Archive for Karen’s Tips
Ban the Gum at Weddings!
Wedding Tip for Chicago Brides
The photographs of the people who are closest to you are the ones that will be the ones you treasure the most years from now. Too often, we see gorgeous wedding pictures ruined by a wad of Juicy Fruit in someone’s mouth. Have a little talk with your family, bridal party, and anyone who is going to be in the pictures right after the ceremony. Let them know that gum is not allowed until the reception. If they need squeaky fresh breath, suggest Continue reading
Wedding pictures and Your Hair – How Your Hairstyle Can Affect Your Wedding Pictures
Wedding Tip for Chicago Brides
When choosing a hairstyle for the wedding, consider this, a low hanging, side swept bang may look great from the front and even from one side. However, from the OTHER side, half of your face is hidden. Inevitability, it is the hidden side that ends up facing the camera for most of the main events, like your vows, cake cutting, and such… Meaning that for these important photographic moments, we cant see you, we see hair! You photographer wants to get pictures of that beautiful face of yours, so please give consideration to a hairstyle that doesn’t cover up large portions of your face. Continue reading
Pictures and Wedding Cakes – What to avoid?
Wedding Tip for Chicago Brides
If possible, avoid black icing (or at least be very careful) on your wedding cake. The black icing stains everything! Teeth, lips, hands, and your wedding dress will have a slight green tint in photos when next to the cake. Continue reading
Winter weddings – A few tips to get great photos when it’s chilly outside
Winter weddings present a challenge to get artistic pictures. I shot a wedding downtown a few years ago and it was one of the coldest days of the year. The bride and I both really wanted to shoot photos at Adler Planetarium, but my bride was a little iffy because it was so darn cold! I remembered that I had my gym bag in the car with my workout clothes
(Yes they were clean!) Luckily my bride was a little adventurous. She put on my sweatpants, socks, and gym shoes. Other than us, nobody will ever know from the pictures that she was wearing all that on underneath her dress. We trooped out into the snow! The bridal party had a few funny looks at us as we were plodding through the snow. The photos were AMAZING! Because my bride wasn’t cold, she had a great time and it reflected in the expression on her face. After we finished, my bride gave a little razzing to the bridal party for not coming with us. Continue reading
Don’t Forget the Details Pictures at Your Wedding
Your wedding day photographs are something that you are going to treasure for the rest of your life. They are also something that you only have one chance to capture in the best possible way, so you need to make sure that you get all of the shots that you want. One way some couples assure that this happens is to make a list of the important people and shots that they want.
While most of the photographs will be shots of the ceremony, reception and important guests, it is detail shots that will add visual interest to your wedding album and allow you to look back and remember even the smallest details of your big day. Digital wedding albums are the most popular style of albums and these detail shots make for beautiful backgrounds in these albums.Below are some ideas for detail shots that you could ask your wedding photographer to capture.
Shoes
As you are getting dressed for that walk down the aisle, make sure that your photographer snaps a few detail shots of your shoes. You probably put a lot of thought into the shoes, so they are something you’ll surely want to include in your wedding album. Gown DetailYour wedding gown will, of course, be featured in many of the wedding photographs, but the full length shots will not show details, such as bead work and lace. Ask your photographer to get some details shots of various parts of your gown.
Centerpieces
The centerpieces at your reception are a great feature to include in your album. They will likely have some relation to your wedding theme or color scheme and will be visually interesting. If the place settings are particularly lovely, include those as well.
Rings, Flowers, and Invitations
These are all the things that make your wedding unique. Having photos of all your choices reflects the style and beauty of your wedding.
If the idea of such detail shots appeals to you, then you must keep this in mind when choosing a photographer. Only a skilled photographer is going to be able to effectively take this type of photograph. Novice photographers may not have the equipment or the skill needed to take the quality shots that will make beautiful additions to your wedding album.
