Memorable and Affordable Wedding Photography......

......some tips for getting the results that you want

That's what this blog page is all about.  The images and comments on this page will also give you an idea of my wedding style. 

Mike McElhatton

Digital Arts Photography 

I call this photo "The Reluctant Ring Bearer" and it is one of my favorite wedding shots.  I took this shot in 1998 during a fleeting moment when the bride was soothing the nerves of a very young ring bearer who was too shy to walk down the isle.  

Just seconds later this special moment was gone forever and just  moments later they were headed down the isle.

To me, these kinds of moments are the very essence of memorable wedding photos. 

These photos fall into the category of photojournalistic wedding photography, or more simply referred to as candid shots, and every wedding should include an assortment of them.  There are no guarantees as to the kinds of shots a photographer will capture at your wedding, but to get good photojournalism you need a photographer who is fast, who knows how to tell a story with his or her photos, and who takes lots of pictures. 

I gave this particular photo a cream tone which is a variation on black and white.

Expression says it all and her expression says exactly what she is thinking: "If you are thinking of pushing that cake in my face you had better FORGET IT!"

This is an example of what I call natural posing.  They knew I was taking their picture, but it was a fast series of shots when they were just being themselves that captured the best expression.

A beautiful wedding portrait will not be very appealing if the bride and groom look tense and strained.  Allow enough time for formal pictures and portraits so you can put your mind at ease.  It will also take some time to begin to feel comfortable with your photographer.  A good photographer will talk with you throughout the process and eventually you will start to relax and feel comfortable in his or her presence.

Most people also find that it is very difficult, when posing in front of a camera, to consistently give a great expression.  Notice I said great "expression" and not great "smile".  The best photos have great expressions and not ear-to-ear smiles.  Here's a few tips.

If you cannot produce a natural pleasant expression on command, just forget about smiling altogether.  Try to forget about the photographer being there and just feel happy!   That's right....relax, and just feel happy.  The natural happiness will show on your face.

Ask your photographer if you can look away for a moment and then look back into the lens.  If the photographer is fast he can capture the natural expression on your face as you look back. 

I would never have known that this bride wanted to remember her wedding shoes if I had not asked her if there was anything special she wanted a photo of.  She then pointed to her shoes sitting off to the side and I took this shot.

Take the time, ahead of time, to make a list for the photographer of any heirlooms, any special clothing items, any decorations, or anything else that you will want a photo of. 

If you see a photo in a bridal magazine or elsewhere that you really like, don't be afraid to show it to your photographer and ask him or her to do something similar for your wedding.

Most photographers will provide you with a shot list that will be a good starting point.

This photo of a groom and his best man says it all.  These two guys were standing a bit too far apart and I asked them to get closer.  What you see here was the spontaneous action of the best man and I got the shot.

The photographer can set the tone of your photo sessions by his manner.  It also helps, of course, if the wedding party is relaxed, and one way to accomplish that is to make sure things are not too rushed, with too little time for too many photos.

It is also important to choose a photographer who has a temperament you feel comfortable with.  Meet with your prospective photographer and see if you feel comfortable with him or her before you do the hiring.

Engagement Photo Wedding Register

Comments are written directly on the matte background of your engagement photo

Every couple needs to decide what their engagement and wedding package will consist of depending upon their budget.  Some couples may choose a less expensive engagement package to allow a more elaborate wedding package. 

There are several important uses for engagement photos:

(1) You need a good photo for the newspaper announcement of your wedding.  Most photographers can take the picture and submit it to the paper for you. 

(2) You deserve to have a nice wall portrait of the two of you from "the days before you are married."

(3) You might want to include a print of your engagement picture in your wedding invitations. 

(4) Engagement photos make great gifts.

Another creative use of your engagement portrait is to create a guest register (shown to the left)  for your wedding by placing a copy of your photo in a large matte and have quests write their comments as they enter instead of in a guest book. 

The photo displayed here was a 6 x 8 print in a 16 x 20 double matte, and then displayed in a wooden frame.  This creation provides an interesting guest register that can also hang in your home for many years and bring back memories each time you see it. 

You can certainly select an expensive assortment of engagement pictures if you want to send them to family or friends, but your engagement package can also be a place to save some money if you are on a tight budget.

Your wedding is a story.  That's how I see it and that's how I shoot it.  The story begins with the rehearsal and ends at the reception.

Should you have photo coverage of your rehearsal?

On the one hand, the story of your wedding begins at the rehearsal and it's an important part of the traditions and friendships that come together at your wedding.  As a photographer I prefer shooting the rehearsal because it gives me a chance to meet everyone in an informal setting and makes for better photo sessions on the day of the wedding.  It also gives me the opportunity to plan my shots, so I know where to stand for certain shots and become familiar with the lighting, etc

On the other hand, you can save some money by not having photo coverage of your rehearsal.

When I shoot a rehearsal the session consists almost entirely of candid shots.  I may pose a few group shots but the rehearsal, like the reception, is all about people in action, and the best way to preserve those memories is to shoot lots of candid shots.

the reception is all about capturing people in action -  people engaged in conversations off on the sidelines, young girls awaiting the toss of the bouquet, the garter toss, the first dance, the mother and son dance, the father and daughter dance.  The reception  is all about action and the photographer needs to be fast and get close. 

