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Katrina's Blog |
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How to pull off a live-streamed wedding ceremony:
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In this article Dre & Dee from Scooter Hire Melbourne share some ideas on “ways to make your wedding photos unique” Having high quality, well composed photos is an important part of most weddings. Whether you’re hiring a professional wedding photographer, you’re a wedding photographer yourself or you're asking a friend or family member to capture your special moments. Here are some innovative ideas and some simple tips to help you capture and elevate your photos to the next level. Coloured Smoke Bomb Shots Getting coloured smoke bomb shots is a great way to create versatile and complex imagery on your wedding day. If the photos are composed correctly, these images will leave the couple feeling really happy about your special day! Coloured smoke bomb photos can be subtle or really complex with the variety of compositional styles and colours available. Regardless of the wedding’s theme, a little drama from the smoke bomb will give the wedding album a unique feel. It’s probably a good idea to consider experimenting with colours. Remember, each colour conveys and represents specific emotions. For example, red can represent love and yellow will communicate happiness. Take advantage of colour psychology. Photographers, don’t be afraid to play with your shutter speed too! Usually, smoke bombs are best captured on 1/800th of a second or faster but you can try the other way around for a wispy look.  Capture the bride getting ready! Many couples will arrange for their photographer to spend some time with them pre-wedding and capture them getting ready for the day. If you are doing this, aim to capture the couple in their own worlds. Things can sometimes get very emotional, so it’s important things are captured perfectly in this moment. Pay attention to the details, the real trick is to make the busy commotion look like it’s suspended in time and all that matters is the bride. Having a short list will also help prepare the photographer and allow them the time to accommodate client's requests. Maybe, they want an emotional photo of the bridesmaid and the mother zipping up the gown of the bride, flaunting the antique jewelry that has been passed on for generations. If possible it’s great to create a wedding photo book that builds up all the events. Use Unique Vehicles Or Scooters In Shots Many couples will choose to capture shots of the bride arriving at the ceremony venue. If your photographer is doing this, try and take a couple of shots of the car’s wedding decorations. You can use the bridal car in shots, put the car window down a bit and get a perfect close-up photo of the bride prior to getting out of the car. Adding a classic limousine or a scooter in the image will bring lightheartedness to photos. You can even create a new theme if the couple are up for it. Do a whole mini photo shoot especially if the vehicle is special to the family. Try to always maximize the surroundings of the venue or nearby locations.  Amazing Shot Of The First Kiss Capturing an amazing shot of the couples first kiss can be the crème de la crème of their photobook. To do this, you might want to brief the couple first in order to get the best shot possible. You can ask them to hold the kiss for a couple of seconds to let you capture the moment or tilt their heads at an angle, so their faces won’t get obscured.To photograph a perfect wedding kiss, you have to be adaptable to all the conditions. It doesn’t matter whether the natural lighting is not favorable or the kiss was not as long as you wanted for the shot — you have to adjust to the scene! So, get familiar with the ceremony and know when the kiss will happen. However, don’t tense up! A lot of photographers get too eager or too nervous. Don’t let it get to your head or you might end up taking a photo with poor composition. Try to get several shots as well. Keep your eye in the viewfinder and your finger on the trigger even if you think that you got the kiss. Most couples have some sort of reaction after their kiss that is too precious and important to miss.  The Couple and All of Their Guests
If possible try and include every guest in at least one photo. A great way to do this is by doing a group photo after the ceremony. Before everyone goes straight to the reception, dedicate some time to do group shots with the newlyweds. Take it to the next level by going past the formal photos. If the couple and the guests are up for it, you can organise a little theme to make the wedding shots more quirky and personal. My guest blogger, Michelle from Kiddy Kats Photography, shares some tips for the amateur wedding photographer. Weddings are one of the biggest events for a couple. It marks the beginning of their married life and as a photographer, it is your task to capture the most special moments. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional or an amateur. If you are asked to shoot the wedding and you’re accepted, then you have to make sure that you can deliver. Who knows, this could be the start of your successful wedding photography business, so make it count!Now, we understand that shooting weddings are challenging even for those who have been doing it for years. It involves every type of photography from still life to action, and even landscape photography. Not to mention other couples asking for underwater photo sessions! Aside from the technique and knowledge of photography, you also have to be alert and quick on your feet if you want to capture those candid moments. You also have to consider that just about anything can happen and things can quickly go wrong. If you’re not prepared, you may miss some of the highlights of the event. So to help you, here’s a list of our top tips for amateur photographers who want to ace their first wedding shoot. Just a heads up, we’re not going to talk about anything technical. Top 5 Tips for Amateur Wedding Shooters 1. Prepare your shot list One of the best techniques that have worked for us over the years is to prepare a “Shot List”. This means asking the couple beforehand to think of the shots they would love you to capture. Then compile this with your must-have list and check them off as you go during the actual wedding day. Having a list of shots you need to capture is extremely important so you won’t forget anything or anyone. This is especially useful when it comes to group shots where the bride or group poses together with their friends and families. 