Wedding Tips!

Here is a little "tip" list to help your photographer have even more fun (and therefore get even more amazing photos) on your wedding day.
Of course, I DO NOT IN ANY WAY expect you to adhere to these, as there are many, MANY people who have no doubt already started giving you tips. Just keep in mind that I have been to, and shot at, far more weddings than the average person, so experience has taught me much.

these are in no particular order:

1. I love "getting ready shots"- especially of the bride- so please, PLEASE let me come early to get pictures of your dress, before you put it on, so I can get the all-important shot of you putting it on. It just seems like something is missing if I don't get these shots. And try to find a room with attractive features, if possible. Although I have managed to get some pretty great portraits in church basements...

2. Sorry, boys, I won't spend as much time with you "getting ready" cuz there's just not as much going on. But I DO want to get you getting your boutonniere pinned on- that way I have something for the "preparation" portion of your album.

3. HAVE FUN!!! Be as relaxed as possible- I know you've been planning for months, maybe YEARS, and want today to go exactly as planned, but if you are relaxed and happy, it's that much easier to get even more great photos for you to choose from. Have happy people around. And let your attendants know that they should be happy, too. They may not like having their pics taken, but hey, they are in your wedding, and they need to have their pictures taken. If they at least pretend to be happy, then they won't hate their photos nearly as much. In fact, they may like them quite a bit.

4. I like COLOR. No. That's a lie. I LOVE color. As beautiful and elegant as white may be, the white of the flowers rarely matches the white of the dress. That, and the details of the flowers are easily washed out in the photos. Choose colors that have good contrast. Say you have blue dresses- yellow and orange just POP against blue. Looks STUNNING in photos. At the same time, try to keep it simple. Having a rainbow of colors can be hard to look at, and take the focus off of you. If you have questions about colors and your wedding, feel free to email me!(ar_teest(at)yahoo(dot)com)

5. Brides, while you are at the back of the church hangin' with your dad (you know, before you're going to walk down the aisle to your soon to be hubby??), interact with him- talk with him- be happy with him. Stoic poses are tough to make pretty and fun and memorable. Maybe even hug* before you walk down the aisle.
*see number 10

6. For the "traditional" posed shots after the ceremony, try to have a family member in charge of the list of photos that you want, as well as a detailed list for your photographer. As much as I may know your family, I don't know everybody. Find someone who will know everyone, but won't be pushy with the photographer. I just need them to point out the people I need to know for upcoming pictures. (don't put any of the parents in charge of this- they have enough on their plates as it is- they need to enjoy themselves!) This helps the process to stay smooth, and not take too long, cuz I like to get to the fun stuff as soon as I can!

7. Leave plenty of time between your wedding ceremony and the reception to have at least 30 minutes of SHOOTING time (not just 30 minutes- with a drive to and from the location) with just the bride, groom and the wedding party. This is time away from all other guests and family- so the photographer won't have anyone else trying to take her angles. Yes, I am selfish with my angles! I know you don't want your guests to wait very long between the ceremony and when they eat supper, but they can handle it- maybe you can have snacks out for them if it will be an especially long wait.

8. Don't forget to have a seat at the reception for the photographer and the assistant. Most likely we haven't eaten a whole lot all day, and yummy-smelling food is torture if we aren't included in dinner. That, and it is easier to mingle with guests if we are part of the group!

9. Please don't stress out if we are a little behind- this happens more often than I can say, no more than 10 minutes, really, but again, if you are stressed, it will show in your pictures. Also, if you are a little late to the reception, they WILL wait for you. They have to. It's your day!

10. If your photographer asks you to kiss- please hold the kiss for a while. We may want to get a couple of different angles while you are kissing. Also, don't full-on make out (you know- slurpy kisses?) these are not flattering on camera. Or in person.

11. Back to the family photos. Everyone, I mean everyone, is going to want their picture taken with you. try to limit the random people on your photographer's list. Chances are, if they want a picture with you, they will be more than happy to find you at the reception and have their own copy on their own camera (the digital age makes this part so much easier!). This will also limit the amount of time needed for the family shots. The ones I would suggest to be on your "for sure" list after the ceremony?
bride and groom with bride's parents
bride and groom with groom's parents.
Bride and groom with grandparents, from each side.
Bride and groom with immediate families, from each side.
Bride and groom with large extended family, from each side.
The more random pictures added to this list, the more likely it will be that those people will not still be at the church for these photos. Then we waste time looking for them. No fun.
Try to make sure beforehand that anyone on the photo list KNOWS they are on the photo list. Again, that way we don't waste time looking for them.