This is one more reason to make sure that you look through the portfolios of any wedding photographers that you are considering. Many of the other wedding day details may be forgotten, but your wedding album will be treasured for many years. Continue reading
Nix the Wedding Table Shots
Why to Avoid Having Your Photographer Take Table Shots at the Wedding Reception
If you have looked through your parents or grandparents wedding albums, you may see a few shots of guests with plates full of food in front of them smiling at the camera. These are called “table shots”, and were once taken at nearly every wedding reception. Today, most brides and grooms do not want table shots taken at their wedding, and there are many reasons that this is the case.
Inconvenient
In order to take table shots, the photographer has to inconvenience the guests who are trying to visit and eat, it is not uncommon for a guest to become very agitated and upset with the photographer even when the photographer is being polite. Also, the photographer might be asked to wait a few minutes for a guest to return to the table, which slows the whole process down and missing people is unavoidable in the time allotted for these shots. The wait staff is inconvenienced as well and it will cause guests to have to wait longer for their dinner and can cause timelines of later events to be pushed back.
Unappealing Photos
Do you really want your wedding album to be full of half empty drinks, crumpled napkins and picked over entrees? Because the photographer is likely going to be interrupting the meal
to get the shot, this is exactly what you can expect to see in table shots.
Who is Featured?
Another good reason to nix the table shots is that you don’t really need pictures of your mother’s boss, former roommate’s latest boyfriend, or your great niece’s date. While many of the guests at your wedding will be important to you, there are some that will be less so. For this reason, most brides opt not to have table shots of every single guest at their wedding.
Of course, you do want some pictures of your guests, but instead of the table shots, ask your photographer to take shots of people dancing or chatting. These photos will be more natural, and the photographer will not have to disrupt the meal to take the pictures.
While this idea is a bit outdated, some couples leave a disposable camera on each table. This allows the guests at the table to snap shots of each other without tying up the wedding photographer who is needed to take the shots that you really want.
Just because things were done a certain way when your mother or grandmother got married doesn’t mean that you have to do it the exact same way. Capturing table shots, once an important part of the wedding photographer’s job, is now something that can be replaced with more natural shots of guests enjoying themselves while at your wedding. You will still have some shots of your guests to include in your wedding album if you so desire.
Talk to your wedding photographer about nixing the table shots. He or she will be more than happy to accommodate your wishes. Continue reading
To Backdrop or Not to Backdrop at Your Wedding?
What Brides Consider When Making the Decision About Having A Backdrop at Their Wedding
There was a time when having a backdrop setup at a wedding was the norm. The couple, wedding party and guests would gather in front of the backdrop for portraits throughout the evening. If you look through wedding albums from 25 or so years ago, you will likely see some of these portraits that were shot in front of a backdrop.
Looks Outdated
Today, backdrops are outdated, and most couples opt to skip this part of the wedding photography. It just feels very 1970’s, and with today’s more artistic approach to wedding photography, backdrops are no longer needed. The look today is more natural. Backdrops look artificial, so they are not a good fit in today’s wedding albums.
Miss Other Shots
Another problem with having a backdrop is that your photographer will need to spend much of his or her time snapping pictures there. This means that the photographer will not be in the reception as much and is very likely to miss some of the best moments of the night.
Candid Shots
Instead of needing to be tied to the backdrop, free your photographer to be present in the reception, snapping shots of people laughing and dancing. These candid shots are much more appropriate for today’s wedding albums and will allow you not only to remember who was at your wedding, but to actually see your guests enjoying the party.
Natural Backdrops
For portrait style photographs, choose natural backdrops instead of artificial ones. A beautiful fountain, a crystal blue lake or a fireplace in your reception venue is a much more appealing choice than a backdrop that can be rolled up and stored in the back of your photographer’s van.
Even for engagement photos, natural backdrops are a much better choice. Today’s brides tend to lean to wedding details that are less artificial and stiff than in time past. It only stands to reason that the backdrop, which is somewhat of an archaic choice, would be omitted in favor of allowing the wedding photographer to get some more candid, fluid shots.
Of course, if you are set on having a backdrop at your wedding, your photographer will be more than happy to accommodate your wishes. If you do, consider paying extra to have two photographers present. This will allow one photographer to handle the photos by the backdrop while the other one will still be free to capture all of the candid reception shots.
