Tips From a Wedding Photographer For Including Pets in the Wedding Day

A professional wedding photographer sees many couples who feel their pets are more than just companions -- they are an integral part of a new family. They become just as important as any other family member. Unfortunately, our beloved fur and feathered friends are animals that don't always behave appropriately and can be downright unpredictable at times. This doesn't mean you have to leave your pet out of the day and out of the wedding photography. With a little preparation, the day can go smoothly and stress free for you and your pet.

Get To Know Your Pet

Just like human beings, pets have different personalities and react differently in stressful situations. One of the most important things is to get to know your pet well before the ceremony to discover how he or she behaves in similar situations. One of the biggest things you will want to find out is how your pet acts in a large crowd. A common thing a wedding photographer sees is a pet that becomes so excited and distracted with all the people around that they don't listen well. This doesn't mean your friend can't attend the event. It just might be best to include him or her in the wedding photography rather than the ceremony itself.

Most wedding photographer professionals say you need to be certain your friend is obedient and controllable. The animal should be able to follow basic commands, even in big crowds. Otherwise, he or she becomes excited, anxious, and pure chaos ensues. Find out how the pet behaves in front of the camera if you would like to include him or her in the wedding photography. While the wedding photographer tries to be as unobtrusive as possible, some pets get quite upset when the camera is lifted.

Tips For Getting The Animal Through The Event

Looking after a furry or feathered friend can add strain on the new couple who already have a long list of responsibilities and people they want to see at the wedding. A wedding photographer often recommends couples find a friend or family member that the animal is familiar with to care for it during the event. There is no need to worry about the pet and it gets the attention it needs. If your animal requires too much care, however, the pet is better off away from the event. You can include it during the preparations or at a small celebration afterwards.

Remember that if the ceremony will take a long time, your pet may not be willing to sit or stay that long. In this case, a short appearance would be far better than requiring the animal to sit through the entire event. If you are worried about their behavior, have something they are familiar and comfortable with. Their little bed, a blanket, or a toy may be just what they need. Often times, they can be easily trained to go directly to this item and stay there while others may even do this on their own. As an added benefit, these make great props for wedding photography.

If something unexpected does happen and you have a disaster, it is important to remember that things to happen. Sometimes, they aren't always that bad. Many times, a wedding photographer captures these moments and they become one of the best images in the album and one that is most cherished by the newlyweds. Whether you have a cat included in an east coast event or a dog for the wedding photography in Chicago, you can only prepare for the big day and hope that all goes well.

Natural and Beautiful Wedding Photography Tips

The wedding is generally one of the best important days in the lives of a couple. Photography is a greatest preparation and expenditure, which normally captures the memories of the day. The pictures are a great tactic to capture and record many features of the wedding.

Most people and even professional wedding photographer use digital cameras. The resolution of the digital cameras is an essential part of the quality and results, which can be easily attained. The camera range should be from 1 to 20 mega pixel resolution. Moreover, a higher resolution mainly use for applications where huge pictures gives best results. A lower resolution camera always gives coarse look, which does not look good if you enlarge those pictures too much. If we talk about best wedding photographer then they normally takes short amount of time by clicking beautiful couple portraits on the wedding day. There are also some methods and techniques, which definitely improves your wedding photography. Best photography tips can surely give the professional edge in the wedding photographs. The simple and natural wedding photography tips are as follows:-

Firstly, the wedding photographer should click pictures with the accessible light and without flash. It reaches a few goals like skin tone will look less shiny without flash and you can also capture a more real background color and light in your image without flash. After this, you should close speed to keep your photos sharp and severe. While capturing the picture, you should try using main and primary lenses, which really gives professional look in your every photograph. Afterwards, the wedding couple should be very comfortable and they should have natural smiling face and you can also tell them that they look good when they smile in front of each other.

If we talk about more natural and beautiful photographs then photographer should look at frames, screens and reflections as well. Whatever from doorways like flowers, trees and mirrors creates great reflections and considerations for your subject and also gives more professional and natural feeling. The photographer should be creative with illumination and he should also look the outlines and shadows in front of windows or the sunset. The photographer should also look for sudden sides and perspectives while capturing wedding photography.

Another significant wedding photography advice is the planning and arrangement of shots or poses. The photographer should use high quality camera through which they can easily set up the special shots in all poses. A natural and beautiful wedding photography can be easily done by professional photographer because they have great deal of experience in this area and they can also attain best results in wedding photography.

Wedding Photography - Receipts and Contract Issues

A pretty difficult subject for people to get their head around being a wedding photographer is the simple question of being paid. You see many wedding photographers do it for the love of the art not for the money. This means that they probably don't have an airtight contract or terms and conditions to start with which means they have no way to ensuring they get paid other than withholding photographs from a wedding.

This post is more for photographers than couples; but if you're a couple reading this then read on. It may just answer some questions as to why I or any other wedding photographer does what they do!