12. Brides, DON'T be afraid of getting the hem (bottom) of the dress dirty. IT WILL GET DIRTY! no matter what. Dance floors are dirty. Reception floors are dirty. Sidewalks are dirty. Fields are dirty. (fields? What? I've just always wanted to do a photo shoot out in a field with a lone tree up on the hill. It just seems dreamy and oh-so-romantic to me. But I digress....) The dirt on the bottom of your dress will not show on the photos, and if it would by chance, there is this magical tool most photographers use called photoshop. mmm, photoshop. Anyway, just trust that your photographer will get good photos of you and your dress no matter what- and sometimes the places we go can be dirty!

13. Be goofy, but not over the top, with your new spouse. Flirting and snuggling is fun, nuzzling is great. Tickling is wonderful. But keep in mind what the other person is feeling when you do these things- don't annoy your new spouse!

And I cannot stress enough (although this was already mentioned) for you to have fun on your wedding day. The time flies, and all that preparation for a few hours gets captured by your photographer so you can remember those fun, awesome, romantic, whirlwind moments for the rest of your lives!


Any more questions for me? feel free to email me at ar_teest(at)yahoo(dot)com

~Em

Ben and Erica are getting MARRIED!!

Erica and I were "suitemates" in college (she was in the neighboring room, and we had a shared bathroom)- and we have kept in contact since college. Her Fiancee, Ben, was in Choir with me at WLC, and now plays piano and trumpet in the productions I sing in with Mike Westendorf. It was really a great time had by all when we got to just hang out, and take pictures at the same time.
We had intended on going to the Mitchell Park Domes, which I have done shoots there SEVERAL times before, but this time the lady at the front wouldn't let us in unless we paid the additional $65 fee....so we left.
And instead went to the same spot where Ben asked Erica to marry him. Much more romantic in my book, but also much, MUCH colder. Since it was 15 degrees, with a good chill coming up off of Lake Michigan. How cold was it? The lake was actually quite frozen. That's how cold it was.
But, they managed to snuggle up close, keep warm, and I got some great shots of the two!

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~Em

Jonah's EB auction

In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more about Jonah's EB auction , since I have something donated to help raise funds....here's a clue:

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~Em

A boy and his cat.

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When I was pregnant with J man, I became a little wary of how well my cats would adjust to him. There was a scary moment for me when my friend, Diana, came over to do my final maternity photo session. She brought her son, Sam, with her, and while we were taking pictures, he suddenly came screaming to his mommy, with two scratches on either side of his face.
Now, Sam is one of the most gentle little children that I have ever known, so I know he wasn't tormenting the cat. Diana thinks he was just giving the kitty a hug, and that freaked the kitty out. The cats are great around big people- in fact, the most social cats many people have ever hung out with. Really, the cats will come to any random person (as long as they are not a child) and snuggle with them. I mean REALLY snuggle. But they just don't like kids.

Needless to say, I was worried that the cats would be territorial with the baby. There was no question that if they got violent around him, they would be given to my parents or another home, but that would be difficult.

My worries were unfounded. This little boy LOVES the cats, and will come up to their sleeping spots, put his head down right on top of them, thumb in mouth, and "sleep" with the kitties. And he plays with them, and they play back. Usually. They will still run away if he gets too loud, but I'm perfectly happy with that.
They are good buds, and that's more than I could have ever hoped for!

~Em

Photo Challenge #49

This week's challenge was to find faces/expressions in inanimate objects.
To see the guidelines of the challenge, to enter, or to browse other entries, please click here.

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I had a lot of fun with this challenge, but now I'm seeing faces everywhere!!!
Comments are more than welcome :) Have a great day!

~Em

Weekly Photo Challange #48

The Challenge:

Do a Photo Demo

Rules:

1.) Feel free to demo any normal thing that you do throughout your day, or if your adventurous you can do an activity for the sole purpose of using it for this challenge. (Hint for those of us with children: if this seems a bit overwhelming just capture something you do with your kid..or for your kids.)

2.) Please try to limit the images to no more than 10.

3.) Tweaking is fine if you'd like to display the images differently.

4.) Have fun!


How to take a weekend vacation:

pack well.

leave on time.
(or a minute late)

stop for gas.

watch the landscape slide by.

make sure the one-year-old is happy.
ridiculously happy.

pay toll.

work on crossword puzzles together.

enter the hotel.

find your way to the room.

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follow ridiculously happy one-year-old down hallway.

enjoy the quaint features of the room.

watch the traffic outside the window.

walk into the waterpark.

play with daddy in water.

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to see the other entries of this weeks challenge, click here.


Have a great week, everyone!

~Em

A Simple Portrait of my Little Brother, Josh.

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The title says it all.