2. Prepare the right gear If you have good gear, you have a higher chance to capture the best wedding photos. However, since you’re just beginning, it’s understandable that you won’t have everything a professional photographer has. But you do need the basics. For us, this includes two cameras with different lenses. A camera with a longer lens (prime or zoom) allows you to capture moments from afar without being obtrusive. Let’s face it, getting too close to the bride while she’s walking down the aisle isn’t a pretty sight! Plus, this will disrupt what should have been a meaningful moment for the bride. Aside from a longer lens, you need a camera with a wide-angle lens. This will allow you to take great candid moments including those with a group of people, especially while the bride and groom are preparing for the ceremony. 3. Scout the location If it’s possible, try to visit the location where the wedding will be held. This will help you know where best to position yourself to take certain photos. Ask if there are areas that you are not allowed to set foot in, especially when the wedding is at a church or chapel. Visiting the location will also give you an idea of how lights will come to play. As a photographer, lighting is the most important element. So having time to see and try different settings for your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture can help you find the perfect combination for the best photos. 4. Don’t forget the little details During weddings, it’s easy to neglect the little things. But as the photographer, this shouldn’t be the case. The couple has spent a lot of time, effort, and money on planning every detail of their wedding. So make sure to take a photo of everything. Capture the rings, flowers, menus, shoes, watches, the back of the wedding dress, the veil, etc. 5. Set expectations Before the wedding, talk to the couple and show them some of your work. Tell them about your style and create realistic expectations. Find out how many shots they want, what are they trying to achieve, and what they expect from you. Also, if you are charging them for your services, what’s your agreement for the price and what’s included? Make sure to settle all these things to avoid problems down the road. Our last and final tip is to relax and just have fun with it. A wedding is a celebration. Thus, it’s supposed to be happy. Don’t worry too much and trust in your skills. Worrying will reflect in your face and with every worried photographer comes an uncomfortable bride, groom, and guests - which results in horrible pictures! So loosen up, smile, and engage with your subjects. The more fun you’re having as the photographer, the more natural your subjects will be and you will achieve better results! Natural family photographs are a great resource to study, such as those from baby photographer Kiddy Kats Photography. There is a skill in capturing natural, fun moments and also a skill in making it look effortless!  There can be a lot of advantages in opting for a more intimate, smaller wedding. The most obvious can be less cost, depending on the choices that you make for the venue and catering. You also get to spend a lot more quality time together and with your guests. If your looking for a beautiful venue for a small wedding in Ballarat, it's worth taking a look at BallaratPrimavera. This venue provides options for indoor and outdoor ceremonies and can also provide luxurious accommodation for the bridal party prior to the ceremony, or may even be an option for the newly weds after the ceremony. Outdoors you can exchange your vows on the terrace, indoors there is a sitting room with wall to wall glass windows overlooking the garden. You and your guests will adore this beautiful venue. If your looking for a quiz for a baby shower, we've pulled together this Nursery Rhymes Quiz. It's great fun, give it a try. Email me if you would like a copy of the answer sheet.
Walking down the aisle as a pageboy and/or flower girl is one of the best ways to include children in your wedding ceremony. Depending on the age of the children they can also carry the rings or a basket of flower petals which can be scattered along the aisle. Some other ideas to involve children in your ceremony includes making a special mention about them in your personal vows. You might make promises about your future life together as a family unit. You could also involve the children in some lovely symbols such as a Unity Bowl or Tree Planting. Carly and Aiden's children were absolutely beautiful on their special day. They included two of their young children in the wedding party. Both children walked down the aisle accompanied by an adult and their son also carried the wedding rings - so gorgeous.  Kristen and Luke successfully involved the family pet in their wedding ceremony and everything went really smoothly. They organised their wedding with very short notice and decided the best approach was to have their ceremony and wedding reception at home. The outdoor wedding and familiar setting worked really well. The pooch "Boss" was exceptionally well trained, comfortable in crowds and he behaved impeccably. When deciding to include a dog in your ceremony, perhaps it's about knowing their limits. Even the most well trained dog can forget their manners and become unsettled in an unfamiliar situation. Personally, I'm a dog lover and I'm all for including your pooch if you want to and if you feel that he/she will be able to cope with the setting and the crowd.  For some great ideas on how to include your pooch in your wedding, check out this article on Shutterfly "How To Include Dogs In Weddings", Written by Shutterfly, last updated: Apr 24, 2018, https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/dogs-in-weddings
For their wedding Dee and James wanted to keep things relaxed and beautiful. They also decided to surprise their family and friends who were invited to the Dean Hall and Mechanics Institute to attend their engagement party. The evening was crisp and clear and the venue was beautifully decorated. After the majority of the guests arrived Dee quietly slipped away and changed into her stunning wedding dress. She was then accompanied back into the hall by her very proud Dad. It was definitely a wonderful surprise for so many of the guests.
Photo's by Ballarat Photography, Peter Kervarec.
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Hi I'm Katrina StaplesI absolutely love being a marriage celebrant. My goal when working with couples is to help them create joyous ceremonies that they will treasure forever. Archives
September 2020
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Katrina Staples Marriage Celebrant
Ballarat | Central Western Victoria | Canberra | Merimbula | Hobart Phone: 0424 451 850 Email: katrina@promisestokeep.com.au |
Commonwealth Registered Marriage Celebrant
Member of the Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants Victoria (ACMCV) Copyright © 2020 - promisestokeep.com.au. All Rights Reserved |
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