Photography is ALL about lighting….every single picture I take HAS to factor in the light. Some wedding venues think they are doing the photographer a favor by having all the fluorescent lights over head or a million great looking chandeliers that throw off crazy color casts but at the end of the day…that does more harm than good (but thanks for thinking of me 🙂 Lets play a game…One of the pictures above was taken in a bedroom on a rainy day, the other at
Le Chateu in South Salem and the last one at the cutest air b&B. (but with ALL of the yellow light that comes from wooden rooms) Take a second and place your guess. Alright I give…Stunning Julie to the left is in a spare bedroom at the house she grew up in, the middle is Bethanys AMAZING bouquet by
Designs by Wild Things and finally incredibly beautiful now Mrs. Lori Micelli is tucked away in Le Chateus bridal suite. How is that all of these images can all look so amazing when they have been shot in entirely different locations and circumstances? If you follow me on Instagram (which if you dont your missin out) you see the crazy places im shooting details (my latest being up against a basement door) and there is a reason for these decisions. No matter what the weather is doing outside, or what the inside of a room looks like all I need is ONE window and I can make magic happen. So brides (and grooms) here are a few quick tips to picking out a great prep room:
A. Make sure there is one big window that I can get to easily, not only will you thank me when you see the images but your makeup artist will thank you too! Natural light is the best light and I only bust out flashes if I have to…but come on look at those pictures above, natural window light just glistens.
B. Try and make sure that you have room to move about in, even with small bridal parties there is a lot going on. The dresses, the suits, the hair and makeup, the floral deliveries, the flower girls, the snacks before you know it your crammed in like a sardine with your nerves racing! Give yourself some space, one of my favorite things my NLP couples have been doing is renting out an air B&B, you get an entire gorgeous house to yourself!
C. Try not to choose locations with crazy colors or tons of wood, while they look pretty to the naked eye my camera is going to pick up on every little color cast and make you seem like your standing under colored stage lights. I do want to add that this is IF you have control over this, if your parents live in a beautiful log cabin dont sweat it, as a photographer my job is to adapt to lighting situations so ill be good.
D. Think about where you would want to be taking portraits IF you are doing portraits before the day “begins”. Typically I like to grab the bride and her bridesmaids or the grooms and the groomsmen before we do first look and or the ceremony, so if you are getting ready at a hotel that has no outdoor space or isn’t very “appeasing” to the eye this would make those portraits more difficult. (once again not something I couldn’t work with) So while picking a location to prep in keep that in mind!
