Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

The Magic Hour

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Don’t let the name full you, sometimes it’s 10 min and other times it 2 hrs., it just depends on the time of the year. Magic hour sometimes called golden hour is just after the sunsets, when the sky turns into a glowing soft box. Photography is all about timing. Most weddings are around sunset, which in the winter months leaves me biting my nails. When you’re planning your wedding consult your photographer about your timeline so that you get the best photos and lighting possible. If it were my Big Day I’d have a first look and get all the formals done before the ceremony. That way after the ceremony there’s no time pressure. After the ceremony we can do a couple images of the bride and groom and then its off to cocktail hour. Believe me the last thing your family and bridal party want to do after the ceremony is take photos for an hour… they want to party. It easier all around getting formals done before the ceremony.
 The bride and groom get to have a romantic first look. Doing the first look down the aisle is a lot of pressure and couples generally feel the erg to squeeze on each other a little bit. Who could blame them it’s only natural. 

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

A Foodie Ceremony – Bon Appétit

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From a recent wedding I shot. The happy couple had a friend of theirs officiate the wedding. Here is what he had to say….

Welcome
 
Friends, family, and all who have come here to bear witness to this momentous day – or for a great meal; Welcome. Without your love and support, Hirono and Kevin would not be who they are today – as strong, confident individuals and as partners building a life together.
 
This day was inevitable, time always moving this couple toward their destiny.
 
They said they built the train track over the Alps between Vienna and Venice before there was a train that can make the trip.  They built it anyway.  They knew that one day the train will come.  
 
Friendship
 
It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round.
However, without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel.

True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life – it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic.

True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness.
True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential.

This couple came together as friends, they pledge to each other not only their love but also their strength, warmth and, most importantly, to continue the fun of their true friendship.

 
Marriage
 
What is Marriage?
 
Love knows no bounds. In its truest form, marriage knows not of gender, faith, or color, but of two souls united by a common destiny in friendship and in partnership to build their future, together.
 
Many speak of defining love and marriage. But few capture the essence of what it really means to be married.
 
It has been said; “You don’t marry someone you can live with – you marry the person who you cannot live without”
 
And it has been said; “To love someone deeply gives you strength. But, being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.” 

It has also been said; “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”
 
“There is no choice more intensely personal, after all, than whom you choose to marry; that choice tells us, to a large extent, who you are” says Elizabeth Gilbert.

Pablo Neruda once said; “Love is a fire that feeds our life.” and it is in that spirit that we are gathered here today – to feed our souls as we honor their union and to feed ourselves as we celebrate good food and the foodies who love to eat.
 
Toast
 
And now a toast to wedded bliss:
 
May you feast upon limitless possibilities
May you dine upon dreams
May you devour this love as if it was your last
May you relish the sweet taste of affection
And May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness, as to help you to know your fullness.
 
Like any good recipe, a marriage is more than the sum of its ingredients:

First bring a great friendship to a rolling boil,
Next, add the spice of attraction
A dash of Passion
A tablespoon of forgiveness
A cup of faith
A sprig of honesty
A pinch of patience
And a teaspoon of trust
Top with heaping scoop of laughter
Serve generously with good friends and family

And so today is but the first course…
 
Vows
 
Kevin & Hirono, today you celebrate one of life’s greatest moments and we are here to give recognition to your love and friendship, as you join together in the vows of marriage.
 
Kevin, do you take Hirono to be your Wife? (“I do”) Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her? (“I do”)
 
Hirono, do you take Kevin to be your Husband? (“I do”) Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him? (“I do”)
 
You may now exchange rings as a symbol of your commitment to this matrimony.
 
I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!
 

