I want to share an amazing wedding with everyone! This wedding was in Malibu… at the Malibu West Club and it was done flawlessly!!!! It was fun, warm, and such a blast!!!! Rhonda and Erik were on a budget, yet they pulled off one of the most visually beautiful weddings I have seen! The details were flawless. Rhonda and Michelle (her wedding planner) did a great job! These are a few of my favorite pictures (out of over 1200 images!!!)
Ok… I want to talk about something super important in your wedding day – possibly the most important part of that one very special day. Stress…
We all know (all of us girls who have had to plan our own weddings) that weddings can be very stressful. I mean, if you think about it – most of us are not wedding planners. We probably have never planned an event of this magnitude ever in our lives. So all of the sudden we are expected to plan a full-scale gorgeous wedding (sometimes while keeping a tight budget)!?!?! Seriously… it can make a woman a little nutty – especially if we still have to keep our jobs and every day responsibilities! (hence… why I absolutely LOVE wedding planners… they are the angels of the wedding industry! LOL!!). Needless to say… I understand all the stress… really, I do.
So you have stressed out for months (sometimes even years) planning this wedding… agonizing over every little detail. You’ve invested a pretty penny on gorgeous flowers, reception hall, cake, video/photo.. etc. So after the wedding, when you’ve received your wedding photos (and/or video) –what do you realize? That you neglected to smile ONCE during your entire day!!! OMG!!!!! All of that money, all of that planning – and you have an album full of images where you look like you’re physically in pain!?!?!
Girls… please… I can’t emphasize this enough – PLEASE…. ENJOY YOUR WEDDING DAY.
I always tell all of my clients the week before the wedding – do all the last minute stressing the last week, heck – do it the last night if you have to… get it all out of your system. Go nuts trying to get all the details absolutely perfect if you must. But on your wedding day – please just let it be… relax…. SMILE. No matter what happens… even if things don’t go exactly as planned (Trust me, they rarely do) – just let it go. You probably won’t be able to fix anything at that point anymore… you’ll just be stressing yourself out in vain. Just let things slide off, and enjoy your day. I mean, seriously… as long as you and the love of your life are tying the knot… that’s what matters the most.. that’s why you’re both there. So if you said your ‘I do’s’ – then consider the day a success! The rest is just icing on that wonderful cupcake!!!
I’m not necessarily saying that you need to smile all day long… or for every single picture. But even in pictures where the bride isn’t smiling… where it looks like she’s contemplating something – she is still glowing, and you can see the smile in her eyes… that comes from happiness and sheer joy.
I can’t tell you how sad it is to see a bride that is so stressed out that she can’t even force herself to smile. As a photographer… I wish I could give her some peace… something to smile about. I know sometimes things can get stressful… and I always remind my clients to smile… relax… enjoy. I sometimes even take them away from the wedding day ‘chaos’ during the bride and groom shots (away from family and friends) – because sometimes that helps to clear their minds. Luckily I haven’t had any cases where nothing I do works, but I have been to weddings as a guest where nothing at all works. Do you really want to see those wedding pictures 10 years down the line and only remember how stressed you were?
Remember that even the most amazing photographer in the world can’t add that smile and glow to your face if you’re truly so upset.
Enjoy your day… you’re there with your family, your friends, your love. Relax, (maybe have a nice drink), enjoy the food, the fun… and SMILE.
Beautiful and glowing bride... notice how she's not smiling, yet her glow is beautiful
Same bride... now smiling beautifully!!!
Even though she's not smiling... she looks absolutely stunning!
without even looking at the camera, this beautiful bride just glows!
One of my absolute favorite parts of a wedding has always been the first dance… that special dance filled with hope and love. I still remember my first dance when my husband and I got married… I remember him holding me close and how happy I felt! I also remember how nervous I was that I had a room filled with people watching me … I mean, I know they were there watching at the ceremony too, but during the ceremony they were mostly looking at my back (I had a Catholic wedding) – so I felt much more aware of people during my first dance than during my ceremony. First dances can be a very stressful moment, but it can also be one of the most beautiful moments of the day – and definitely a great moment for your wedding photography.
As a wedding photographer, I have seen all sorts of first dances. I have seen every style – from ballroom dancing, to completely choreographed upbeat dancing, to simple and intimate.
