Tips for fantastic wedding photographs Over the years, Bucks County Photographers has had the privilege of photographing thousands of weddings; big and small. traditional and contemporary, and everything in between. Although no two weddings are alike, we have prepared this guide to help your wedding day go as smoothly as possible. Remember, our photographers are professionals with years of experience and they are there to help guide you through the day. Please feel free to rely on us. Many brides have told us that our photographers had become like extended family members on the day of the wedding - helping to pin on corsages, getting everyone to church on time and easing the fears of a nervous bride. So please, do not hesitate to let us know your concerns. Tip #1  Brides are notorious for being late on their wedding day. Please remember that your photographer will need approximately 20 minutes of your time to take all of the preparation photos. These will include photos of you, your parents and the brides maids. Try to have everyone dressed and ready about one hour before you need to leave for the ceremony. This way no one will be rushed and you will have time to relax and enjoy yourself. Many brides describe their day as a whirlwind. It seems that they never stopped running. If possible, start your day an hour earlier than you think is necessary. You will be glad that you did. Tip #2 After the ceremony, most couples have formal family photos taken on the alter. While you are greeting the receiving line remind the relatives, whom you want to be included in the photos, that they should remain at the church. These formal portraits are among the most important of the day and it is a shame when an important relative is not in the photo because they already left for the reception. Tip #3 If you will be having children attend the wedding, be sure to appoint someone as their guardian for the day - especially if their parents are in the bridal party. We have seen many a tender moment (and nice photograph) ruined by a small child tugging at the brides gown or running up on the alter while guests wonder if they should retrieve the child. Tip #4 Timing is crucial to a smooth flowing wedding day. Most brides wish to have photos taken at a park in between the ceremony and the reception. In fact, we have found that these particular photos are usually the favorites. It is best to allow approximately 1 1/2 hours between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the cocktail hour. This will give you time to relax with the bridal party and the photographer adequate time to take pictures. We recommend that you do not schedule more than two hours, as it will leave your guests with too much time to kill between the ceremony and the reception. If you do not have much time between the Ceremony and Reception don't worry. We will work with whatever time you can give to us. You would be amazed at what nice photos we can create in 15 minutes when needed. Tip #5  Our photographers have shot hundreds of weddings and they know all of the standard shots that a bride will want, like: entrance photos, toast shots, cake cutting, etc.. You do not need to worry about asking for there photos. However, if you have a special request that may not be obvious, such as a photograph of a great-grandmother or a special friend from college, please let us know. Our photographers are there to work for you. So if anything pops in your mind during the day just let us know and we will photograph it for you. Tip #6 Some churches do not allow flash photography during the ceremony. Our photographers always check with the pastor prior to each wedding. If flash photography is not permitted we will shoot your photos using high-speed, available-light camera settings. Since available-light photographs do not always look as nice as flash-photos, we usually recommend that you re-stage a few photographs after the ceremony. In this case, you may wish to ask the pastor to remain for a few minutes after the ceremony so that we can shoot the photos. Video Tip #1 If you have chosen our standard (single camera) coverage of your wedding we will choose the best vantage point available at your church. At some churches this may mean that we will shoot from one side of the alter. Therefore, we may not be able to get both the groom's and the bride's faces while they are exchanging vowels. Unless otherwise requested, we will concentrate on the bride. This problem is eliminated with the "two camera coverage" option, which allows us to shoot from two different angles at the same time. Video Tip #2 To achieve the best possible picture quality on your video it is necessary for us to use video lights. The drawback is that the lights tend to be a distraction to guests on the dance floor. For this reason we try to achieve a compromise between creating the best video possible and not annoying your guests. In addition, we will never use video lights during the actual ceremony. You may notice a small difference in the quality of the video during the ceremony but this is unavoidable. Video Tip #3 During the ceremony the groom will be wearing a wireless microphone that clips inside his jacket. Please do not touch the microphone once it is attached or it may create a distracting noise on your final tape. Video Tip #4 If you are ordering our Edited Video you will need to provide us with photos of each of you growing up. Usually about a dozen from each side will do. Be sure to include photos taken after the two of you met, such as engagement photos, so that we can include them as part of the "through the years" sequence that opens your edited tape. We can also include honeymoon photos as the ending sequence if you provide the photos. In any case we will not need the photos until after the wedding. We will produce a non-edited copy for you to watch while the edited copy is being created. Please allow four weeks after we receive your photos for completion. |