{minna tip} #22
November 5, 2009
When short on time take your photos! – The reception is like a sprint. Really, it goes too fast. There are many people to talk to. There are tons of activities planned. Everyone wants your attention, and most likely you don’t want to disappoint. It’s very difficult to divert your attention back to taking wedding photos, once you get caught up in your reception activities. It’s best to arrive at your reception hall first, before your guests arrive. That way we can take loads photos before everyone descends on you, your groom, and the rest of your bridal party. You’ll get a first-look at your beautiful dining room and anticipate the wedding festivities you’ve planned for so long. Plus, photojournalistic & creatively-posed photography in an empty reception hall is pretty posh!
{minna tip} a blast from the past…
August 17, 2009
Are you guys sweltering yet? It’s very, very, very hot in NYC, for those of you out of town. Finally we’re getting the summer we thought would be rained out forever. I was inspired to post this {minna tip} blast-from-the-past. Hot summer wedding photos benefit greatly from these little babies. Read on:
Blot out instead of applying more – One great but small investment you can make on your wedding day is good money spent on Oil Blotting Papers. Powder applied to your professional make-up can become caked-on and harder to fix as your wedding day progresses. With oil blotting papers, you can easily dab out oily areas…usually the forehead, nose, chin, and for the guys, your freshly shaved heads, too! The oilier the skin, the more shiny blowouts appear in your wedding photos. So do yourself a favor and place a few blotting papers in your bridal clutch and vest pockets to combat oil.
{minna tip} #19
July 24, 2009
Keep a few wedding reception traditions – I’ve noticed many post-millennial brides tend to forego the wedding reception traditions of yesteryear – the bouquet toss, cake cutting, removing the garter, rice throwing, etc. But, hold on…this is my appeal to you. Do them anyway. Why? Photographically, they round out the timeline of your reception well. I know these photographs may seem corny today, but looking back on your wedding day 10 or 20 or 30 years from now, these traditions will add a certain charm to your wedding album…even if you are somewhat embarrassed, apprehensive, or awkward. Your natural expression is part of the fun! Plus, your kids will enjoy your photographs much more than you will. So don’t be afraid to dive in and embrace all the cheesiness of it!
{minna tip} #18
July 15, 2009
Watch a funny flick – Yes. Drop everything. Put in that DVD and watch a funny flick. There’s nothing like a hilarious wedding movie to take away all your pre-marital stressors! Here are my top ten:
10 – TIED: Green Card / Four Weddings & a Funeral
9 – The Best Man
8 – The Wedding Crashers
7 – 27 Dresses
6 – Sex and the City
5 – The Corpse Bride
4 – My Big Fat Greek Wedding
3 – The Hangover
2 – Bride of Chucky
1 – Muriel’s Wedding
{minna tip} #17
July 3, 2009
Practice makes perfect – Bridal dresses can be quite complicated to figure out. So can headpieces, jewelry & bouquets. Especially last minute! Don’t wait until the day of your wedding to figure out how to bustle-up your gown before your first dance as a new bride. Count how many buttons there are at the back of your dress and bring a repair kit. Test the loops to make sure they can get around those tiny buttons. Don’t be too hasty when testing your zipper…be gentle and make sure the zip doesn’t get caught into the fabric. Know exactly where to fasten pins in your hair so your headpiece sits securely and complements your wedding-hairdo just right. Let your gown designer show you how to tie your bows the right way. More importantly, you must pass all this information along to your bridesmaids or whoever else is designated to help you shine on your wedding day. And practice. I’ve seen too many zippers run off tracks, buttons pop without the tools to replace them, and headpieces fall to the ground. Practice will not only make perfect, but it will save you a lot of time and frustration.
{minna tip} #16
June 16, 2009
Prep for the bridal-prep – Most couples do enjoy ‘getting ready’ shots as the bride slips into her wedding gown to whisk away and meet her groom. So let’s talk about the bridal preparation area. In all honesty, most bridal prep rooms look like a grenade hit them and left behind dry-cleaning plastics, wire hangers, tissue paper, street clothes, and candy wrappers everywhere! The key is to create an organized-mess. Your wedding-day details will be captured – from crinolines to champagne flutes…but let’s move the organized-mess to the sides and in background so the bride (and her bridal party) can take their rightful place at center-stage. Don’t let the extraneous stuff become the main event!
{minna tip} #15
June 4, 2009
Have a smoking reception – You and your groom will be smoking-hot for sure during your reception, but forget the fog machine. Piping in smoke for dramatic effect is beautiful initially, but as the smoke-bomb thins out around the room, it may cause a few issues – residue, digestion problems, and if you have sensitive olfactory senses, the smell may be unpleasant. An added concern I have as a photographer is keeping my assortment of lenses residue-free. Plus, the dispersed-smoke generally makes the photos look as grey as the fog. If you really must use a smoke machine, go for it, HARD! Not halfway. A constant and steady stream of the fog makes your photos look terrific, especially when accompanied with laser effects. If you’re looking for alternatives though, I highly recommend laser lights, strobes, glow-sticks, sparklers (while outside), disco balls, & crystals.
{minna tip} #14
May 17, 2009
Wear your contacts AND your glasses – for my spectacled friends, I know your glasses are near and dear to you and part of your identity. I would never propose you totally go without them. However, I will suggest wearing contact lenses at least part of the time on your wedding day. Your eyes are the most beautiful part of your face, and to obscure them with eyewear in your wedding photos, means we miss a big part of you. 20 years into the future, I’m sure you would like to see what your face looked like without glasses, just as much as you’d want to show off your eyewear of choice. So for variety’s sake, let’s shoot some pictures with and without your glasses.
{minna tip} #13
May 3, 2009
Rely on your bridesmaids –Why? Because they rock! Bridesmaids have the most awesome job on their friend’s wedding day, and that is to make sure the bride looks great! Here are a few things to help her out: Tilt those flowers – remember to tilt your flowers away from your body just a tiny bit toward the camera. That way, we get to see how lovely the flowers are arranged. Straighten that dress – if the bride’s gown has a train on it, straighten that dress when she gets to the altar, so she continues to look great from the back in her photos. Perform emergency surgery – Have a bag of emergency tools ready to assist with any hair & make-up touch-ups as the day progresses…especially through happy-tears and meals! Provide handkerchiefs, tissues, lipstick, blush…anything that will preserve her gorgeousness throughout the evening. Reduce stress – You’re her buffer from any stressors that may arise on her special day. Do whatever you must to squash it. She’ll look better in pictures and she’ll thank you later!