I personally think that a first dance should be a reflection of your personality (both the bride and groom’s, of course). If you make your first dance a reflection of you – then it will come out naturally, and simply (and with a little less stress). If you are a couple that loves to dance and are very outgoing and energetic, and you want to go all out and do something choreographed that your friends and family will remember forever – then by all means GO FOR IT!!! But if you are shy, this may not be the way to go for you (even if all your friends and family tell you it will be great for you to go all out) – resist the temptation to just follow their advice if you don’t feel comfortable with it. If you are shy, I might suggest you keep it sweet and simple… just think of it as an intimate moment between you and your soul mate.
I personally love romantic first dances… by that I mean a dance where the bride and groom are clearly too into each other to worry about anyone else. When they are so in love at that moment that they clearly feel they are the only two people in the room. Those images always come out amazing… the camera truly captures that love like no other time in the day! If you just enjoy your soul mate… it WILL show through… trust me!!!
If you are planning to do anything special… even if it’s a dip sometime during the dance… you might want to keep your photographer and/or videographer in mind. If you do that dip at an angle where they just can’t capture it, then it’s a moment that’s gone… it can’t be re-done. If that special dip is important to you… make sure you position yourselves so that your photographer can capture it form a good angle (preferably ‘front and center’ – but of course, that’s me wishing for the best… lol!!). Remember that your photographer is only human, which means they can’t fly across the room to get that shot… if you have your back to them when you do the dip, then that’s the moment they can capture.
Remember that your first dance is ultimately a moment between you and your husband.. So enjoy it, savor it, and treasure it forever!!!
Romantic first dance... and a delicious wedding cake!!! What more could you ask for?
A beautiful dance with a touch of flare
So the love of your life has finally popped the question… you’ve told family and friends… you’ve probably already started planning your day, and are now realizing that it’s not as easy as you thought!!! Flowers, caterers, dresses, cakes, favors, napkins, so many things to plan!!!! So when do you start looking for the professionals that will capture all of those details that you have planned out… the wedding photographer and videographer? I can’t speak much for the wedding videographer, since that’s not my specialty, but I can sure give you some tips for looking for and choosing the right photographer for you.
There are many things to consider when it comes to finding the right photographer for your specific needs… sure there are tons and tons of photographers (thousands in the L.A. area alone!!!), and it will be a little mind-boggling at first, trust me. So first… take a deep breath and consider a few things. I always recommend to sit down (before you even start looking) and write down your needs… what you want, what you expect, and what you want to pay to get it. Now … toss it all out the window, but keep it in the back of your head.
First let’s think about what you do want out of your photographer… what is it that is most important to you? Do you want a traditional photographer, photojournalistic, editorial? (feel free to read my previous post where I discuss the difference of those 3 styles). Do you want to get time only, or prints as well? What kind of album do you want? All of these things will play a huge role in your final decision. Remember that whatever you get now will be an heirloom for your family for generations to come. So do you want to settle for just ‘whatever’, are you ok with friends just taking pictures from those disposable cameras, or do you want to have something that will last a lifetime…
With photography, as with anything wedding related… you can get pretty much anything your heart desires – as long as you are willing to pay for it, of course. So you want an amazing photographer to document your entire event, with 3 assistants, plus you want the CD of all the images, 2 deluxe parent’s albums, and an amazing wedding album for you made out of ostrich leather with a solid gold plaque engraved with your names on it and encrusted with diamonds? No problem!!!! …as long as you’re willing to pay for it, of course. (yes.. that album does exist – and trust me, I nearly fainted when I saw the price for just printing it!!!! I can only imagine what it would cost for an actual bride after designer fees have been applied!)
I honestly believe that the trick is to finding a good balance between what you want to receive and then reconcile that with the budget you have for your wedding photography.
So look around on-line, visit photographer’s websites… look at what they can do with images. Personally, when I got married, I would not consider photographers that had a portfolio that had one image from each wedding all mixed into one gallery – I personally wanted to see more images from one particular wedding (at least 24 images from one event, but the more they showed the better). I liked to get a better idea of what my wedding images might look like. I mean, if a photographer shot 2000 images, of course they can find one to showcase and add to their portfolio… I want to see more than one… I didn’t like the idea of just having one great wedding image from my wedding day. Of course, like I said, that is just my personal opinion… I think that’s why I like to show tons of images from each event in my galleries (I have anywhere from 80-100 images per event in each one of the wedding galleries in my portfolio).
