Your Day
My main focus is to capture your day as it unfolds, bringing out the beauty of your relationship, and highlighting how you’ve chosen to express it. After all, this is what all of your planning has lead up to!
With more than 15 years of experience under my belt, I feel that everything listed below is the best way to ensure that your memories are captured beautifully, and how to make photography a breeze on your wedding day!
Communication
Our planning session is all about communication. We will probably talk several times over the course of the year prior to your wedding day. This enables us to create timelines for different aspects of planning, in addition to allowing me to work in sync with you and to reach out to the other vendors involved in your special day. During the planning stage, we will share ideas and look at Pinterest Boards for inspiration.
I will ask you more about your family and friends also so that I can reflect the best of your group of guests too. Additionally, we can also pass information back and forth via Facebook, Instagram, or any way that makes the process easier for you!
Lastly, we will also work together on creating and discussing a photography wish list, otherwise referred to as your “shot list”. The shot list helps us plan for a realistic amount of time for group photos, timeframes, goals for getting you to the cocktail hour (if desired) and overall expectations for your day.
This list has proven to help ensure you are feeling confident and mentally ‘present’ for your reception.
Comfort
Your Engagement session (aka eSession) is incredibly useful to our creative process. It is the best way for us to get to know each other, and will help you and your fiancée become at ease with the camera and with me.
This process tends to help the camera shy loosen up in front of the camera, which ultimately means that your finished set of images will look much more natural. This is also the time when we create the images to design your signature album and prints for the reception, Save The Dates, gifts, etc.
Organization
With two photographers, this ensures plenty of coverage of your ceremony, reception, your guests, and all of those special details you spent hours creating. This is the best way to capture the full story of the day. I will work primarily with the bride and the girls getting ready, while my assistant works with the groom and his guys before the big moment. We then come together for the ceremony to shoot from different angles and with a wide range of lenses. This enables us to capture plenty of beautiful images from different perspectives and viewpoints for you to choose from.
Remember the “shot list” discussed earlier in the Communication section?
This is where that very important piece of our planning comes into play on the wedding day. Using ear pieces to communicate, my assistant and I will follow the shot list that you and I worked on during the planning phase, so that she and I can stay connected regardless of where we are physically standing within your venue, ensuring that we are on task and on time.
Not only does this mode of communication between my assistant and I prove invaluable for such special moments (e.g keeping you both hidden from view prior to First Glances), but it is also convenient for behind-the-scenes organization of post-ceremony photos, rounding up guests for photo ops, and much more.
Couples typically request a handful of traditionally-posed images with family, the wedding party, and special friends. Many times they also choose to have a Just Married mini-session in an alternate spot at the venue.
By this time you will both be pretty relaxed, and nerves will have been left behind. These sessions typically last 15-20 minutes, after which time I then get you right to the party. My assistant will most likely already be covering the cocktail hour, capturing candid images of your guests, table details, reception cards, floral displays, etc.
Ambiance
I love to utilize natural lighting when possible – however, one of the best things in my arsenal is having the tools and flexibility to shoot in very large venues (or those lacking in natural light) by using lighting equipment.
I am just as comfortable and competent in very small, intimate outdoor weddings as I am in the most elaborate, formal church weddings with ballroom endings! Hopefully this provides you with one less thing for you to think about on your wedding day. You can trust that you and your guests will be documented beautifully within the venue itself.
No matter what the venue has to offer, I put the same time and care into creating the best of all possible images the location has to offer, no matter what light source is used; you and your guests are certain to be illuminated in the most flattering way possible.
Harmony
Just prior to the start of the reception, I will be checking in with the venue coordinator, the Band or DJ, and any other point people upon arrival to ensure we are all on a harmonized timeline. This allows for me to work together seamlessly with your team of vendors. Mingle with your family and friends, eat the delicious food that you have selected for your reception, dance the night away with your love, and take in every wonderful moment of your day!
I will be shooting candid images from this point until the end of our time together – even if that means mixing it up on the dance floor with everyone to get some amazing action shots of you and your guests.
Additionally, I will provide your guests with wedding gallery login cards. With these cards they will be able to view your online wedding gallery, which means you won’t have to shoulder the responsibility of passing all of your information along to sometimes hundreds of guests. Go ahead and enjoy your honeymoon, knowing that you have one less thing to worry about!
Expectations
I feel that it is very important to deliver your online wedding gallery as quickly as possible. My goal is to have your images posted for you within two weeks after the wedding. I will even post a few sneak peeks on my Blog and Facebook page for you to enjoy while you’re still away on your honeymoon.
Once you return, you and I will work together to design and create your album, order your prints for framing, and everything will be sent to you with the greatest of care and attention to detail, leaving you with beautiful and lasting memories of your incredible wedding day!
If you have any questions, or would like to know more, please give me a call. I would love to speak with you!