This will give you more options once the proofs come back and you are selecting photos for your wedding album. Continue reading
6 Tips for Winter Weddings Pictures
Six tips to help you get great wedding pictures in the winter
Hello ladies! My winter brides face a little more of a challenge when planning their wedding photos. So, I thought I’d share a few tips:
- Pad your travel times – Even if your wedding is on a Saturday or Sunday in the winter, we all know what snow can do to the roads. Adding extra time to allot for bad weather
can save you much stress on your wedding day. - Consider seeing each other before the ceremony – This is probably the most controversial of my tips, but it is becoming much more popular in the past few years. Many brides that are planning their weddings in the summer forget the sun goes down hours earlier in the winter, so taking photos after the ceremony outside isn’t possible. If you see each other before the ceremony, we can spend as much time as we want getting fun photos and have the light we need. See my previous post titled To See or Not To See, on how to make seeing each other before the ceremony a special event.
- Find park with Christmas lights – These make great wedding photos and all you have to do is find a local park ahead of time that will be decorating with Christmas lights.
- Embrace winter – Get matching scarves and hats for all the bridesmaids, those photos can be so much fun! Also, if you get a shawl or cape, get one that isn’t white as it will blend right in with the dress. Instead, choose an accent color. If you get lucky and it snows, the photos will be fantastic – but, make sure to bring an umbrella so you hair doesn’t get wet.
- Dress warm – Nobody can see what is under your dress, so bring extra clothes you can slip on underneath the dress for when you are outside. See a full checklist of what to bring here.
- Find an indoor photo location:
- Suburban brides – This is the trickiest part of winter weddings for suburban brides. There just aren’t many great indoor photo locations. Friendship Conservatory in Mt Prospect is available by permit for $150. Also, many of the hotels, like the Renaissances, Hyatts, Embassy Suites, etc… have beautiful lobbies that can be the backdrop for great photos. Make sure you call in advance to check the hotel’s policy and if they require a permit of some kind. Some hotels allow wedding parties to take photos in their lobby, and others do not. You also don’t want to go to the hotel if they are having a large convention that day and the lobby is cram packed with people.
- If you are downtown there are many indoor conservatories and gardens to choose from. A few to consider are Garfield Park Conservatory, Lincoln Park Conservatory, Harold Washington Library Winter Garden, and the Chicago Cultural Center.
With a little extra planning, winter wedding photos can be fun and beautiful.
Happy planning!
Karen Continue reading
Painted Petals: A Wedding Horror Story
One Simple Question That Can Save Your Wedding Pictures
Hello brides! I hope your planning is going well. Flowers are such an important detail in most weddings, so I wanted to tell you a little story to help you avoid an unfortunate event that happened at a wedding I recently attended.
The bride looked so beautiful, and she had chosen gorgeous exotic flowers for her bouquet. After the ceremony, we went to a lake to take some photographs. About halfway through the shoot, I noticed some purple marks on her dress. It only took a few minutes to figure out where the stains had come from, and the bride was horrified.
It turns out that her beautiful exotic flowers had been painted. The paint had started to peel off in the heat of the outdoors and had stained the front of her wedding dress. She had to go to her reception with purple stains on the front of her dress. Happily, I was able to edit the stains out her pictures, but the whole situation could have been avoided if only the bride had known to ask if the flowers were painted.
She, like most brides, had no idea that such a practice exists, but it is actually quite common. It is usually done in order to be able to provide exotic flowers in a variety of colors at a low cost. Many brides use these painted blooms with no issues, but others have unfortunate experiences such as the bride in my story.
Here are some tips to help you get the flowers that you want, but also know what you are really getting.
- Ask – This is the simplest advice on the matter. ASK YOUR FLORIST if the blooms are actually in the color that you want, or if they will be painted. It is not a bad idea to get it in writing.
- Second Choice – If it turns out that the only way to get the flowers that you want at a price you can afford is to have painted flowers then you might have to be willing to choose another type of flower. Other options include choosing a silk version of the flower or finding them at a floral wholesaler.