Once you see what style you like, look at what they have to offer in their packages. Do they offer packages or all a-la-carte? What do the packages include? CD of images? How many hours? Album? What kind of album? Prints? One thing I always emphasize to my clients is the fact that I color correct each individual image before they even go on the on-line gallery, and it is those color corrected images that are in the CD that they will receive. This is important because some photographers give you the images “as-is… right off the camera” – that means that they may not be at their best saturation. Sure, the prints you get from them will look good since they would surely color correct those images before sending them off to the lab, but what about the images you see on YOUR CD? I personally like to know that any image ‘out there’ that I took will look great!
With the album in mind – ask what kind of album you will get. Traditional? Matted? Coffee table album? Leather album? Hand made album? There are so many types of albums out there! I personally offer the coffee table albums (linen and fully designed cover) and the deluxe leather lay flat albums as well. You might also want to ask who designs the album? Does the photographer do the designing? Using templates? Or custom designed from scratch? Does he/she send it out to an album design company? Do you get to see the album design before it’s printed out? I personally feel it’s very important to see what the album will look like before it’s printed… but I know not all photographers do that. And what happens if you need changes made? Is there an additional fee for those changes? (This is usually the case if the photographer isn’t designing the album himself… he will most likely have to pass on the cost that he will incur from the album design company that he or she uses). I personally design all of my albums individually (from scratch) – no templates or third party companies to worry about. But I know this is not always the case… I happen to be a graphic designer, so I like to have full control of my own designs.
If you feel like they offer great quality, but you might not be able to afford the packages initially, maybe you can inquire about a-la-carte options… maybe the most important thing to YOU is to get them to shoot your wedding day, then you can worry about everything else later… so just ask for their hourly rate or a services-only package. But beware that a la carte options usually tend to run more expensive in the long run than an actual package … but, it usually also means that you don’t have to pay too much up front.
Another very important thing to consider is the deposit/retainer to hold the date. Most vendors in the wedding industry require a percentage as a deposit – anywhere from 20% up to 50% or sometimes more. Think of that when looking for any of your vendors. When I was shopping around for photography for my own wedding, I did notice most photographers that I interviewed charged 40-50% up front… the photographer I chose to hire only required $100 non-refundable deposit… and I loved that! It was such a huge relief to not have to worry about that payment at that point. So that’s what I require from my own clients… just $100 to hold the date.
So now to what I believe is a vital part to consider – the chemistry between you and the photographer. Remember that the photographer will literally be your shadow for the bulk of your wedding day – they will be right there no matter where you turn… so you want to make sure that you definitely feel comfortable with them… make sure you trust them and that you have good ‘chemistry’. The more relaxed you are around them and their camera, the better your images will turn out! If you feel tense and stressed out it WILL show. I like to make sure that my clients are super comfortable with me… we laugh, we share jokes, we relax together – that way the images look more natural and more intimate. When you interview your potential photographers try to pick up on what their personalities are like… aside from their profession, do they seem relaxed, do they seem like they would go with the flow- while still having a strong enough personality to take charge when they need to?
I guess there is no easy way to ‘weed through’ all of the photographers that are out there ready to capture the beauty of your wedding day… just make sure you feel comfortable with whoever you choose and that you trust them professionally and artistically!
Flower girl looking on as the bride gets ready for her wedding day
So your officiant has just pronounced you husband and wife… it’s now time for your first official kiss as a married couple in front of your family and closest friends. I say… let’s make it last!!!
I see far too many couples that give each other a quick peck that last a quarter of a nano-second… and you know what that means? – that means your photographer might or might not have caught that nano-second of a moment. Or they might have caught you either going in for the kiss or coming out of it… since it was lightning fast.
… I understand that some couples might feel a little awkward kissing not only in front of their family and friends with all eyes on them (I’ve met more than a few brides that truly wish that they weren’t the center of attention that day) – but sometimes it’s even more uncomfortable kissing in a temple/church to top it off! I know… I understand… but I always beg my brides to hold it a few seconds (2 or 3 seconds would be awesome!!!). Of course, your photographer is surely ready pointing his camera right at you and with the shutter pressed half-way …. just to make sure they raise their chances of getting that shot. But, even the most expensive camera equipments might not capture that lightning-fast peck quick enough… you know what I mean? Give them a few seconds to make sure they get one or maybe two or three shots of that first kiss.
