Crazy wedding dress ideas for the eccentric bride – part 01

So you have a limited budget and you are a nutty kind of girl who would rather have root canal work than wear a poofy meringue wedding dress. I have some crazy ideas - have a look at what some of the designers have to offer in white. Keep an open mind and fly. I say bring back the mini wedding dress, that is if you have the legs for it.

The list of my favourite fashion haunts tomorrow ... tune in again.

Selecting the albums

The ideal album for me is the black leather deluxe. It’s timeless, neutral and keeps the focus on the images. A black background makes the images pop off the page. Don’t take my word for it, place a few pictures on light and then dark backgrounds and you will see what I mean. I get a few requests for white albums every year. If you choose a white album then I make you sign a piece of paper that says you understand white gets grubby and that you have to view the white album with cotton white glove (really).

When is a make up artist a good idea?

If you have bad skin. Very big nose or awkward features you may want to invest in a make up artist. Make up can go a long way when trying to hard dark marks, uneven skin tone and big noses. I would highly recommend a trial and that you see the make up in day light. Make up used to disguise imperfections will always seem a little heavy especially to someone not used to wearing make up, but you would be amazed to see the difference. For fun get a friend to come along and take a before and after picture to compare.

If I did my own makeup would that sound crazy? – part two

My recommendation would be to keep it light. I can fix anything picture wise with photoshop. I think lessons are a great idea. I would go to Mac or Bobby Brown and don't over do the tan (which is worse for pictures than shine). Both Mac and Bobby Brown will have anti-shine powders, you can keep handy on the day. I like a bride who looks like she is wearing no make up but has accentuated her best features. Darling you are gorgeous, no dominant features to hide or bad skin. Lots of mascara and a little lip gloss would be fine for the pictures. And you can feel secure in knowing that anything not perfect I can fix afterwards...

If you do find one and decide to hire a make up artist make sure you insist on a trial first.

If I did my own makeup would that sound crazy? – part one

Recently one of my favorite brides (yes I do have favorites), asked me the following question…

“I will even take some lessons to learn, my only fear is that apparently for the photos I have to wear makeup so I don’t shine. The problem is I don’t wear makeup ever, and I only go natural, so my fear is that if I do it myself I will look funny. I will get darker until the wedding so, is it important to invest in a makeup person?”

My reply to follow tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Selecting the images

Now if I do a good job this will be the worst job of your life. So where to start. Download the preview/ web folder onto your computer. Throw away those you hate. Start three folders, Love, like, unsure. Start to make a time line putting the most important and liked images in first. Many have to stop right there but if you don’t have enough in the love folder you can dip into the other two. Put them in order. Show them to close family and friends for opinions. Then do what your heart tells you.

The artist in you.

Often clients will say to me you are so creative, I don’t have a creative bone in my body. And I reply, with all my might, liar. Have you ever made a beautiful meal, bought a special gift, made someone laugh, danced alone to a song… the creative ideas are in there… your artist waiting to come out. The work shows who you are but you are afraid to let them out. Afraid you will be judged. It’s that little person in you who wants to play. Release the crazy happy artist in you on your wedding day and you are guaranteed the best day of your life.

Creating your wedding album

I think it’s important o have an idea or a theme. Somewhere to start from. Lets say you love 1950 vintage. We go in with black and white in mind but we have an open mind. Because if there is a gorgeous colour image it’s a pity to turn it into a black and white images because it does not fit into how you think the structure will be. Often we start with one idea and find the images tell us how they would like to be put together. And the album turns out much better than if you try to control the whole process. Creativity is a process and has a life of it’s own. If you are an artist you will know what I mean. Personally I believe all humans are artists.

How much of each style of wedding photography?

Reportage 70%
Portraits 10%
Details 5%
Groups 5%
Landscapes 5%

And lets save 5 % for the unexpected. The perfect balance is different for every couple. Some couple elope and it’s just the two of them. It’s impossible just to do candids of two people. As a general rule of thumb it’s harder to do reportage the smaller the group. With elopement couples we tend to like portraits the most. But we also do albums which are one hundred percent reportage. Many couples ask for reportage but when they show me which of my pictures they like, they nearly always show me posed pictures i.e. portraits which do not look posed.

