Top 10 things your wedding photographer wants you to know

Number 1 – The Time of day your photos are taken is vital.

I think one of the most important things that people don’t realize is that the time of day that your wedding creative formals are taken is one of the most important aspects of your wedding photography. Picture this, it’s the middle of the day, noon, the sky is super white, the light is falling directly above your head and all you can see are raccoon eyes. The shadows underneath the trees are almost black and the lighting is just hideous. I’m a professional photographer, I have made schedules to resolve issues so that you can have the best photography possible on the day of your wedding, but when a bride and I are sitting down to make the schedule and it happened that the couples wedding creative fine art portrait are going to be taken anywhere near midday we always have to find a solution for better photography. Normally, if the schedule only permits this time allotment for photography, I would suggest we shoot photographs indoors. My suggestion is normally to rent a room at a beautiful hotel that allows for photography so that you can get dressed and ready and afterward we can take your photos. A hotel that has big beautiful windows where indirect sunlight comes in is always preferred. Normally you want to rent a room in a hotel that fits the look of your wedding so that all of the photographs have the same cohesive look. If you’re getting married in the middle of the day at an outdoor location like a park we normally want to schedule your actual creative couples photos towards the end of the day. The best time of day to take photos is 1 hour before sunset no earlier than 2 hours before sunset depending on the location. The quality of light, which in the world of photography is called Golden hour, makes for the most beautiful photographs. The light is warm and creamy and there are no shadows everything is soft and beautiful and it’s imperative for beautiful photographs. Here you can see the example of images taken at two different times of day and what a difference it makes to have your photography scheduled at the right time of day.

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Do you notice the photo taken mid-day has harsh shadows and lighting? Below you can see the creamy lighting and glow of the same couple during sunset.

And here is an example of photographs that were taken at midday but were taken indoors in a beautiful hotel with gorgeous window lighting.

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Number 2- Engagement photo sessions are always recommended.

Another thing that I always encourage my brides and grooms to do before their wedding is an engagement session. Not just because you’re going to have amazing photographs before your wedding with clothing that really fits your personality but also because you are going to learn how to pose before your wedding day. This is going to expedite the number of photographs that we can take on your actual wedding day because there will be no fumbling around trying to figure out how to execute my favorite poses. You’ll be an expert at that point and be able to easily transition seamlessly from pose to pose on your wedding day. Another great thing is that I won’t be a stranger showing up at your wedding you guys will already know me and you will feel a lot more comfortable on your wedding day knowing that you’re in the hands of an expert and you know that you can feel comfortable on the day of your wedding with me since we will already be buddies at that point. Another point is that you will know what style of photos you like before the wedding. For instance, during the engagement session, I may take some silly photos, some romantic photos, maybe some sexy photos, and I may do more serious photos. After you look at your photos you may realize that you don’t like silly photos or that you don’t want to do a lot of photos with your profile or you don’t like sexy photos. These are great things to know before the wedding so we don’t have to waste any time doing that style of photography if you’re really not into it. It eliminates a lot of wasted time on the wedding day. Plus you get what you really love for your wedding day photographs.

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Number 3 Shapewear.

Shapewear! Shapewear! Shapewear! Can I say shapewear one more time? Okay, I will … shapewear! Every woman in your bridal party, you included, should be wearing shapewear. Sometimes I show up to weddings and women are wearing Slinky satin dresses with literally no shapewear and you can see every lump and bump. It’s not super flattering. Good shapewear can make or break the look of your wedding bridal party. Especially if the dresses are slinky and the fabric is thin. Nothing wrong with showing off the body but a lot of times people don’t realize until after they see their photos how unflattering that fabric really made their body look. This takes me to number 4…

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Number 4 – Different body types means different dresses.

Allow every girl to choose the style of dress that she prefers in the color of fabric that you prefer. David’s Bridal does a great job of allowing every bridesmaid to be able to choose a style of dress that is flattering for her and her body style but at the same time keeping to the same fabric. A plus-size bridesmaid with larger breasts is not going to want a strapless dress. She is going to be spending the entire day pulling up her bra and dress. Some dresses are more flattering on some body types and others on other body types. I even like it when a bride chooses a color palette where all the dresses are not only different styles but slightly different colors as well.

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Number 5- Treat yo self.

Get your hair nails and skin worked on at least a few days before your wedding. Absolutely get your nails done at least a day or two before your wedding, and do not schedule them for the same day. I have seen weddings run hours late due to a nail appointment. Also if you’re going to have a spa treatment for your skin such as exfoliating or a facial you’ll want to call your dermatologist or spa expert to find out how early before the wedding you should do your treatments. Some treatments make you break out and you don’t want to be breaking out on your wedding but you do want to have freshly exfoliated because your makeup will look much better. Same with the guys they should get their haircut about a week before the wedding so they don’t look like they have a freshly cut hair. So that it looks more natural. You can find more information on Hair and Makeup tips before your wedding in a recent blog I published in collaboration with a professional makeup and hair artist. INSERT BLOG LINK

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Number 6 – Try to get a nice bright smile.

