...about bridal portraits
Here's to some thoughts I've been wanting to share for a while now! There's so much preperation and thoughts going into the big day, some start planning more than a year in advance and all of a sudden it's there! It will be special and exciting and memorable, it will be all the things you've dreamed of and more, but it will also fly by so very quickly! That's mostly due to the fact, that there's so much going on, so many dear people around and lot's of things happing. I often hear of my brides and grooms, that it really took the photos to relive and completly grasp what happened on the day, who was there, what they wore and what a fab time everyone had! But this is not meant to just be an call to invest in a great photographer.
As much as a marriage is something between two people, celebrating your love is something you share with your friends and family. And all these loved ones who are making their way from near or far is what is gojng to make your day perfect & special! So on your wedding, whether or not you'll see your loved one first time walking down the aisle or before that, you won't have a lot of privacy between the two of you. What I really want to say is - take a little bit of time for yourself.
What I've experienced over the years of shooting weddings is, that the time a couple takes for their bridal portraits, really is THEIR time. It is one of the few moments during the day, that you'll have your newlywed husband or wife just for yourself and even those (mostly husbands) who were nervous about being photographed quickly forget about me and the camera, just breathing in the happiness and overwhelming feeling. They follow my instructions with so much ease - and yes, I do give my couples instructions for posing, because I believe that if you spend a lot of money on your photographer, what you should get is an expert in their field. And that's why you can trust me to know how to make you look fabulous.
So take that time and chance. It doesn't have to be a full hour, but the more time you can spare the more you'll enjoy it and you should think about planning it for the right time of day, meaning to use the best light - which is late afternoon / evening. To emphazise what I am trying to say I want to share a few impressions of one of my favorite bridal portrait session of last summer. The three of us had such a great time and I know for a fact that Jasmin & Raoul didn't regret a second that they took the time to walk with me to the park just before their dinner started. Looking at these I can still feel their love for each other. And call me a hopeless and cheesy romantic, but I have this picture in my head that one day they'll show their wedding photos to their children and the kids will say "WOW mom & dad!!! You looked so stunning and happy!!" (And ain't it good to know that their first one is on the way already!?)
So I am going to start this week with this picture in my head and a smile on my lips! Hope you will too!
By the way - the stunning bride is wearing a dress by the Viennese designers Elfenkleid. Shot on Fuji400H and scanned by the talents over at UK Film Lab.
