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Planning for your
photography
day.
When it comes to planning your big day around great
photography, it all comes down to two things: controlling
the light and controlling the people. This article provides
some practical advice on scheduling your day, selecting
locations, dealing with guests with cameras, and ensuring
your photographer and videographer work as a team.
Selecting a time of day for photography
Photographers will often talk about the quantity and quality
of the light. Generally speaking, the best natural light for
taking pictures of people occurs during the "golden hour"
just after sunrise and just before sunset. The light of the
early morning and late evening is more diffuse, warmer (in
terms of colour temperature) and at a lower angle than at
midday which means fewer harsh shadows, better exposures and
healthier-looking skin tones.
While some people do get married at dawn, most get married
later in the day and, in Canada at least, most people get
married during the period from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving.
If this is your situation, the sun will likely be high in
the sky for most of your wedding day and, assuming it's not
overcast, that big, beautiful sun will be casting harsh
shadows everywhere: under trees, under canopies, and even
under your eyes and chin. These shadows are generally not
very flattering.
In reality, most couples schedule group photography after
the ceremony and before the reception, typically in the late
afternoon. This is fine, but the later in the day the better
the images will be from a lighting perspective. If you can
move your ceremony from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM , for example,
consider doing so for the sake of better pictures.
Ideally, you should plan to have at least some pictures
taken outside with your photographer during the golden hour.
For example, on June 21 in Toronto the sun sets at 9:03 PM
so you should plan to have some pictures taken between 8:00
PM and 9:00 PM. On September 21, the sun sets at 7:17 PM so
you should plan for some shots starting around 6:15 PM. If
you want to calculate the sunset times for your location and
time of year, visit http://www.largeformatphotography.info/sunmooncalc/
Selecting a location for photography
If you are planning an outdoor ceremony during the summer
months, you should definitely talk with your photographer
about your plans. If possible, you should arrange for a tent
to cover the ceremony area, ideally made of a lightweight,
white translucent material that will let most of the light
through without creating shadows. In photographic terms this
arrangement is known as a "scrim". Rip-stop nylon is perfect
for this purpose. The tent can also keep you dry if the
weather turns wet - an added bonus and insurance against
Mother Nature's whims.
If you are planning an indoor ceremony and you have a choice
of venues try to select one that is well-lit. Look for a
venue with big windows (ideally west- or south-facing in the
afternoon), skylights or lots of artificial lights with
flexible controls. Visit the venue at approximately the same
time of day as your ceremony to see how it looks. Remember:
the sun's position in the sky changes quite dramatically
between the winter and summer months, so be sure to think
about that when you're visiting the venue. You should also
invite your photographer to see the venue and to advise you
on its potential from a lighting perspective.
For formal and group photography, virtually any location
will do: a park, a hotel rooftop, a backyard, beach, urban
street, or remote windswept hillside. The most important
elements are, not surprisingly, the quality and quantity of
light. Solid shade or indirect (reflected) light are usually
ideal, particularly if the images are being taken in full
daylight. If they aren't available, your photographer may
use light modifiers to create the effects they need. You
should ask your photographer for recommendations on where to
create your group and formal photography.
Finally, check if a permit is required. Most public spaces
require a permit for wedding photography and fees can vary
widely. Securing a permit is usually your responsibility as
the client, although you can ask for your photographer to
make the arrangements. Be sure to book early to avoid
disappointment; many of the most popular public spaces are
booked many months in advance.
Scheduling group photography
The larger the group, the longer it will take to position
everyone. When trying to figure out how much time to set
aside for group photography, budget one minute for each
person in each group shot. If you have two four-person group
shots, set aside eight minutes. If you have one big
30-person group shot, set aside a half-hour. Your
photographer may not need all of that time, but there are a
number of factors that can slow down group photography:
- Missing group members. Someone is always taking a restroom
break, or talking on a cell phone, or rounding up an
uncooperative child just when the group shot is being set
up.