Please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Yonei into yo

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Singing on your wedding day

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As a wedding vendor I want everything to be picture perfect (pun intended) for a couple on their wedding day, but things go wrong all the time. Last weekend I shot a fabulous backyard wedding, as the bridal party lined up to walk down the aisle the power went out in the whole neighborhood. You could almost hear everyone thinking “oh sh*t!”…followed by panic, then one of the guest yells “lets all hum” which lead to everyone singing “going to the chapel and we’re gonna get married…”  Can you even imagine? How amazing would it be to walk down the aisle to all your closest friends and family singing?
Because of the Power outage all sorts of things went wrong…. Catering was really late with dinner which lead to more heart felt speeches to the bride and groom. The automatic sprinklers were reset and turned on spraying a couple guests, which caused everyone to laugh uncontrollably. By the very end guests were jumping up n down chanting “BEST WEDDING EVER, BEST WEDDING EVER.”
Moral of this story… Your wedding day is probably the most important day of your life. You plan this day for months, sometimes years, and you’ve dreamed about this day since you were a little girl. Things do go wrong. Keep your sense of humor, use your improve skills and enjoy this very special day.
Congrats Aimee & Bob!

About Me, Photographer's Tips, Sara Jordan Photography, Wedding Tips

Wedding Photography is not so Simple?

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Many times people think wedding photographers simply shows up at a location, shoot for a couple hours, burn a disk and the jobs done. No matter how big or small the event is this is some of what’s involved.
The day before every wedding I spend a lot of time getting prepared. I always start by charging batteries, which is a process that takes most of the day.  Then I go through all my gear cleaning, testing, syncing camera times and formatting cards. I pack up all my gear.  I also review timelines, shot lists and locations. I plan my gear and my shots around the location and the timeline.  What I bring for an indoor wedding is very different from an outdoor location.  Finally, I map all locations, and layout my clothes.  One the day of the only thing I want to think about is getting all those amazing shots. The getting prepared to shoot a wedding takes up most of the day before the wedding.
On the day of I run around for hours with 40 pounds of gear strapped to me in order to capture all those memories. I’ve actually been described by a groom as a ninja. I wear all black, I sneak around and I draw cameras like weapons.
After the wedding, I download everything online incase of a fire, on 2 external hard drives one to back up the other, two computers, all the cf cards don’t get reformat until images are done being edited and discs incase the hard drive fails. Archiving your memories is just as important as capturing them.  I’ve actually had several brides loose their images and come back to me and I was able to send them a new disc.
On a typical wedding, I shoot about 3,000 images per event. I probably go through each event about 5x.  The first time I go through an event I edit out the obvious bad images. The second time I check focus. The third time I color correct everything. The fourth time I get rid of all unnecessary images (I tend to over shoot and edit later) and double check my color corrections. I upload the proofs to an online gallery and release the gallery to my clients. Typically I give my clients 800-1000 proofs to go through. After my clients pick their final proofs I recheck their final selects and export them as high-res jpegs, burn a disk, package everything, and mail it out.
Each wedding is actually days of work.

About Me, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Brides pep talk

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Brides pep talk
A few years ago I started giving all my brides a pep talk before their ceremony. I find it helps keep the focus on what’s really important. I start off by telling the bride “Today is a very important day. Today is the day you’re going to marry your soul mate. You’ve been planning this very important day for months, may be years and have dreamed about this day your whole life.” I remind her that things might not go exactly as planned but the most important thing is that she has fun today.  So when things go wrong laugh it off and enjoy today because today is a very important day. I find giving this speech is sort of like a pep talk and when things do go wrong she’s more likely going to let things roll off her back and enjoy her wedding day. I started this because too many times I’ve seen brides get really upset over trivial things. I more then anyone want a picture perfect day but something’s are just out of your control. In my opinion, there is nothing worst than to watch a bride get upset on her wedding day. An unhappy bride makes everyone uncomfortable and it’s really hard to get great pictures.

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

A Really Great Speech!

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Our son the chef…

This speech was given by the father and mother of the groom, about their son the chef. No only was this speech funny, thoughtful, whimsical and personalized its perfect to hang on the kitchen wall.

On Behalf of Mina and myself. I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight as we welcome Crystal into our family. We especially would like to thank those of you who have come far distances to be here with us.

We all know…. The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomached.

