#1 TIME! The number one most important thing to remember is that YOU WILL BE RUNNING LATE.. Plan for it! If you need to be ready by 1:00 be dressed and ready by 11:00. Plan for about a 2 hour difference in real time and wedding time. It’s a freaky twilight zone reality that does not exist in any other form other than in weddings. THINGS WILL HOLD YOU BACK! It’s weird but true. So it’s better that you are dressed and ready early even if you’re sitting around in your hair and make up… gives us more time to shoot more awesome pictures! So it’s a win/win! The last thing you want is to be stressed out all day and not enjoying the beauty of everything you’ve planned so meticulously because your manicurist was really slow. Do not be the last person to get your hair done that day because your girls’ appointments were first. You need to be one of the first appointments. I can shoot the girls later but not you. Make sure get your hair done really early.. Hairstyles are notorious at quoting short times for hair sessions. If they tell you an hour for hair it will be an hour and forty five minutes. Make up artist are almost as bad. Have your manicure and pedicure done the day before… also make sure to exfoliate your face the day before. You make up artist should have told you this. Do a full body exfoliation if you can the day before it will leave you glowing for you wedding day. Make sure if you have never exfoliated before that you do it at least a month ahead of time in case your skin is ultra sensitive and it makes your break out. That way you know whether you’ll have a bad reaction.
#2 Meeting your fianc? ahead of time. I know that this is a very sensitive subject for many of you. I know that you want him to see you walking down the isle for the first time. So.. Seeing him or not seeing him? That is the question? Like everything involving your wedding, this is a very personal decision, which means it weighs entirely on your individual preferences. There is no pressure one way or the other. I believe that we can make the meeting just as special if not more by having you meet ahead of time. We can capture the moment with the perfect romantic setting and lighting. We can set up a scenario where you meet that adds another moment of mystique and wonder to your beautiful day. Also, having this time to be together can help diminish the stresses of the day. You guys can focus on what’s really important, as opposed to the many details that must fall into place. As a result, your love for one another takes center stage. And this can happen no matter what the setting. It definitely comes across in the photographs.
#3 Getting ready at the same hotel. This one is a biggie for me. I love to tell the whole story and sometimes because the bride and groom are getting ready at such for away locations I can then, only tell one side of the story with depth. If you guys book a room the night before you can each wake up relaxed and refreshed and ready to start your getting ready process. Plus I can shoot both of you getting ready. I can tell your story and well as his. Choose a beautiful hotel that has a garden area or beautiful lobby where I can take your down to shoot your pictures of you alone, you with your parents and also with your girls! Then I can do the same for him! Plus I can use the location to shoot your wedding dress, shoes and accessories. It’s much better than shooting in a home that’s messy with wedding chaos or a backyard. One last thing …usually hotel rooms have big windows that allow in more natural light which translates to softer, prettier pictures as you guys get ready!
#4 Schedule some time for sunset pictures. The most beautiful, most magical time of the date is sunset or sunrise I call it “The sweet spot.” I know that most of you are not morning people. So if you can… try to schedule a little time for your and your loved one to get away for some sunset pictures. Skin is creamier, softer and more beautiful. The light is warn and there are less harsh shadows. So if you can do it schedule about 20 minutes outside of our regularly scheduled picture time for some sunset pictures. As you can see in the photo on the bottom left the sun is still very high up in the sky, the shadows are dark especially under the eyes.. But the rest of the photos are soft and warm, much more flattering.
#5 Well lit reception. Now this tip is one that many brides don’t put much thought into and I think in makes all the difference in the world in regards to your reception images. You see… a camera doesn’t see the same things that the human eye sees. You may think when you walk in to a reception area that is lit with just the standard light that it looks bright enough, but have you ever noticed when you take a picture indoors usually all you see is the peoples faces and black in the background. Well, we “drag the shutter” which means that the camera will try to capture as much light as possible from the background but if there is little light then the camera is going to capture black. But if you use twinkle lights and candles (lots of them) and as much lighting directed towards tables and walls then the camera has more to capture. So go crazy, get some Chinese lanterns or get your DJ to add your monograms to the dance floor with lights.. It all helps as you can tell below. The brighter the light the better. I know that Dj’s are often trying to dim the lights for your first and other formalities but this does not have a nice effect on the images..unless they have a cool spotlight or something of that sort. So this is something that you may want to discuss with your dj.
#6 The ring shot. One little thing that also makes a difference is ….when you are putting on your rings, please be aware that I am trying to shoot it. So tilt your hand a bit so that your audience and I can see it. It really pays off at the end and looks beautiful in your album. If we are outdoors in plenty of light I will usually get in really close and do a shot of just the hands. This looks spectacular and really adds to the story of your day.
#7 The Kiss! The kiss, the finality, the end to your gorgeous ceremony. The moment everyone waits for! So take your time Don’t rush through. I’m not saying you guys have to slobber all over each other. Just take it slow. You should probably practice. Maybe he can slow dip you or anything. Make it romantic and unique. If you take your time during the kiss it usually allows me to take a close up and a full body shot depending on the lighting situation. If it’s outdoors I can do a sequence set of more than 2-3 pictures. Make sure that you are facing your profiles towards your guests. You could put your hands on his face for part of the kiss, but please be sure that there are no arms around necks. This usually blocks the whole kiss… Not so good.
Not as Good notice elbow
Better!
Perfect and Sweet!
I can’t remember a time when I was not holding a camera. I coveted my dad?s fully manual camera…the Canon Ae-1. It meant more to me than Suzi Q’s and that was a lot to say! It was used more often by me than by my dad. Which in retrospect was probably not such a good idea because I’m not in many pictures growing up.
I have taken pictures my whole life and everyone has always stated that I had an ?eye? .. a different ?eye? And so obviously I majored in Fine Art Photography with a minor in English Lit. I Learned from some of the best of the best. Soon I was hired on as an assistent photographer in many studios.
My passion and drive for beauty, for the asthetic, for the true, the real.. and being able to do it proficiently comes from having over 15 years of experience shooting weddings, portraits and so much more.
Edna Eudave
714.420.8285
Thank you for taking the time to check these wedding photography tips. If you would love the best wedding photography in the Orange County area please call me Edna Eudave www.squareeyephoto.com 714-420-8285
