because we know that we hate getting mass emails trying to sell us a lot of garbage. Also, these emails inevitably begin to be ignored and when we send an actual email out that we need to get a response to we are then ignored.
We would like to try to use Picasa since they don’t seem to send as many emails and the emails will be coming directly from Picasa if they do send anything. This is where we need our clients and friends feedback. So we hope to hear from you.
Thanks. I will post again soon, so until then…be well.
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