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Photography for both the wedding announcements and for the wedding is one of those items brides tend to stress over. A lot. Yes, they stress over many of the details, but photography is extra important because it is permanent. For generations to come, people will look back at these pictures and brides want them to be outstanding. And they should be! Now, just because you want your engagement and wedding photos to be outstanding does not mean you have to pay outstanding amounts of money for a photographer.
If you have a half decent camera, spend some time online learning about how your camera works and how to use your manual settings in different lighting conditions, then be brave and DO IT YOURSELF! Don’t roll your eyes at me and hear me out.
My daughter asked me to be her photographer for her wedding announcements and I was VERY nervous, knowing how important these pictures were to her. However, it was a smashing success because of the following points:
- I took over 500 pictures in hopes of having a handful that were good. I ended up with about 15 that look awesome. Bring a big memory card!!
- I took the pictures in the late afternoon on a sunny day but in the shade. Nothing can imitate natural light but direct natural sunlight is too harsh.
- We found a park that had a lot of different settings and different angles. Grass, woods, playground, waterfall, bridge, rock outcrop. All had different lighting and all gave different opportunities for different pictures
- Photo editing is the best invention for us not-even-close-to-being-professional photographers. I get a lot of questions about what program I use and I am always proud to tell other about the Pixelmator photo editing program. It only costs $15 and does 95% of what Photoshop does! (Photoshop costs hundreds of dollars). And if you are a complete photo-editing novice like I used to be, Pixelmator has the most amazing online video tutorials about how to use their program. And they are completely free!!!
- With the couple, I spent some time online looking at different poses, angles and shots that they really liked and brought those examples with me as a reference. Don’t forget to be impulsive though and take some of your own poses as they come up during your time. My favorite pictures from their engagement shoot were the ones of them goofing around, laughing and not “posing” for anything. Just keep your finger on the trigger and keep shooting!
- I practiced using the camera in similar lighting settings before I actually took the pictures. All the research online about all your different settings will do you no good if you never go outside and practice them. You will be amazed at how just a bit of practice and knowledge can produce gorgeous photos!
Now, when it came time for the wedding, I knew there was no way I could be the photographer for my daughter. You know, I was just a bit busy with every other detail 🙂 So instead, my daughter had a friend from high school who was starting out her own photographer business and for a very low price, came and took pictures of the bride and groom, families and wedding party. This is a great tip for those of you who would really like to hire out this service. Find a photographer who is just starting out because their fees are considerably less expensive than those who are already established and have a studio.
We used Adri from {adriftinphotography} and she did an amazing job. Since my daughter was married in Minnesota in December, outdoor photography was near impossible but Adri handled the challenge well. If you are close to Marshall, MN and looking for a new face in photography, give her a call!
