What do you get for a couple's wedding when you know nothing about them? You do not know their likes. You do not know their tastes or interests. Sure, they registered for soaps, flowers, pots, pans at various stores. However, what can you give them that is unique and personal?
The short answer is photos. Not just any photos as I will explain below. Moreover, I will explain the reason why these photographs will be very important to the guests of honor.
So, I recalled back to what I was thinking about on my wedding day. I can remember how busy I was. There were so many people doing so many things it was more than one person could manage or keep track. That was only part of the problem. There were people whom I wanted to visit with during this time. However, I had to run over here and do this. Perhaps somebody had a question that took a phone call and I had to run somewhere and do that. With all the activity going on I missed the little things like the children who were there. I missed out in connecting with some friends and relatives that I had not seen in many years. I looked at and saw people talking and laughing and falling out. Then the idea occurred to me: Take photos of all the activities going on around at the event. I decided to take pictures of the things I knew the couple was missing.
Focus on what you do know.
You know you are going to be present at the nuptials. You know there will be other people around. Because this is a celebration, it should be easy to capture great moments.
There is a great deal of activity going on around you. Only event coordinators who deal with that much input can handle days like that and still appreciate them. Other people might feel overwhelmed by all the movement, conversations and decisions. The planning includes DJ, hair, makeup, clothing, decorations, food, entertainment, ceremony, music, minister, limo, photographer and more. The unplanned activities include something is missing, torn, unavailable; somebody is in a sullen mood. Those are all the distractions of the day. Unless you are accustomed to that, it will be overwhelming for your ordinary couple. They try to be gracious and perhaps it is too much to remember in one day.
What are they missing?
The pair is missing the beautiful things around them. They have probably paid a lot for the use of the venue. The venue may have a rock feature. With all the things that are going around them, they do not get to savor much of what has been paid for.
Normally the bride and groom are getting dressed up in a room somewhere. They are with their friends, reliving memories, exchanging gifts. They are missing all the other activities that is going on about them. The things I took photos of were of the decorations in their pristine state. I tried to capture all the minor details that went into place.
Other things to take note of are the food, the beverages, the candle and flower arrangement. Anything where people are bringing the venue together can make for a great shot. One of the things often forgotten is all the effort by all the people to make the event happen.
Other things to capture are the whimsical activities like children climbing on rocks, rolling down hills or fussing with a necktie. I like to put a small bit of greenery between the camera and the subject. This can work for a nice frame for the shot. Another technique I will use is getting a shot of the person, as they are smiling or a laughing.
It is a great sensation to be able to deliver a whole album where people are having fun. It also makes for great photographs if you can capture people getting ready like putting on their shoes or tying their ties.
Delivering the Files
Once you have taken the photos, it is now time to go through them. Cameras today can hold hundreds of photos. If I take about 700 photos, I will usually have about 400 good shots. It is at this point I might prefer to do some color correction or minor tuning to a few key images. In order to deliver them, I will place them online somewhere. There are many sites where you can post photos for free or for little cost. Google, Flickr, Facebook, Pinterest, is only a few that come to mind. I wrote an article a while back that talked about where to find free storage on the Internet.
Have a comment?
So, what do you think? Did I miss anything? Is any part unclear?