Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Wedding Timeline

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Wedding Timelines

A wedding needs to be planned out in order to keep the day running smoothly. The idea behind a timeline is simple to ensure that you enjoy this special day and not have to be a DIY wedding planner the day of your event. It helps to keep your stress level at a minimum. 

 My approach is fairly basic. Layout how you’d like the day to go and then be flexible to last min changes. Here is a simple sample timeline that you can use to plan your wedding day, as far as photography. This timeline is based on what prefer a timeline to look like, as a wedding photographer to maximize coverage. Like most of my information this is basic and general and does not encompass all the cultural traditions, so please customize it. 
 
Also notice there are no times, rarely do I find weddings/events run on time. I think it is important to list Ceremony and Dinner times, but other than that it is more important to just have a basic sequence of events, so everyone knows what’s supposed to happen next. The Ceremony is a critical time because you don’t want to leave your guest waiting. Dinner is important because it’s prepared to be ready at a certain time. Too often people organize their wedding to the minute and end up being stressed out that everything isn’t going exactly as planned. 

Sample Photography Timeline

·      Pre-Ceremony

o   Location Shots
o   Photograph the Bride
§  Photograph the Brides Details
·      Dress
·      Shoes
·      Jewelry
·      Invitation
·      Garter
§  Bride Getting ready
·      Hair/Makeup
·      Dress
·      Shoes
·      Veil
·      Jewelry
§  Bride and Bridesmaids
·      Toasts
·      Formals
·      Gifts
o   Photograph the Groom
§  Grooms Details
§  Groom getting ready
§  Groom with Groom’s men
o   Pre-Ceremony Photo Session
§  First Look
·      Bride walking toward the groom
·      Grooms face waiting
·      Bride and groom’s face when they see each other.
§  Formals
·      Bride and Groom after first look
·      Bridal Party
·      Family

·      Ceremony

o   Pretty straight forward – Document the Wedding

·      Cocktail Hour

o   Formals
§  Family Formals
§  Bridal Party
§  Bride and groom
o   All Guest enjoying Cocktail Hour
o   Details of reception venue

·      Reception

o   Grand Entrance
§  Straight into first dance
o   Intro Speech – Prayer, Bride & Groom’s Thank You Speech, or Brides Father thank you speech
o   Dinner Served
o   Maid of honor/ Best Man Speech during dinner
o   After dinner open dance
o   Garter/bouquet toss
o   Cake Cut
o   Couple Exit

Professional Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photographers, Wedding Tips

If I were looking for a photographer… (Read This)

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They say about half of all brides are really unhappy with their wedding photographer. Most don’t realize THE IMPORTANCE OF a wedding photographer. The truth is THAT once the cake’s been eaten, the guestS have gone home and the dress has been boxed, all you have are the pictures. Here are 10 insider tips to help you find someone qualified to capture your big day.
•Hire a professional wedding photographer.
•You need to look at a photographer’s portfolio and love most, if not all, of their work. Stay away from photographers that overly photoshop their images.
• Read the photographer’s Yelp reviews. Yelp is an uncensored resource for reviews. Yelp does not allow businessES to take down bad reviews. 
•Know who will be photographing your wedding before you sign a contract.  Trust me.  You’re smart enough to hire your own photographer… you don’t need anyone else to do it for you.
•Find out about their formal training. Did they go to school for photography?
•Ask how long they’ve been shooting weddings.
•Ask about professional backup gear. Do they bring a backup for their backup?
•Ask how they save the photos after the event.
• (Very Important!) You want a photographer that is going to get involved in your wedding. Someone WHO will research the venue. Someone WHO will help you lay out your timeline so that you get the best photos.
•Ask how long THEY SHOOT, THE TOTAL COST and everything else you can imagine…then ask again!
I’ve been shooting weddings since 2004. I graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography. After school, I worked with several of the top celebrity and fashion photographers. I got into weddings because I love them. As a professional wedding photographer, I know I have to be prepared for anything, which is why I bring at least 3 professional cameras to every wedding. (I bring a backup for my backup)  After a wedding, I download all the images to two external hard drives, two computers, an online gallery, and a disc. I have a 5-star rating on Yelp because I get involved with my events.

Professional Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photographers, Wedding Tips

Top 2017 Wedding Venue

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The Los Angles Athletic Club located in downtown is the hottest place to get married in 2013. This private social club was created in 1880 by a group of distinguished Angelinos. The venue has gone through some major style renovations over the last couple years but has kept its vintage flair. I find myself marveling at all the different textures, colors, fabrics, and carpeting their incredible interior designer used in the design. If I could describe this club I’d say it embodies class, a unique style, history, and so much more.
Here is why the LAAC is a no brainer…
In general Hotels are easiest places to plan weddings, because everything is already there catering, hotel rooms, parking, linens, tables, and chairs. You have hotel rooms for out of town guests to stay and a place to get ready so you don’t have to worry about traffic when it comes to planning your wedding day. However, most hotels are sort of boring as far as a wedding venue. In general, the ceremony sites are mediocre at best, the ballrooms are sort of plain and they cater to corporate clients. Which is why brides tend to choose private estates, historical parks, beaches and golf course for their nuptials.
The Los Angles Athletic Club ceremony site is located on the roof of the club, which means breath-taking views overlooking downtown Los Angeles. Their Ballroom is vintage and amazing. They have an amazing chef and 72 boutique style hotel rooms. The Los Angeles Athletic Club is the best location for the high fashion bride with unique taste who wants a no fuss wedding.
Photographer notes: This venue is unique that being the case you want a high skilled photographer that can overcome its many lighting challenges. First of all most photographers rely on bounce light to shoot a wedding. With this venue, you cannot rely on bounce light outdoors. I know that this seems like an obvious point but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen photographers make this mistake with outdoor event venues like this. Secondly, the ballrooms vaulted ceilings make bouncing light nearly impossible. So what photographers will tend to do is point the flash right toward the couple, which in most cases is not going to look good. I’ve seen many photographers struggle with venues like this one and it’s mostly because this is a unique venue requires a technical photographer with tons of experience. You cannot rely on the bounce formula instead you have to have low light gear and balance the light.

