Your story how will you plan it?
Storytelling is the number one job of a photographer but without your input the story is not yours. You need to consider the elements of your story that are important to you. Take the reins with your photographer and drive your story to the place you want it to go. Let’s discuss some considerations that can help you along your way to your story.
Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. Your day is no different you can create a complete story if you consider these elements. This is the reason we photographers like to shoot the bride getting ready, the dress etc. This can be one possible beginning. You may want to do a couples/ engagement shoot to create a beginning to your story. The middle; could be the ceremony, but what parts are specifically important to you? The end; maybe the last dance and a shot of you driving away in the car with the just married sign? Your story has many intricacies and is uniquely yours if you plan it well you will be happy with the results.
What do you want from your story? What elements are important to you? Do you want the entire day captured from getting ready to driving away? Are all these aspects of equal importance? Each part of your story has a level of importance to you and consideration should be given to this when planning. You want all the images that make up your day but which ones mean the most to you? How do you see your images being displayed or distributed as final product?
Product, what’s the role product plays in your decisions. What do I mean by product? Albums, prints, books, social media images electronic displays etc. You need to consider what your dream wedding will look like to you. Is it a beautiful arrangement of prints on your wall? Maybe it is a beautiful album or photo-book. What about the parents or the family and all those friends on facebook? Each of these “audiences” deserves consideration not only in the image type but the medium also. Books or smaller albums are great for the parents with images that showcase the groom for the grooms side and bride for her parents. Images appropriately sized for email and other electronic sharing are what we like to call “social media images” and are perfect for sharing with all your friends.
When working with a photographer you need to consider all these aspects when creating your story. If you leave this to chance and simply ask for the disc at the end you’re setting yourself up for failure. Think about it talk to your partner and friends decide what you want and proceed with a plan. Create a rough draft, an outline for your story. If you want an album and large prints include this. Together you and our photographer can create the images that you will capture on your day.
This one’s for the grooms
This one’s for the grooms so ladies listen up, you’re going to have to tell them to read this. The simple fact is this is the bride’s day and us grooms are there mostly for support. But some of us neglect that and take the hands off approach, this never works well! The following ten tips for the groom will help you be involved on your terms and even enjoy it.
1) You have an opinion let’s hear it. We’re not talking about the usual rant about politics and taxes. This is going to be your day also so express your opinions. There are a lot of decisions that have to be made for the day and you can help here. Music, food choices, photography are some areas where you can put in your two cents. You can steer clear of the lilies or roses debates and the bridesmaid’s bouquets, still maintaining your manhood.
2) Let’s talk about the registry, picking out china and the like not your thing? Maybe you need to look at in a different way. You get to go to the store and choose things you want that someone else will buy for you! Tools may not be the best choice. How about a cappuccino machine or stainless steel BBQ tools? If you think about it you can come up with some ideas. This is helping, really you’re taking some of the responsibility of your bride to be. You may even be able to convince a group of your friends to collaborate and buy you that new plasma you have had your eyes on!
3) Don’t be uninvolved and don’t be a pushover. You don’t want to feel like a fool in baby blue just because she thought it would go well with the flowers. If you don’t have any input you could end up with flowers and or rose coloured bedding that you will want to hide when the buddies come over. Step up or take what you get, like a man!
4) Wedding planning is stressful, your bride to be is likely to need a break once in a while. You don’t want her to develop an ulcer or worse a grudge before she walks down the aisle. Cook her dinner, or take her out for dinner. Take her to the movies or rent her that new chick flick she has wanted to see. Yes chick flick, you need to remind her why she is going through all this stress in the first place. Have some fun together, relax and remember why you got engaged in the first place.
5) Be a buffer, if your mother is calling too often, you can avoid the family feud if you act as a buffer. It is likely to cause less stress on the relationship if you kindly tell your mother to back off. Let her know that you appreciate her excitement and input but it is your wedding and you need to fly from the nest yourselves. You get to keep the peace and live in it, a win win situation.
6) You may need professional help. If your bride to be hits the wall you may need to hire a professional wedding planner to take the reins. Don’t think about the cost think about the value, your bride won’t be needing that straight jacket on your honeymoon.
