Wedding Session Options

I just love being a photographer while there are so many fun trends! Today, there are so many photography options than just The Ceremony that help tell your story and capture those super special moments! You probably already plan to hire a photographer for your Wedding Day Ceremony and reception and probably an Engagement Session too. Here is a list of additional Wedding Photography options that have sure come into trend!

Engagement Session

This one is probably super obvious, but I want to point out some important choices that you need to keep in mind when scheduling your Engagement Session! These photos will be shown to all the people you know and love! It is a representation of your love and can set the tone for your upcoming wedding! Most importantly, pick a location or theme that says something about you as a couple! This can be a place that has meaning to you, like the location of the proposal or your first kiss, or a place or theme that reflects a hobby or passion you share! Make this unique and make it you! Here is a great article from theknot.com

First Look

I'm so excited that a First Look Session is so popular! A First look is a pre-ceremony wedding day session where the groom and the bride see each other for the first time. This is done in a non-cheesy way and is done in an intimate setting away from the wedding craziness. The session can also be done the day before if the time cannot be made on the wedding day. The tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until she walks down the isle and unveils her face was formed during pre-arranged marriages so the groom had to say "I do" before seeing his new bride and changing his mind. We live in a different world, and I'm assuming you've seen your future spouse already. My husband and I saw each other before our ceremony and it was such a special moment shared between only us, away from my parents and his parents and everyone we know. It was our moment and the fondest memory from my wedding day. Here is a great article on First Looks from SnapKnot.com

Like the idea of First Look but want to keep tradition? Thats can be done! A new trend for those unwilling to see each other before the ceremony is a first look where you don't actually see each other. This is done with a wall or door in between you and your fiancé where the photographer can still see you both. A popular idea with this session is to write letters to each other and to hold hands around the door or wall. 

Most Photographers include a same day "First Look" session in their wedding day price, but be sure to ask your photographer if it will cost extra.

Bridal Session

This is a pre-wedding session of the bride in her gorgeous wedding dress! Groom optional. These photos are primarily taken to display at the Wedding Reception. Plus, I have yet to meet a married woman who has said "I wore my dress way to much!" The fact is this is a one time deal and after all the honeymoon, and all the wedding photography sessions are over, the dress will be put away never to be worn by you again, and while that doesn't sound sad to you in the mess of wedding planning, it may become sad later on. Bridal Session can be done anywhere, unlike the first look which is done at the wedding location. I love beach and outdoorsy bridal sessions, but this may have to be reserved for either a Post Wedding "Trash the Dress" session or Post wedding Bridal Session. 

Post Wedding Bridal Session

The post wedding Bridal Session is done with the Groom and the Bride dressed back up and taking pictures wherever they please with the perfect lighting they may have not been able to get on the wedding day. This session is after the wedding so you don't have to be worried about the dress getting dirty! Just send it out to dry cleaning to preserve it! If you don't care about preserving your dress or keeping it clean, you may want to consider a...

Trash the Dress Session

To those unfamiliar with this new and big trend, this is not a divorce session. You are both even more in love and this is purely a Bridal Session after the Wedding where you can take any pictures you want and don't have to worry about what happens to the dress. This can be as extreme as you want. My Trash the dress session was done in grass, and dirt and other outdoor messy locations. My dress got a bit dirty as a consequence, but I was able to clean it. Many brides are going to the extremes involving going into the water, or even paint! This is not meant to be destroying the meaning of the dress, but rather a statement of, "This was my wedding dress, no one else will wear it, and I will never need it again." The dress did it's purpose and it can retire as you settle in with your new hubby for the rest of your happy lives.

Groomal Session

If the Bride decides to exclude the Groom from the Pre-Wedding Bridal Session to keep tradition, the groom can opt for his own "Groomal" session! Don't you want some sexy pictures of your new groom anyways? These photos are also great to be displayed at the wedding reception!

HoneyMoon Session

This is a less popular trend among Wedding Photographers since The Bride and Groom don't typically Honeymoon in the same location that they get married. But living so close to Disney World, I've come very familiar with this fun option! Find a local photographer or a resort photographer where you are honeymooning and capture the love to finish up your wedding album! If you're honeymooning near the wedding (often the case for Destination Weddings), have your wedding photographer take these pictures to keep a uniform look.