- Bad lighting or bad location. Sometimes, that set of
stairs that appeared perfect for a group shot turns out to
be less than ideal and everyone has to move to another
location. Or, your photographer may want to set up light
modifiers such as scrims, reflectors or flashes to ensure a
properly-exposed image and this will take time.
A typical group of bride and groom, two sets of parents, six
wedding party members and another ten family members should
take around 90 minutes to shoot, not including travel to and
from the location. Your photographer can advise you on how
much time they will need for your group.
The mixed blessings of guests with cameras
Weddings are among the most important events in our lives.
It's only natural that family and friends will want to
capture their own images using their own cameras. Most
photographers don't mind guests with cameras, but you should
keep in mind that you've hired a professional to do a very
important job.
Guests with cameras can unintentionally make your
photographer's job more challenging in a number of ways:
- Guests with cameras may step into the aisle as you're
making your big walk, blocking the shot for your
photographer.
- Guests with cameras may distract one or more people while
a group shot is being taken, resulting in ten people looking
at the photographer's camera and one person looking at Uncle
Bob's camera off to the side. Incidentally, this is one of
the reasons your photographer will take several shots of the
same group.
- Guests who want their own group shots will typically wait
for the photographer to finish, then shout, "Hold it,
everyone!" while they take their shots. This tends to slow
down the formal photography session and leaves less time for
your photographer to work.
- Guests with consumer-grade, point-and-shoot equipment may
have "focus assist" lamps that cast a red light on the
subject just prior to the shutter firing. If your
photographer is trying to get the same spontaneous shot -
perhaps the two of you kissing for the first time - these
focus assist lamps can create very ugly effects on your
faces.
- Guests with advanced camera equipment, particularly
external flashes with wireless capabilities, may interfere
with the functionality of your photographer's equipment.
You can make your photographer's job easier (and get better
images in the process) if you give the following advice to
your guests in advance of the wedding:
- Tell them to enjoy the day and leave photography to your
photographers. This won't keep all of the cameras away, but
it will cut down on them. Most photographers have a way for
guests to order pictures online after an event, and chances
are the professionally-created images will be the ones
people want on their walls, desks and in their wallets. You
may consider adding this to your invitations: "Our wedding
will be photographed by [studio name]. Images will be
available later for all to see. We invite you to leave your
camera at home and enjoy our special day."
- Hold your group photography at a separate location instead
of at the ceremony location and invite only those who will
be in the shots: immediate family, wedding party, and
perhaps close friends. The fewer the people, the faster and
smoother the group photography will go.
Videography, photography and teamwork
If you are hiring a videographer, you should make a decision
about which one is more important to you: wedding video or
wedding photography. If video is more important, let the
photographer know and vice-versa. Why? Videographers and
photographers often want to capture similar images and
scenes, and they want to do so without getting the other
person in the frame. A videographer at your elbow while you
are exchanging vows will make for dramatic footage, but it
will not lend itself to a compelling photograph unless
you're really fond of your videographer.
Generally, and with apologies and due respect to
videographers everywhere, most couples decide that
photography is more important on their big day. This doesn't
mean that they won't get great video, but it does mean that
the photographer should have the freedom and authority to
provide direction to the videographer if necessary. For
example, some videographers use on-camera lights that are
perfect for videotaping but often less than ideal for
photography (although that's not always the case - some
photographers love the look of video lights).
If you've decided that photography is more important, let
your videographer know that fact in a plain and direct
manner. Your videographer will appreciate your candor and it
will help ensure that there is no confusion on your wedding
day if your photographer asks your videographer to stop
filming or move out of the way.
That said, professional photographers and videographers are
generally very aware of each others' presence and will work
together to ensure both get the shots they were paid to
capture.
A final word
Wedding photography is one of the few things that persist
long after your big day is over. Ensure you hire a
professional so that the memories are the best they can be,
and so that they last for generations to come.
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