Couples with small children – the advice

Look, you have already broken tradition by having a child out of wedlock. So break another for the sake of your child. Get ready early. Make sure they have their afternoon nap. No matter what. Be ready when they wake up. Cuddle and dress them. Give them a snack or bottle of milk. Then we can shoot your little family. Baby, mummy and daddy. You will all look and feel your best and the family snaps will be out the way. And just by being a little bit flexible you would have saved Baby and yourselves a lot of stress.

Couples with small children – an intro

Children and babies often get stressed on a wedding. Especial children who belong to the couple. They will be greeted and squeezed by a bunch of strangers. The whole routine will change and Mum and Dad will be very distracted. Then they dress the poor dumplings in something by DG and poor baby feels strangled. Baby misses her nap. Then usually dinner starts just when we are supposed to take her picture. She turns in psycho baby, Mum starts to not feel happy and then of course when the bride is unhappy… it’s only fair she makes the groom miserable too. How to avoid this nightmare?

Looking at the camera.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to make a portrait look natural is to have the subject not looking at the camera. The best is to completely ignore your photographer, unless asked to do otherwise. This does not mean you have to turn your back on them, but by not making eye contact with the lens you will help create natural images.

What is a wedding portrait?

Traditionally a wedding portrait is a posed image of a person. With them looking directly at the camera and with their eyes in focus. Naturally this is not a candid image. But sometime posing help minimize trouble areas like big noses or ears. But perfectly good portraits can be done candidly. Although not always the most flattering they are beautiful in their candid naturalness. It’s much easier to guarantee a good portrait with a quick natural pose portrait and then do few extra candid images. That way you will always have the posed one to fall back on.

How do I know if you are the photographer for me?

Have a look at my website to see the weddings displayed there from beginning to end. This way you can be sure I offer what you are looking for.

It is important to realise that the images, album, etc. are only part of what I offer. I also pride myself on offering the best kind of personal service. I encourage you to discuss all your thoughts and concerns with me. Each and every wedding is important to me and I spend a lot of time and effort on every detail, before, during and after the wedding. To get really good pictures you need to feel there is a friend who has an idea of who you are and what you want from the day of your wedding. I consider it part of my job to go this extra mile, since my photographs will be all that remain after the cake has been eaten.

We only have a small wedding and guest party, will you be able to take all the photos that are included in our package?

Small groups do not in any way restrict the number of photos that we can take, or the style and flow of the photos. We often photograph small, intimate weddings with small guest parties, and they always come out with a large selection of wonderful photos. Once, a party of 12 came out with around 2000 images.

What can I do to ensure that my photos will be great? - Part 02

It is also very important to give me ample time. The worst thing is to be running late and for the day to be a huge rush. The best time is in between the church and the reception. The more time I have, the better the photos will be. At this time we can take any group photos you like, but also some with just the bride and groom. This can be a great time for you to catch your breath and enjoy some time alone together.

What can I do to ensure that my photos will be great? - Part 01

It is important to realise that my level of photographic skill remains the same for each wedding. What makes the difference between “good” and “great” photos is when my clients have gone that extra mile. I love it when my clients play along with me, rather than try to hide from the camera.

How do I know how long I need to book you for?

It really depends on what you want and the kind of wedding you are having. For most weddings I arrive 1.5 to 2 hours before the ceremony to capture the bridal party getting ready and to take a few portraits of the bride and groom before the ceremony. Most people then like me to stay for speeches, cake cutting and a little bit of dancing at the reception. However, every wedding is different and I work to suit my clients’ wishes.

The video production and editing

Our videos usually play between 30 and 40 minutes after they have been edited. Most clients ask us to keep them to this length, as they don’t want them too long. But if you want it to be longer, say one hour, you can just let us know. You are also given all the original footage on small cassettes. A nice little touch is that you are also able to select the music you want playing in the background – why not choose your favourite songs?