If you want a nice white Bright smile try Crest professional White strips or professional dental whitening a month before your wedding. It makes a big difference in the wedding photos when your teeth are nice and bright. I know it’s something a bit superficial but it does look really nice.

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Number 7- First looks are super sweet, intimate, and make for great photos.

Try a first look. I know, I know people are going to be up at arms about this. I know that the dream or the idea that your partner is going to see you walk down the aisle for the first time is a dream that we all have as children. Sometimes though, it’s almost a necessity. If you’re planning a sunset wedding it is almost a necessity to do a first look and get your photos before sunset then to have your formal creative fine art bridal photographs taken at night. Unless you’re getting married somewhere with lots of bright lights and it can be super creative and there’s a lot of background ambient light then I definitely do not recommend it. If you want more photographs of yourselves together a first look is also imperative. Normally there is 45 minutes between your ceremony and your grand entrance to take photos of the bridal couple. In my opinion being a photographer I feel like it’s never enough. For those couples that do a first look we normally do an hour before ceremony and then the 45 minutes after ceremony with all the bridesmaids and all the groomsmen, everyone together. It allows for more creative time and more artistic photographs. If it’s absolutely a no go with you I totally understand and respect the traditions and values that you grew up but I want you to realize that the idea that it’s bad luck to see each other before the wedding comes from a time when brides and grooms never met before the wedding. It came from a time when weddings or contract and a family business. The parents of the groom were afraid that if the groom saw the bride beforehand he would not want to marry her for fear that she was not attractive enough. The fear was that the groom would back out of the wedding. Those times and those ideas are far from our modern views.

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Number 8- Organization is everything.

I have shot hundreds and hundreds of weddings. I can tell you one thing right now, brides that are organized have more flawless weddings and brides that are late and disorganized have chaotic weddings. Personally I think that hiring a coordinator is the way to go. Not having to stress about every little detail and having someone else stress about those details for you is really nice if you can fit it into your budget. If it’s not something that’s in your budget there are plenty of wedding binders and books to help you get organized and not forget anything on the day of your wedding. There are literally hundreds of things you have to think about for your wedding day and something as simple as forgetting your ring, for getting socks can really put a wrench on your wedding day. Of course little things happen at every wedding and there is no such thing as a wedding that went perfectly without any mistakes. Being organized though, really does make a difference.

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Number 9 – Be prepared with a list of who you want photos with.

The funny thing about wedding photography is that I always feel like the most important photographs are the photographs of the bride and groom together and when I visit someone’s house that those are the photos that are going to be really big on top of the mantle but to be honest the photographs are printed the most are the family portraits on the day of the wedding.

Of course there may be one or two nice big creative fine art wedding portraits printed but most of the photographs that are printed are the family portraits. People that have big beautiful weddings are normally family-oriented people and therefore family portraits on the wedding day are a big priority.

It’s best to have a list made of everyone you want photographs with and either my assistant can shout out names of everyone as we need them or you can have someone like a brother or sister a cousin that knows everyone shout out names as we need them. It’s best to let every family member know to stay put after the ceremony and not go anywhere because family portraits are normally after ceremony, before everyone gets drunk and looks a hot mess after dancing. So stay organized and think about everyone that you want photographs with and breakdowns of those photographs. Of course we are always going to be flexible with people that are hanging around expecting a photograph even though they may not be on a list we are always happy to add as many people as needed to the family wedding portraits.

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Number 10 – Make the day last as long as possible because it’ll be over before you know it.

Be present! Nothing literally nothing is more important than being present on your wedding day. I know this is more of a personality trait as people that are present or normally present in their everyday lives but I have been told by bride that they were so happy I got pictures of the wedding cake because they don’t even remember seeing it let alone cutting it. People that tend to be stressed out will be even more stressed out on the wedding day so it’s important to remember to stay calm, be present, and have a good time. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to a wedding or I can tell that the bride wasn’t even enjoying herself at her own wedding. She looked stressed, hectic and completely in her head. Remember whatever is going to happen is going to happen, let it go and enjoy your day. You will never be surrounded by so many people that love you like you will be on your wedding day. You are there with your soulmate, the love of your life and you are about to start your life together. This is much more important than flowers and cold chicken and anything else that may go wrong on your wedding day. Enjoy your friends, enjoy your family get out on the dance floor and dance. If you need a drink to do that then have a drink and enjoy it’s your wedding day you have paid lots of money, hired lots of people to help make your wedding day smooth, and once the wedding day is here no matter what happens is going to happen so relax and have fun. Sometimes when I know that I have clients that are more in their head I tell them to set an alarm on their cell phone for every half hour to vibrate so that they can be reminded to be present. To stop look around at all the people that love them feel the energy of the room of all the love that is coming to them, smile, breathe, be present and enjoy.

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Thank you for checking out our blog if you are looking for Grad photos Orange County, Los Angeles County and Inland Empire area in California and if you love my work please contact me now! If you are ready to book your wedding, engagement, maternity newborn, family, sexy or boudoir or high school senior portraits please call Edna Eudave Square Eye Photography 714-420-8285 NOW! We shoot locally and globally.. contact me for pricing for destination wedding photography! I am in the historic home district of Whittier California in the North Orange County, South Los Angeles County area. The surrounding cities are