- Use Them – You can use painted flowers if you would like, but you should not use them for bouquets, corsages or boutonnieres because of the risk of stained clothes and flaked off paint getting all over. Instead, put them in floral arrangements and centerpieces. (Be sure to tell anyone who might handle them that they could stain or flake.)
Painting flowers is a common practice, but it is important that you know what you are getting. Be sure to add this to your list of questions for your florist, especially if you are choosing exotic, colorful blooms.
Until next time,
Karen Continue reading
Wedding Decision: To See or Not to See?
Should He See Me Before the Wedding?
As I have mentioned in some of my posts in the past, I ha
ve heard a LOT of questions from brides to be over the years. In this blog post, I’ll address another of those questions that I have heard often: “Is it ok for my groom to see me before the wedding?”
The first thing I want to say is that there is no one answer that is right for every couple. There are a number of reasons that some couples have decided to allow the groom to see the bride in her gown before she walks down the aisle. These reasons include taking pictures before the wedding or even having the groom help to select the gown.
Still, some couples keep the tradition of not allowing the groom to see the bride before that special moment. That tradition was born during a time when most marriages were arranged. Not only was the groom not to see the bride in her gown before the wedding, but the couples often had never seen each other at all until they met during the wedding ceremony!
While that reason for a groom not seeing his bride before the wedding is not applicable to the majority of couples today, there is still a good reason for the bride to keep her gown and her special wedding day look a secret from her groom until she walks toward him during the wedding, and that is the element of surprise. Your groom has likely tried to imagine what you will look like in your gown, and you have probably imagined the look on his face when he sees you for the first time. This is sure to be a very special moment, and one that you will want to remember for the rest of your life. It is also one that you will be sharing with 200 or so wedding guests,
But there is another way.
I call it the Big Reveal. This is a moment BEFORE the wedding that the couple has set aside to spend a few moments together before the ceremony. It is at this time that the groom will see you for the first time, and you will be able to see the look on his face when he sees how beautiful that you look in your gown.
I can tell you that I have witnessed many such Big Reveals, and they have been some of the most special moments that I have had the pleasure to capture on film. This is a special
moment between just you and your groom, and I promise you that it is VERY romantic.
There are also practical reasons why a Big Reveal is a good idea. The big one is that it allows you to get a fair number of the pictures out of the way before the wedding when your makeup and hair are still fresh. You will be able to get to your guests more quickly after the ceremony, and you will find that the day will flow much better.
So should your groom see you before you walk down the aisle? It is really a personal choice, but don’t let tradition rule. If you like the idea of a Big Reveal before the wedding, then you should go for it! It’s your special day, so do what will work best for you.
Thanks for reading.
Karen Continue reading
Help! My Groom Needs a Manicure!
Wedding planning is fun, but there are some little details that can be difficult to address. Recently, a bride told me that she was a bit worried about what the photographs featuring the bride and groom’s hands were going to look like. She said her groom was in dire need of a manicure, but absolutely refused to get one.This was not the first time I’d heard something similar from a bride, so I thought I would put together a few tips about how to convince your groom to get a manicure for your wedding day, especially if he really needs one!
- Guy Power – As a woman, you will probably have a hard time convincing him that he won’t lose his “man card” if he gets a manicure. If, on the other hand, you can get some of his guy friends on your side, it may be easier to convince him. Maybe you could even make it a guy’s afternoon out. Some cities have spas that cater specifically to men (SirSpa). If you are fortunate to have such an establishment near you, that may help as well.
- Bribes Work – Marriage is all about give and take, so you might have to start practicing your compromising skills. Agree to something he really wanted in the wedding in exchange for him getting a manicure.
- Mom Power – It might seem like a dirty trick, but talk to his mom! Most moms know just what to say to get their sons to do what they want them to do.
Reason with Him – Explain to your groom that these pictures are going to be special to you for the rest of your life and that you don’t want grimy fingernails to be part of the wedding album.- Go with Him – Make it a special day for the two of you and PROMISE him that you will never tell any of his friends about it. And keep your promise.
Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with a guy getting a manicure – many do it every day! Still, if your groom-to- be isn’t comfortable with the idea, then you may have to use some of the tips above to make sure that he is ready for his wedding photo close-ups.