Do we get to keep the negatives?

As I shoot digital, the negatives are essentially a DVD. As mentioned above, if you wish to purchase the DVD with the best 350 images of the day, this will be your set of negatives, which you can use to print and reprint as you wish. I also keep copies of the photos on DVD as a backup both for myself and for you.

What if I want to order additional prints?

Copies and prints of all the images taken at the wedding are available to order on the web. Should you desire, they may be protected from public viewing with a secret code. If you choose to purchase the DVD with the 350 best images of the day, you have my permission to print and reprint these photos, but you may not print or copy proofs (these are watermarked to prevent copying/printing).

Choosing the Traditional White album

While white albums are traditionally beautiful, we do try to steer people away from them – only because they become worn and dirty so quickly. If you do have your heart set on a white album, however, we do stock them - you might just have to invest in a pair of “album viewing gloves”. We are also now producing a coffee table digital album which can be white and laminated. A very modern funky effect and it’s wipe able. For those girls who won’t settle for anything but white. I repeat the silk white album is delicious but it’s like a pair of fendi shoes; beautiful but impractical.

Can I choose the photos for the album myself?

Usually my clients ask me to choose the images for their albums. This is because I have an artist’s eye and I am able to carefully construct the storyline and make the most of the themes and colours - not to mention that this is a painstaking and time-consuming process! Having said that, a wedding album is a very personal thing, and some clients like to choose their own photos. I am able to offer my clients the added option of digital proofing. This means I send you 350 images on CD (in small format, 300px by 300px, the same size my large images appear on my website). You can select from here the images you would like in your album. The 350 images will not have been touched up yet and so will look quite different from the finished product.

You say you shoot around 1000 photos on the day, however your packages offer only up to 100 photos in the album...

... What happens to the rest ?
For your album, only the 100 most fabulous photographs are selected. These will be chosen to tell your story, the story of your wedding day. I also give my clients the option to buy a DVD that contains 350 of the best images of the day. Why not all 1000? Well, with reportage photography, there are always a lot of funny faces, closed eyes, etc. I will place only the best 350 on the DVD.

How do I decide which package is right for me?

You need to ask yourselves:
Do you want a professionally presented album, with touched up photos, or do you just want all of your photos from the day given to you on a DVD so that you can make your own album?
Do you want a video made?
Do have a cake cutting ceremony at a set time that you want to be included?
Are you and your groom both getting ready at the same hotel?
Are your ceremony and reception located close together?
How many guests will you have?
What is your budget?

How do I make a booking?

The best way is to send me an email so that I can confirm availability, let you know about prices and answer any questions you might have. If you then wish to make a booking, I will hold the date for you. The booking will be confirmed once I receive a signed copy of the contract and a deposit.

What does ‘touching up’ photos mean?

When I touch up an image I use a computer program to bring out the best in a photo. I may make a number of alterations, from covering up any skin blemishes or imperfections to improving the light and enhancing the colours, for example bringing out the blue in someone’s eyes. This is done very subtly so that you would never know the image had been altered unless you had seen the original photo.

Colour versus black and white…

This will depend on your preferences. I usually try to shoot nearly everything in colour. Colour images can easily be converted to BW. I then choose which version to go with based on the mood of the scene. There are parts of the day I prefer in black and white. I really enjoy the ceremony in BW and the getting ready in bw. I also find that grooms look good in black and white.

Why digital? Part 03

With digital, there are very few ways you can loose the images. With film, that list is endless: a bad batch of film, the film doesn’t load, the film gets fogged, the lab messes up development, the film gets scratched or dusty… I just find using film much too risky for such a special day, and since I am responsible, it’s my job to minimise such risks.

Why digital? Part 02

I can immediately check that the image came out well.
The quality is just the same as film (and, I have to say, in some cases much better).
It allows me to work on the pictures afterwards, so I can take away that untimely spot, add subtle colour effects, etc – perfecting them just as if they were to be published in glossy magazines. This gives me an edge over traditional film photography, as the only way to touch up photos shot from film is to scan each image first, which results in a loss of quality.