I sometimes get really extra lucky and they kiss for a few seconds and I can get a few different shots of the kiss – one that is zoomed out, and even one that is zoomed in!! I love giving my clients a few options for the first kiss. The zoomed out picture is always very popular and brides love it because it’s usually a grand moment for the day… so you get to see the reactions of your bridal party as well as the setting where it took place. The close-up of the first kiss is a super emotional image to capture because I know it will bring back wonderful memories!! It’s a very intimate shot that will bring butterflies to your stomach each time you see it. It’s a truly sincere kiss… filled with love, happiness, and even a sense of gratefulness for each other’s willingness to profess your love for each other (I know that sounds a little ‘mushy-mushy’ – but really it’s a great shot to see over and over again). Of course, I know some circumstances won’t allow for that close-up shot no matter how long you kiss for … depending on how close we are allowed to get (see my previous post for indoor ceremony rules to consider)… but still – that extra few seconds will give your photographer the opportunity to experiment for a brief moment.
I have to admit, I am guilty of missing the first kiss – but only once… and it was a combination of circumstances that caused that little incident. The kiss was lighting fast, but that wasn’t the reason why I missed it.. it was an over-zealous guest that jumped right in front of me to take his shot that made me miss my shot (he literally put his camera right in front of mine… my jaw dropped to the floor – I had never had a guest cross that line before!!!). I actually did take the shot and I did include it in the bride’s images, since I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t even try to capture that moment. I took 3 fast shots of that kiss… so I got them going in for the kiss, then the next image was the guest’s camera, then the next shot was them coming out of the kiss.
So today’s lesson… hold that first kiss!!! LOL!!!
The First Kiss - at a beautiful Temecula winery
The ceremony – the reason why everyone is there gathered to celebrate your love and happiness. It truly is a wonderful event that should be treated with complete respect! I truly believe that the ceremony is the most important moment of the day… and all eyes should be on the beautiful couple. This is also the reason why some officiants do have a set of rules and guidelines that the photographers and videographers must abide to … and I think it’s a good idea for the bride and groom to be familiar with these rules as well. Although it’s not vital that she knows these details, it’s always good to know what you should expect as far as the final images are concerned – because sometimes these ceremony guidelines will inevitably have an impact on the images that we can capture. Not that it’s necessarily something to worry about, but I like my brides to have reasonable expectations.
This is particularly important for indoor ceremonies… I would say most indoor temples/churches/places of worship have strict rules that we need to follow. The most typical rules are: only stand in one spot, no moving, and above all, no flash. I always ask my brides if there are any rules that we should be aware of, but I always check in with the ceremony coordinator to find out more details, of course. These types of guidelines are important for the photographer to be aware of (and respect, of course), not only because they are in place for a reason but also because if you don’t respect the rules, you run into the possibility that you will upset the officiant – which could be quite embarrassing for all.
I once had a bride who got married at a Catholic Church… there really weren’t too many restrictions except to try to not disrupt the ceremony. Simple enough… right? Well… that day both my assistant and I were in the front of the church – I was on the side of the groom, my assistant near the bride. I wasn’t really focused on the bride (I remember I was actually trying to capture the parent’s emotions), my assistant was actually taking the bride/groom pictures during this time. I was really focused on something (I was pointing my camera towards the guests, I think). Suddenly I noticed it got very quiet and I glanced over at my assistant and she had this look on her face… she was very pale and was making this hand signal (like slashing across her throat)… I had no clue what was going on. Then I finally heard the priest say: “photographers… please… please, sit down and no more pictures until I pronounce them husband and wife”. OMG I wanted to crawl under a pew and just die!!!! Apparently, what happened was that the bride was completely focused on my assistant and her camera… instead of looking at the priest during the ceremony, she kept posing for the camera (not on purpose, it was just an instinct for her)… well, the priest had about enough and decided to shut us down!!! There were no more pictures after that until the kiss (thank goodness we were allowed to at least take those!!!). I learned two things that day: first, even though I get focused sometimes, I must try to be aware of what’s going on around me; and second, try to be more discreet!!!!
So back to these rules and what they mean for your images. As far as the ‘no moving’ thing, I guess it kind of makes sense… if it’s an indoor location, that means there will be some kind of hard floor, and a lot of echoes if you’re walking up and down all over the place to take pictures (as you can imagine, it can definitely be distracting!). As I have expressed in a previous post – this is the absolute best reason to have a 2nd photographer – because if you can’t move from one spot, at least you have 2 angles to view from (although, sometimes one of those angles is pretty much useless… but in some cases, it can definitely be a huge plus). My assistant is usually near the front of the ceremony. I usually position myself in the center aisle – usually the ceremony coordinator tells me exactly where to stand, or I might have a few feet of space that I can walk around in. Usually, as long as I’m not distracting (and the bulk of the guests are in front of me) then I can have some liberty in movement – but as you can imagine, it’s still quite limited in terms of what I can capture. This ‘no moving’ policy makes perfect sense as a way of respecting and honoring the ceremony – of course, the bride and groom have to realize that this means their photographer will probably not be climbing on the chairs to get an awesome angle… but most couples are perfectly fine with that.