As many of you know, Scott is an amazing cook, so I will direct this in a foodie fashion. Scott, you are the apple of our eye… Even though you came out of the oven looking like a plucked chicken, six weeks early.

You are like a fine bottle of wine smooth and mellow. You have never reach a boiling point only a smooth simmer. While sometimes a little saucy you have never been flaky or crusty.

“Tips of the Tongue” A recipe for a good marriage.

It takes many ingredients to create a good marriage. First you will need unlimited cups of love, respect, kindness, understanding, cooperation, trust, and acceptance. Then Mix in some patience and a good sense of humor, and the result will be a gourmet marriage!

Crystal – We feel very lucky that you will be a part of the smorgasbord of our family. Your sweetness will only add to the flavor of your union together. We gladly hand you our sunny delight. We know he is a tall order but with the proper gloves you can handle him.

Savor each moment together because the moments get eaten up faster than you think.

Scott – You picket a great dish. Well Done!

Moms Part

Marriage is not unlike a hot dog, its best not to analyze every single ingredient. Sometimes you can get grilled; sometimes you can get steamed but relish every moment.

Now Crystal, you have married a Hebrew National who has to answer to a higher authority his mother but I am thrilled to hand his buns over to you.
Love you guys.

Wedding Tips

My wedding Secrets

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It seems like I’m always stopping brides from trying to do everything. In general they have a bridal party and their number one job is to help you get married, so delegate. There is no reason to run all over the place. A couple other things I tell people are to walk slowly smile big and have fun. When your standing at the alter exchanging rings turn your ring finger toward the camera so I can get a good shot of it going on his finger.

About Me, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

First look

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First looks are sort of the new thing to do. I love them for multiple reasons it’s a great photos opportunity, it makes the day run smoother. First looks are usually done as soon as the brides done getting ready. We turn the groom around we walk the bride into the room and the couple gets to spend a moment with each other before their “I Dos.” I find it really takes the anxiety out of the day. Traditionally when a couple gets to see each other for the first time coming down the aisle they don’t get to hug on each other which they’re dying to do. After the first look we do photos of the couple and then get the family round up and we do all the formals. The great thing is the couple now has the opportunity to go to their cocktail hour. If for whatever reason we’re unable to get the formals done we have time during the cocktail hour. I like to be able to do the formals before the ceremony. That way I get more time with the couple and everyone can enjoy cocktail hour.

Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Wedding Photography Tips

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1. Hire a professional make-up artist. When you do a test with the make up artist make sure you take a photo. So you can see what your make-up will look like in a photograph. Sometimes make up looks different in person vs in the camera. Better yet schedule your engagement session to be done on the very same day. If you need referrals for make-up artist, just ask!

2. Keep the getting ready room clean. If a room is cluttered with bags, clothing and product it will show in the pictures. If you need to assign a brides maid to the task.

3. Tell me what you want. Think about the shots you want and talk about them. Obviously I’m going to get the first dance, cake cutting…. But if you want certain unique photos let me know.

4. Walk slow. There is no rush. The slower you walk the more photos I get to take. This goes for not just the bride but the whole bridal party; walking up and down the asile, and grand entrance.

5. The best way to photograph the rings being exchanged is to twist your hand slightly toward camera.

6. Don’t invite the party during the first dance! I want to have 4-5 mins to capture the spectacular first dance.

7. Hold kisses and poses. No pecks on the big day.

8. Clean your ring. It makes a huge difference!

Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

Wedding Photo Album

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THEY SAY, DON’T JUDGE
A BOOK BY ITS COVER. WE AGREE.
JUDGE A BOOKIN ITS ENTIRETY.
AN ALBUM, LIKE A BOOK
IS AN IMAGINATIVE JOURNEY WHICH
UNFOLDS IN YOUR HANDS.

Every Queensberry album is treated exclusively
as one of a kind. A unique sensory experience.
The touch of beautiful paper. The smell of luxury leather.
Personalised for your memories.
Excellence in
Every thing we do is the Queensberry way. Each album
uses the finest materials sourced from all over the world.
Each page you touch is one to remember.