Until next time,
Karen Continue reading
Bridesmaid Dresses: Are Yours Purple or Blue?
Take A Test Photo Of Your Purple Or Blue Bridesmaid Dresses In Direct Sunlight
Purple bridesmaid dresses NEVER look the same photographed as they do to the human eye. Also, some shades of blue, like Indigo blue, also have this same issue when photographed. So, if you want to know what your bridesmaids are going to look like in your wedding photos and album after the wedding, take a photo of them in direct sunlight.
Just a heads up!
Karen Continue reading
Where to Put Your Ring – and Other Stuff – During Your Wedding Ceremony
In all of the time that I have been working with brides, I have been asked just about every wedding related question you can imagine. Some of the questions related to big issues, such as where to find the best deal on a venue or what style wedding photography was best. Other questions concerned the minute details of the big day. Below are a few answers to some of the little wedding day questions.
Where Should I Put My Engagement Ring During the Ceremony?
There are a couple of options, and neither is right or wrong. It’s really a matter of preference. One option is to simply move your engagement ring to the other hand. Once the ceremony is over, you can switch it back. The other, and more traditional, option is to leave the ring on your left hand. When your new husband slides your wedding ring on, he will be “sealing” the promise he made with the engagement ring. Once you leave the ceremony, you can simply flip the rings so that the engagement ring is in front of the wedding ring.
What do I do with My Flowers When It’s Time to Light the Unity Candle?
You can hand them to your maid of honor. If you maid of honor’s hands are busy with other duties, such as straightening your train, you can hand them to the next bridesmaid in line. If you are not having a maid of honor or bridesmaid, you may want to appoint someone as a special helper who will be ready to take your flowers when necessary.
I’m Afraid My Guests Will be Bored While We are Having Our Formal Pictures Taken. Any Suggestions?
Guests expect there to be some time between the ceremony and when the wedding party arrives at the reception. It is a good idea to have some refreshments available for your guests to snack on while they wait. You can shorten this time by allowing the wedding photographer to take as many of the formal pictures they can before the wedding. This will cut down on the number of shots required after the ceremony.
I Want to Keep My Bouquet. Do I Have to Toss It?
Many brides want to keep this special memento of their wedding day. While tossing the bouquet is a fun and expected custom, you certainly do not have to toss the bouquet if you would rather keep it. You may opt to purchase a smaller throwaway bouquet. This smaller bouquet would be used for the bouquet toss while you would still be able to keep the bridal bouquet for a memento.
Happy planning! Continue reading
What A Wedding Photographer Says About Your Wedding Day Schedule
Best Tips for Your Wedding Photography Schedule
Hi again, brides and grooms! As you big day draws closer, you need to start thinking about the finer details of your wedding planning. Once you have booked your wedding photographer, you will need to communicate your schedule with him / her so they have a clear understanding of what to expect on your wedding day. I’ve been doing this for a long 
time, so I have figured out what works best for most brides. Of course, there are individual preferences as well as factors such as the size of your wedding party, the number of formal shots that you want and the distance between venues, that will have an impact on the photography schedule. Still, you should keep the tips below in mind as you work with your wedding photographer to plan the schedule for your wedding day.
Before the Ceremony
I like to get to the bride’s dressing location about three hours before the start of the ceremony. This gives me time to do all of the preparation to get the best shots.
• I typically start by meeting the bride at the spot where she is getting ready.
• If time and the setting allows, I am able to get some of the requested formal shots out of the way during this time.
• About an hour before the ceremony, I will head over to where the groom is waiting to get some shots of him, his groomsmen, and his family.
• I will do my best to get some great shots of the empty church and some of the guests as they begin to arrive.
During the Ceremony
The ceremony wedding photographs will be shot documentary style. A skilled wedding photographer is going to know where to be at each point during the ceremony to get the most important photos. Be sure to tell your photographer of any unique events that will happen at your ceremony.
Formal Wedding Photos
After the ceremony, as the guests head to the reception venue, is the time when most of t
he formal wedding photos will be taken. At this time of the day, your photographer will knock out a majority of the posed photos you have requested in your shot list.