So what about ‘no flash’?… If it’s a historical building, flashes will always be frowned upon (for the sake of the artworks in the building). Most officiants see flashes as a distraction to other guests and even to themselves. In outdoor locations this isn’t too much of a distraction, since there is so much light as it is (and I know we prefer the natural light anyways) – but in an indoor (possibly poorly lit) venue, these flashes can be quite obvious. This rule means that the only light that your photographer can use must come from the natural light… in my dream world, the church would be filled with windows that let tons of beautiful light in and the walls are nice and light!!! Oh… if only that were the case for all churches!!! (I can dream… right?!?!) Sometimes I do walk into the church and I let out a huge sigh of relief when I see all the gorgeous windows and light!!! Other times I just grasp my camera tightly as I see the few windows coupled with the dark mahogany wood panels that cover the entire building from walls to ceiling!!!). So … plan B takes place. This is why I like to get to the ceremony location a little earlier… I like to go in and evaluate my lighting… as you know – these pesky little cameras need at least some light to function! LOL! So – I meter the available light and adjust accordingly (usually a tripod will be necessary, and since I probably won’t be allowed to move at all… that works out great). So what does this mean for your images? Using available LOW light, will mean your images will have a sense of ‘moodiness’ to them – but that is something we assume the bride expected, since she picked that location probably for that same reason – for the drama and moodiness it portrays.
Most outdoor ceremonies really don’t have too many rules… the officiants tend to be very laid back and truly understand that the bride and groom want the best possible shots – so they let us do as we please. But, even then – I still, personally really don’t want guests to remember me at all… they might notice me (come on… I’m walking around with a huge camera at hand and I’m the one standing up while everyone else is sitting down, of course they’ll notice me momentarily) – but my goal is for them to really not remember me during the ceremony. We still try to be discreet – no running or climbing on chairs (well… unless the shot would be too hard to pass up!!! LOL).
So why did I just do this long post about rules that the bride doesn’t really need to focus on? Just so you keep them in mind, just in case you have a location that is super strict… make sure your expectations match what can actually be achieved. Oh… one more little example… I have a wedding next year at an indoor location in Malibu… the paper that the bride showed me had all the rules to follow – literally it said: Absolutely NO images during the ceremony!!!!! Nothing!!!! Their coordinator told them that the photographer might be allowed to take pictures from the back of the ceremony hall (it’s a long hall!!!) BEHIND a glass panel!!! So as you can imagine, I had to make sure the couple understood what that meant to them!
OK… I’ll get off my soap box now… next post will be about the first kiss…but this time it’s something that will be helpful to the couple (I promise)
beautiful indoor ceremony location
I get asked this question at nearly every consultation that I go to – is there really a difference between having 2 photographers vs. just one? My answer is – definitely… YES. I happen to offer 2 photographers with most of my packages, so my clients don’t usually have to worry about this; but if your photographer only offers one, and there is an additional fee for the 2nd one – I would suggest you invest in the 2nd photographer (just make sure they’re shooting photographers and not just the assistant that carries around things).
So what’s the difference? - the difference is that you have 2 view points. I know that doesn’t seem too critical, and I can honestly admit that in some parts of the wedding, it really isn’t all that critical. I personally think it’s critical in the ceremony and in the reception. You see – the ceremony is YOUR time to shine… it’s YOUR moment – so do you really want the photographer to steal even a tiny bit of that attention by moving around like crazy to get different angles? This is even more critical at indoor church settings, where there will most likely be rules and guidelines that photographers have to abide by (for example: no flash, you can only stand in one spot, and above all… no moving!). If your church has these kinds of rules, then you have to discuss with your photographer exactly where you want them to stand… you will most likely have 2 places to choose from – either in the front, or in the back of the church. As you can imagine, this will create a very limited amount of pictures for you to choose from… and only one angle! If you had 2 photographers, then you would at least have 2 views, 2 angles, and obviously a lot more variety in your images. Of course, some churches only lend themselves to one good view… but at least you have that option. I recently did a wedding where the front of the altar spot that we had was 100% useless in terms of good photography… but at least it was something different to choose from. In garden or outdoor weddings, there usually aren’t any rules that are set in stone – so that means the photographers can usually run around if they wanted to – but do you really want them to? I believe that the ceremony is the single most important part of the wedding… and the attention should be on the couple at all times.