7) Listen, be supportive but avoid family bashing! If your bride to be is lambasting her mother’s meddling ways DON’T take this opportunity to add your insults onto fire! This will only open up a proverbial Pandora’s Box, something you want to avoid. This is one place where cost outweighs value. Although you might value expressing yourself the cost in one you cannot bear. Listen, nod, hug and shut up!
8 ) Manage your men. You choose your men of honour for their honour right? These are your friends and you know them. If the best man has your back but loses his keys at least once a night then making him solely responsible for the rings may not be the best idea. Know their weaknesses and how that my affect the day then manage them. If they’re always late then have them be a ½ hr early etc. This will relieve both you and your bride to be of stress.
9) Manage you men’s attire. Make the fittings pick up etc, clear and simple. Make all the arrangements yourself and send clear concise emails to all the parties’ even the sales person at the formal shop. Give as much detail as you can include fitting times, directions to the shop etc. Make sure to remind the boys to return their rentals the day after so as to avoid late charges. CC your bride to be, this way you accomplish two things. You show her you are taking responsibility and you add accountability to your groomsmen because she now knows what they have been told!
10) The wedding day. Make sure you let the bride to be knows you are thinking of her. Get her a little gift something only you would get for her. Nothing big just something that will make her smile. Get a bit sentimental here, write her a note that lets her know you cannot wait to spend the rest of your life with her and how stunning she is going to look today. If you get a little choked up writing it your on the right track.
This is good relationship advice not just wedding day advice, I follow these rules and have been happily married for 14 years and together for 20. Got some more advice we would love to hear it.
Is Creativity fake or more real?
Creative, storytelling wedding photographs evoke ideas of fairytales but are they fake? Shouldn’t the moments be captured as they happen? Or can created images be more real than simple snapshots? How will creativity affect your wedding day story? You might say you don’t need someone to be creative, you just want someone to take the photos. In simplest terms you’re correct. However I urge you to read on conquer your fears of the creative, your wedding day story might just depend on it.
Story # 1: two people got married. Your story: You and the people you love shared an amazing day full of emotion and life. The setting was beautiful the details perfect and everyone could feel your love. They are the same story one just lacks some creativity. Which one do you want?
What is creativity anyways? First let’s discover what it is not: Creativity is not B&W photography, in this digital age there is any number of immediate ways to get B&W. Neither is it creative to have a B&W shot with one colour aspect (unless that colour aspect is a constant and says something about the photo). Is it brides, grooms and their bridal party jumping in the air . . . nope not creative (maybe the first time but not anymore). How about sepia toned images . . . nope it takes some skill in Photoshop to do it properly but it isn’t creative. How about a shot of the rings in a champagne flute? Well that may be a bit overdone but it has potential.
Creative is a process a way of looking at things and doing things, it isn’t the result but the process that got the result. Every photographer searches for inspiration a starting point. But when you simply do something because it worked for some other photographer then the creativity is gone it’s lost. Einstein said that doing the same process over again expecting a different result is insane. Trying to copy what you have seen out there and expecting to call it creative is also insane. It isn’t the “what” that makes it creative it’s the “how”. That doesn’t mean you don’t do the ring shot or B&W or sepia . . . just bring more to the table in the “how”. Bring more creativity.
Creativity is not something you should fear but embrace. Fairytale weddings are the desire of many brides. The sad truth is this doesn’t happen that often. But the feelings and emotions are there and can be brought out. The fairytale is created but not faked! These emotions are real, the connections and the people involved all real. They just need a chance to be let out, created, and captured in the lens. You put on your best clothes went to the salon etc, why? So you could be shot in bad light with bad posture not smiling? Posing, setting the scene, positioning etc isn’t fake it is just taking reality to the salon. Embrace the creative let your true self out don’t hide in your comfort zone flourish in the limelight.
What is the real value of creativity and what do you get out of it? The images that tell your story become more: more real, more emotive, more connected, more personal and more uniquely you. Creativity adds to the final product, you end up with a more desirable photographic story. The story of your day told through your images compiled in a beautiful album. An album that you can relate to that tells your story not just a wedding day but yours. The timing, compositions, lighting, angles and techniques combine with you and your surroundings to “create” a visual story. The visual story of your day not just a record it happening. It’s your choice which story will you choose?
What does creative mean to you? We would love to hear from you.