This photo of the bride's father doing the chicken dance was one of the bride's favorite.  This website image is reduced in size and you cannot see the expression on his face, but if you could, you would see he is very obviously having a great time.  It's not likely the bride would ever make an expensive enlargement of this shot but this is a shot that will bring back lots of memories many years into the future.

The reception is also a good place to more or less document who was there.  Some photographers will limit themselves to the staged shots because the bride is not likely to purchase extra copies of the so called "table shots" or random candid shots.  But these shots you should have, and there are ways to make them interesting.  If the bride or groom are posed with a table, or the ring bearer, it becomes an interesting shot. 

Take the time to tell the photographer who the important people are.  He or she cannot possibly know who everyone is, how they fit into your family, and why certain people are very important to you. 

The formal pictures and portraits are a central part of any wedding package.  For most weddings, if everything goes like clockwork, the formal wedding session will take at least one and a half hours. The formal session can be tiring, particularly for the bride and groom, who are in every photo.  Here are some tips, and some things to consider, for your formal session.

Plan ahead.  Take the shot list provided by your photographer and carefully consider it before the wedding.  List every shot that you want taken and return it to the photographer at least a week before the ceremony. 

Your photographer will not know your friends and relatives.  Designate a friend or relative to help the photographer gather up the required individuals as the shots progress so the process flows smoothly.

Formal photos before or after the ceremony?

Customs are changing. It was once the tradition that the bride did not want to be seen by the groom until the start of the wedding ceremony. This means that the formal and group pictures could not be taken until after the wedding.  But fewer and fewer couples are following this tradition.  Some brides have told me that they consider the wedding ceremony to have started when the families and friends come together but most decide to have the photos before the wedding simply because this is the most practical thing to do, and the most considerate for those who will be in the photos.

My approach, as a photographer, is "It's your wedding, I work for you, so you decide."  But I also like to give some guidance.

Group photos and portraits can take two hours with a medium - large wedding.  This will seem like an extremely long time after the ceremony.  Guests will be waiting at the reception, family members and friends to be included in the group photos will have a tendency to wander off,  and everyone will feel extremely rushed and impatient.   The end result is that you may not get the photos you want. 

A very popular way to balance the tradition with the logistics of planning a modern wedding is for the bridal couple to have a private time to meet each other at the start of the wedding activities.  In some weddings I have been asked to photograph this "first meeting" and in others I have been told not to be there.  This again is the choice of the bride and groom.

If you are insistent upon first meeting when the bride walks down the isle then it is a good idea to limit the group photos.  You should certainly have photos taken of your bridal party, your families, and friends, but have fewer combinations of people than you would with typical "before the wedding" photos.

Inside or outside?

There is no doubt that beautiful natural surroundings make for great wedding shots, particularly of the wedding couple.  But there are more variables outside, including the light, rain, miscellaneous distractions, and the wind.  If you select an outdoor location make sure you talk with your photographer about alternate plans if the weather does not cooperate. 

One compromise solution is to take the formal photos at an indoor location, such as the church, but arrange some time for outdoor shots of the bride and groom at some time during the day.  I will often head to a nearby park with the bride and the groom right after the receiving line winds down after the wedding, but before they head to the reception.  It gives the couple a chance to catch their breath and a nice time to take some private portraits.

In choosing an outdoor location, consider that bright sunlight makes for harsh shadows and harsh shadows make for poor portraits.  The outdoor location needs to be shaded if you want the nice soft light that makes for great wedding portraits.  Shade can be found in most locations but not all locations!.  If you have ever seen a movie set, with screens to block the sun, reflectors to bounce the sun, and lights set up all over the place, you need to realize that your photographer will not have the time to set up this truckload of equipment to get those glamorous results. 

Most photographers will scout the photo location if he is not familiar with it and then discuss your opinions for photo locations.  But you also need to work with your photographer to discuss how your outdoor locations will best be used.

All of that is fine if that is what you want.  But when money is an issue it might be more reasonable to select a less expensive book to display your photos.  After all, it is the pictures which preserve memories not the elaborate book that displays them.

You need to make sure your wedding album is a well-designed and quality book, a book which will protect your photos and nicely display them for family and friends but you don't need to spend a fortune to do this. One creative idea is to start with a basic album and then compile your own custom album later, filling it with both photos and mementos from your wedding.   

I love black and white.  Black and white strips away all the glitter and gets right to the heart of the subject matter.  Black and white is classic. 

Black and white can also be overdone in my opinion.  A photo has to have good CONTENT to make a good black and white print.  Expression is critical and the photo needs to uncluttered and right to the point. 

As a photographer who shoots 100% digital, I can convert any color photo into a black and white print.  But the mental approach of shooting for black and white is fundamentally different from shooting color.  The technical and artistic aspects are different as well. A wonderful color photo may look terrible in black and white if there is too much contrast, for example.   The bottom line is that my black and white prints will look much better if I know that  that certain prints are destined for black and white. when I am taking the pictures

There are also many variations on black and white; sepia, duotones, monotones,  etc.  I have produced some "cream tone" images that I like for certain prints.  The photo above of "The Reluctant Ring Bearer" is one of these cream tone images.

The important thing is to talk to your photographer about black and white if you will be wanting to include some in your wedding collection. 

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