During formals the 2nd photographer can be very helpful (although not critical) in getting a photojournalistic view of what’s going on ‘behind the scenes’ – while the family is posing for their formals, maybe something great is happening with the kids that only that 2nd photographer would be able to capture (since the main photographer is shooting formals). Of course, sometimes everyone is very mellow and there isn’t much going on besides what the main photographer is shooting, so this is why the 2nd photographer may not be so critical at this time. If you only have a very limited time for formals in between your ceremony and reception… then you definitely want to make sure you have that 2nd photographer. When my clients have a limited timeframe… usually my assistant and I split some of the portraits to move things along.
During the reception , having the 2nd photographer can once again be as critical as it was for the ceremony. First…lets think about your first dance. This is one of those moments that is once again YOURS, it only comes ONE time during the night, and it’s all for you guys. So why ruin that by having the photographer run circles around you. I like to have the 2 photographers at different angles from you, and we wait for our moment to shoot – you get great angles, and no distractions!! Also consider that most reception halls can be rather large… which means there is a large area to cover in terms of capturing the story of your wedding day.
Keep in mind one very important fact… your photographer is just human…. No matter who you get… they’re just human. This means that they can’t split themselves in 20 different places. They only have one pair of eyes (no matter how fast they move their camera, we can’t have a pair of eyes in the back of our heads). Even when you do have 2 photographers, things WILL be missed… of course, but at least you know that you have 2 people working towards telling your story without taking the moment away from you, and that’s the most important part of all.
Capturing a sweet moment between the bride and groom
Should you have an engagement session?
Well… if your package comes with one, or you can afford to get one – then YES!!!! You should definitely have an engagement session. Not to say that they are an absolute necessity… in all honesty, your wedding will still go on even if you don’t have one. I actually never had an engagement session (although I wish I would have). My husband is not a fan of pictures … I was lucky he even agreed to a professional photographer on our wedding day!!! (He wanted to just give people those cheap little table top disposable cameras!!! Don’t even get me started about those!!!!) So since it took me long enough to persuade him to agree to have a photographer on our wedding day… I decided to not push the engagement session too much. So… no engagement session for me.
Why do I love engagement sessions? Well… think about it… you’re going to be followed around all day long by your photographer… they will become your shadow for the day. Would you rather that day to be awkward having this ‘stranger’ follow you around in your most intimate moments? Or would you like to maybe meet them ahead of time so that you’re more comfortable with them? It’s like if you needed to find a date for a huge family reunion … would you take a complete stranger? Or would you rather take a friend? Of course, your photographer is not your date… but your photographer is going to be photographing some very intimate moments between you and your future husband… so of course you want to be as comfortable with them as possible. During an engagement session you can take that time to get to know them… get to know their personality… get to know their style… and, best of all, get some cute pictures out of it!
For the photographer… it’s great because they get to know YOU. I love getting to know my clients, and seeing just how shy or outgoing they might be. By the end of the engagement session I can make a mental note that a couple is really outgoing, or that they are really shy. This little one-hour session will get me prepared for the day of the wedding. I can also be prepared for when someone just can’t seem to keep their eyes open in a picture. Yes … it’s perfectly normal and common –and it’s great to know ahead of time. I can make sure to make them aware that they do tend to close their eyes – so that we can figure out if there is a solution (maybe not using flash, if that’s the reason). Sometimes even knowing that you do tend to close your eyes a lot does enough to keep you conscious of it and you tend to do it less!
So what will happen if you can’t do an engagement session?
You’ll be totally fine!
I have done many weddings where I’ve never met the couple until the day of the wedding (even a few where all the contracts/deposits were done on-line and through mail) – and they’ve all been successful and came out beautifully. I do have to admit that, at first, most of those couples are definitely more shy around me and it does take a while to get them to open up and relax a little bit (more so than couples that do have an engagement session). This is only a problem when there is a very limited amount of time for formals… when every minute counts. If it takes 10 minutes to get the couple to smile … then it can be a little stressful. But, luckily, I’ve never had such extreme situation yet. I like to think that my easy-going personality is contagious… and most of my clients do tell me that I helped calm them down even when they wanted to scream.
Engagement Session at Malibu
