Photography Advice to Brides...

You and I want your pictures to be the best. There are certain things that you can do to ensure bettter pictures everytime. They are mostly simple things,but some brides underestimate their value.

1. If at all possible stay away from an solid white bouquet. White bouquets are very boring in pictures, in fact the more colorful the bouquet the more your picture will pop. Also, I enjoy doing what's called color tinting photos for a dramatic picture if your bouquet is all white there will be no need to color tint
2. Time of day- The best time for taking photographs is 1 hour to 11/2 hour before sunset. I actually keep 4 different sunset times on my computer because it is so important when taking pictures to get that flattering light. Weddings pictures at midday tend to be harsh and filled with shawdows. While taking at the "golden hour" produces beautiful skin tones and none of that squinty eye stuff. There are certain major magazine plublishers who will refuse to accept pictures taken at any other time of the day. So try to work your wedding/wedding photography around the golden hour.
3. Details do make great pictures. Little things like all the bridesmaids wearing the same colored high heel or the same jewerly make a beautiful statement in a picture.
4. When choosing Bridesmaids' dresses -opt for more stated bold colors. They will look more beautiful in pictures than muted tones. I can't tell you how much of a difference this makes in a group pictures
5. When trying to deceide wheither or not to have flower girls or ring bearer. Don't be afraid to have them. They make your wedding pictures more memorable. A good solution to the younger girl or boy who you're not sure can stand still in the service is to have them go sit with their parents as soon as the father of the bride is seated.
6.More and more brides are opting for special moments ceramony. That is were the bride and groom met for the first time prior to the wedding ceramony. As a wedding photographer, I highly reccomend this. I am very active in setting up this special moments ceramony when the groom can see his bride for the first time. I make sure that I capture the emotions that spill out of both bride and groom. The advantages of doing this are numerous. I can take more and better pictures prior to the ceramony. The bride and groom will get to spend the whole day together and they won't have to be seperated from their guest during the reception. Grooms also are so much more likely to show their emotions when they are not in front of a crowded santuary, and they are able to share their thoughts with their bride immediately.
That being said, I am still happy to work with you should you decided to wait until the actually ceramony before seeing each other.