Interim Photo Location
Typically between your ceremony and reception we like to go to a scenic location for the more artistic journalistic photos. Here we incorporate your ideas and use our creativity. These are the shots that wind up being a two page spread in your album or an 8×10 that sits on your parent’s coffee table for the next 20 years.
Reception
A good wedding photographer is going to catch all of the special moments of your reception including:
• First dances
• Cake cutting
• Bouquet toss
• Garter toss
• Toasts
If you have any unique events scheduled for your reception, please let your photographer know. The last thing you want is for the photographer to pick that two minutes as the time they need to use the restroom (Remember we are people too!) and miss those important shots.
Also at the reception, we will catch any specific photos that you requested that we could not get earlier in the day.
It only takes a few minutes to communicate with your photographer and plan your wedding photography schedule. Don’t skip this important step, or you might miss out on some great wedding day shots.
Until next time,
Karen
P.S. If you are an Essence customer, please feel free to email Karen your schedule. She will personally review your schedule and give you tips and suggestions to plan the perfect wedding day! Continue reading
Wedding Photographer Common Question: What side does this go on?
Wedding Details – So, what side does the garter and boutonniere go on?
One of the questions we hear all the time and asked to all wedding photographers is,”Which side does this go on?” This question is usually asked at two different times of the wedding day about wedding detail items. First, the bride wants to know which leg to put her garter on. Second, at the church by a confused looking groom, worriedly thrusting his bouteneer and pin at anyone in hearing distance! The answer is, everything goes on the left. Our rings are on the left, but for an explanation of why, we must have a little lesson in history.
Long ago people believed that a nerve or vein ran from the third finger of the left hand directly to the heart. Roman doctors called this vena amoris or “the vein of love.” By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, as a direct link to the heart, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. A very romantic, and pretty simple explanation! Continue reading
Father of the Bride – Help Dear Old Dad Out At Your Wedding!
Besides the day that his daughter is born, one of the most and exciting and nerve-wracking days in a father’s life is the day he gives his daughter away to be married. In preparation for your wedding day, he has been coached on what to say, how to march down the aisle, where to stand… and, probably coached on how to breathe for goodness sake!
But in my experience, there is one thing he has not been shown how to do at your wedding: How to deal with your veil. Now a days, it is becoming less common for the bride to wear her veil down over her face as she processes down the aisle, but it is still common enough that I think it warrants a little coaching.
Time and time again I have seen it, the bride and her father, walking just as he was shown, towards the altar. He is breathing right in preparation for his all important answer to the all important question, ” Who gives this woman away to be married?” They reach the end, he stands to the side, just right! When asked, he answers “Her mother and I do” in a proud and clear voice, and turns to kiss his daughter, throwing the veil as high and out of the way as it will go, where it remains for the vows and the rest of the ceremony, reaching for the heavens and waving like a flag!
Who can help? The groom? Well, we are counting ourselves lucky that he hasn’t fainted yet, so maybe he isn’t our best option. How about the Maid / Matron of Honor? She is in charge of the brides flowers and keeping her dress straight. She may never even look at the brides face! She is also completely resistant to the photographers efforts to use ESP and tell her to fix the veil. (I’ve tried many times, but it just doesnt work!!) How about Mom? Oh, Mom noticed the veil standing at attention, but she can’t get up during the ceremony and fix it without interrupting the ceremony.
So the solution is to give poor Dad just one more piece of advice, make sure the veil is all the way back, and laying neatly. It is the easiest solution and prevent Dad from feeling embarrassed about it on your wedding day and for years after with all the stories told about the flag waiving veil.
My pictures will thank you!! Continue reading
Day of Wedding Tip – Bring Baby Wipes
Baby Wipes at Weddings can be a Life Saver!
As a wedding photographer, I want to document brides like you when you look your best. It isn’t unheard of for you to get a minor stain on your wedding dress or shoes. Or, maybe a little dirt or mud on your hands or face. Of course, I want to clean up your little mess before I snap a photo and preserve it for all eternity. Tthe magic of Photoshop will work, but I would rather not have the stain in my picture to begin with. Continue reading