Boudoir Session
This session is typically done with just the bride, but there are options of including your groom or your Bridesmaids. This is a session done in lingerie. This is sexy but classy, sophisticated, and tasteful. These images are meant to be a gift to your new hubby. It is a great way to keep the romance alive for a long time!

Proud "Over Shoot"er

I'm often asked by clients;

"Why do you take so many pictures?"

and occasionally criticized with;

"You over shoot"

Well this is why. So I get the shot. Can I get the shot with one click? Yep. Do I have more than multiple of the exact same picture when I go to edit. Sure do. But then when I look closer, I find this on one of them...

If you're on a small device like a cell phone, you may not catch the fault right away. I didn't see anything wrong with this picture in the back of my camera. It wasn't until I imported the photos into my computer that I noticed that the Grooms tie is right in the Brides face almost as if to give her a mustache. None of us even realized it had happened in the moment! If we can't even notice a tie in the brides face, are we going to notice a blurry face or half closed eyes. I have many embarrassing photos of my clients that I could post...

I always get the shot. Not because of luck like some may accuse, but because I over shoot, and I'm proud of it. You will always feel at peace knowing I will get that moment, because my camera is always at the ready and shooting constantly. I'll take on the extra editing workload for that perfect shot!

Taking better pictures of your kids: Get low

This is my number 1 tip for taking better pictures of your kids: Get down to their level, and sometimes even lower. 

Not only do you show their perspective, but you gain just a little bit more of their trust when you are at their level and this translates directly into the picture.

Photos at the Boardwalk

I spent several hours with this family on Saturday, and we had so much fun! These girls sure know how to model!!! They are pro and experienced with photo shoots. We all really enjoyed the boardwalk and the girls loved playing the Midway games! 

Self Portraits

As mentioned recently, I decided that it was time to suck it up and tackle my self portraits. Ben and I went out into the neighborhood and worked together to get these photos. At first, I would set everything up, jump into the shot, and he would take the pictures as I worked some angles. But slowly, he started to put in some of his own creativity. I think he did a fantastic job!

We took the photos right in our neighborhood. We live right on a lake and surrounding Orange Groves.

I used a giant Car Shade as my reflector. The car shade worked only because it was so cloudy that day.

We didn't do any studio pictures. This was done right in front of our garage causing the background to turn black.

Caitlin

Caitlin is my kind neighbor. I often see her when she is out walking her dog, when I'm stoping by to see her mom, or when I'm picking her up from school. She is always so thoughtful. She remembers the important things and the little things. When I see her, she usually asks how something recently went "Did you book that wedding?" It's obvious that she listens and genuinely cares for other people. Thats impressive for a 13 year old.

Today is Caitlin's Birthday! Whenever I talked about photo shoots with Caitlin, she told me how much she loves photo shoots, so I treated her to her own photo shoot today. It was short and we had limited time while the sun was setting, so we stuck to the neighborhood. Caitlin is a natural model and has a contagious smile. Here are some of the pictures from our shoot:

You want to see ME?

I'm constantly taking photography courses, and I have found instructors and sources whose information and education I trust completely. But one thing these sources keep telling me is that I need to put pictures of ME on my website and blog. Seriously? You don't want to see me. You want to see who I am taking pictures of.

Even though I decided I would listen to this advice about a year ago, I just didn't do anything about it. I didn't have any professional pictures of me since I got married. I had plenty of excuses like "I want my best friend and talented photographer Alexandra to take my pictures, so I'll wait until the next time I travel to Las Vegas to see her." and "I'll loose some weight first..." (sound familiar?).

Well it's time! No more excuses. I'll set my camera up and hand it over to my super helpful hubby to push the button. It will be tedious. It will take me forever to set up each shot. I will criticize every body part. But I'm going to do it! And I'm not going to use photoshop to make me unrealistically beautiful and skinny!

So stayed tuned to see photos of me, because apparently, you want to.