 

 

 

 

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Wedding photographs need to be a balance of both candid and posed photos.

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I know there are many photographers that believe in shooting a whole wedding candid or traditionally posed, I would never take that stance.
Recently I met with a couple who was busy interviewing photographers for their up coming wedding. During our meeting, they ask if I was a Photo-Journalist wedding Photographer or was I more traditional {meaning are my shots posed}. I have to say I love this question! My answer is that I am both. When documenting a complete wedding I think you need both.
Some moments simply can’t be staged.. Everything during a Ceremony, Reception Events (like the first dance, bouquet toss etc) Every bride wants those photo-journalistic shots that capture the emotion of the day {people laughing, crying, hugs}. When you’re with your photographer one-on-one you’re going to want to be posed and directed. As a wedding photographer sometimes we need to create moments and sometimes simply document moments.
I tend to use a couple examples when I’m meeting with brides to show them why they want both here are two wedding examples. One is posed and the other is candid.

 

Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Second Photographer

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A second photographer provides more coverage, different angles and additional back up for a wedding. While the main photographer usually starts with the bride getting ready, a second shooter generally starts with the groom. During the ceremony, the second shooter will simply capture other angles of the event. While the main photographer is shooting formals the second is shooting the cocktail hour and reception details. During the reception the second photographer helps to get table shots and additional candids of the event.

A second photographer is a must for every wedding, which is why I include one with all my weddings.

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Picking the right wedding photographer..

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Picking the right photographer can seem overwhelming there are so many things to consider cost, style, personality, and skill.
The first thing I tell people to do is to look at several photographers’ portfolios. When you’re looking at their portfolio don’t make the mistake of falling in love with just one single image. Make sure you love all their work. Also keep in mind a photographer’s portfolio represents what they consider their best work. After you’ve picked a couple photographers go and read their reviews. Anyone can take a couple great photos but reviews don’t lie. I have been shocked after reading a photographers reviews. Next, ask for pricing to see if their services fit within your budget.
Finally meet with them ask a lot of questions and consider their personality. Your wedding photographer is going to be standing next to you capturing the most important day of your life you want to like them.
You also want to ask lots of questions and see lots of photos.  Typically when I meet with clients I try to give them a feel for what their wedding photos will look like. If the couple is planning an outdoor wedding and the whole event is going to be outdoors I show them a wedding that is outdoors.  Lighting and location are things to consider and go over with your photographer.

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

Fall and Winter Timeline

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Today one of my brides asked me about her December wedding timeline. She asked if it was ok to plan her beach wedding during sunset. A really great question! As a photographer, I like to figure out lighting and try and plan the wedding and my shots accordingly. The month of December is right smack dab in the middle of the winter solstice, which means days are shorter. During the summer solstice sunset can last for hours, but during the winter they’re very short. Meaning if your heart is set doing a winter sunset wedding you should seriously consider doing all formal photos before the ceremony or not at all.  If I could I would make sunsets that last for hours all year long. Another thing to consider is it’s going to be very cold on the beach in December. Finally, if you’re planning to do a December sunset wedding you’re going to have to spend a lot of time make sure your timeline allows for delays. In December the sun sets so fast that if you run behind even a little your ceremony will be in the dark.

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Tips

Can My Guest Take Photos?

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I get asked this all the time.

Oh course they can! Will they get in my way? Probably. Do I mind? No.
I have no problem walking in front of a guest, or asking them to move. At the end of the day, my photos are going to turn out better and I’ve been hired to be there. The only thing I tend to have problems is the Cake Cutting. All of the guests stand behind me and take photos. Their cameras admit a focusing light that shows up on the cake or the bride and grooms face. The light shows up in the photos as a red or green light. Since I tend to have this problem I over shoot the cake photos, which means I always get the shot.

Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

Wardrobe Malfunctions

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I give advice on my blog for a couple reasons… Unlike a lot of other wedding vendors I actually witness first hand every single thing that goes on during a wedding. I use my blog many times to point out things that could go wrong and seem somewhat obvious if you were to sit doing and think about it but because a wedding is so hectic and has so many moving parts people don’t have time to really consider the minor details.

 

Wedding wardrobe malfunctions… Happen all the time. Rentals never fit properly. People should try them on before they leave the store? I can’t tell you how many times the rental measurements have been wrong. If you’re planning to wear a veil for an outdoor ceremony the veil needs to longer than hip-length or weighed down somehow (maybe crystals) or sew the veil into your hair (I’ve seen it done), otherwise the wind will cast the veil during your ceremony. The thing is when things go wrong with your wardrobe on your wedding day it usually goes wrong when no one can help you. I always ask my brides to cut out the inside straps, that people use to hand their dress on the hangers. The reason I ask my brides to cut the straps out is because they sneak their way out. They tend to come out during the first dance, which is a moment when I can’t come up and help you. Plus you can always sow them back in if you want. Shoes… I love gorgeous wedding shoes but I think it’s a smart idea to bring a comfy pair as a backup.