Receipts

First off make sure that you give a receipt to everyone that gives you money whether that be cash or cheque. If you're using PayPal you can sort of get around this, but I have started just e-mailing couples to say the payment has gone through anyway

You need receipts to check what has been paid and when and also I presume your accountant will want to look at these come tax time!

I use a cheap and cheerful receipt book from Staples. It even has that really old-fashioned blue 'carbon' paper in it!!

Contracts

Next up and the most important item is the contract. Go seek some legal advice and get one drawn up that covers you top to bottom, head to foot. I'm not saying people will deliberately try to shaft you (well, OK I am - some people are just like that.) but a contract tells the world and you clients that you are a professional and you mean business. It's telling them that whilst you love you work you also want to be treated like a professional not some part-timer doing weddings for pocket-money. (And don't get me started on that just yet.)

Include in your contract areas for the couple to complete names, address, telephone numbers, wedding date, wedding venue etc. Make them fill it in. It is their wedding so it is their responsibility to get it right.

Think about copyright of your photos. Stick a section in their saying what they can and cannot do with any electronic images you give them. Tell them own owns the copyright - you!

If you use your images for marketing put a section in about that as well.

Think about the reproduction licenses if you sell electronic images or sell DVD's / CD's of your work for clients to print also. Make it crystal clear that they are not allowed to change, sell or do anything to your images without your written consent. Make sure that they no the penalty for non compliance will be breach of contract and your possible refusal to continue to work on their images. Set their expectations that you are a professional and you respect your work so they should as well.

Talk about price; what is included, what is not included, what travel charges you charge for (HMRC is at 0.45p per mile now by the way), bridge or road tolls etc. I even have a clause stating I will charge a little bit extra for sending images outside the UK.

Next big thing is being paid. What booking fee do you need to confirm the date, when you require full payment (I am 4 weeks before the wedding). Leave time for clearing cheques etc. State again that non-payment is a breach of contract and may result in non-attendance of your wedding.

Also think about having a cancellation term my the contract just to make sure.

Get both parties to sign and date the contract.

Being Paid

I use online payment merchant as my payment preference; I live miles from my nearest bank so getting a cheque in the post means about 60+ minutes of time and 25 miles of travel just to put it into my bank.

Using an online payment service also means I can use their great Merchant Services and set up invoices to send out to clients. I also print a copy of the invoice for my client records; or as in one case this week to post a copy of the invoice to a client who for some reason had not had the electronic invoice via e-mail.

If the couple don't get the invoice always follow it up with a paper copy sent recorded delivery - get a signature as proof of receipt. Follow this up with any Facebook contacts etc that you may have with the client.

I try to avoid telephone calls unless really required - I think it's a bit like trying to be the 'debt collector big man' approach.

Think carefully how you would feel if the clients don't pay on time. How will it affect your relationship with them; how will it affect your relationship with your mortgage company?!

Most photographers are happy to talk about costs / payment with clients but you should do this before the payment deadline not after it.

Not paying isn't nice and sours what should be a great relationship.

Your contract should have something along the lines of:

Payment for any outstanding balance is due no later that four (4) weeks prior to the contracted date and is specified in your contract summary. You MUST allow for sufficient time cheque clearance. Non receipt of the full balance by the due date will be deemed a cancellation of the contract by the wedding clients/s.

No payment means either you don't turn up to photograph the wedding and you take a day off or you do turn up and the clients don't get anything until you have paid the balance.

Cancelled Contracts

It happens so it is best to have something in your contract such as a break off clause to handle this.

Think about the extra administration you may have to do; think about the income you may have lost out on.

Summary

So to sum up; if the couple don't pay up you don't have to turn up. If you do turn up you can still claim the balance of your payment or withhold photographs.

Get a contract professionally written

Make sure you keep records of e-mails, Facebook conversations and telephone calls etc

Make sure you chase up the clients to let them know about non payment

Remember - The client isn't always right. Stick to your guns and get your own legal advice if you think you are in the right.

Wedding Photography Technique - Posing and Photographing The Bride

Photographing The Bride

Your wedding photography technique will improve dramatically if you pay particular attention throughout the day to the Brides appearance. She is the most important person in your photographs. Before firing the shutter always check that she is looking her best. Pay specific attention to the stance of the Bride. She should be posed by asking her to stand at a slight angle to the camera. The foot nearest to the camera should be extended forward three or four inches towards the camera with the knee slightly bent. Now ask her to transfer her weight to the foot farthest away from the camera.

Her head should be turned towards the camera and tilted slightly. Avoid straight limbs, for example arms and wrists should always suggest a gentle curving, almost flowing movement.

Flowing Lines

When you are composing a full-length portrait of the bride, make sure that you position the bouquet where you would a fig leaf! When you place the bouquet in this position the arms will look more graceful.Ensure a gentle curvature of the elbows. If you allow the bride to hold the bouquet higher than this, you cover the detail in the waistline and body of the dress, and you put harsh angles into the arms. Not graceful or pleasing to the eye. The most important single thing to remember when photographing women at any event is that they must look graceful.Also remember to keep the bride at a slight angle to the camera, never directly face on. Approximately 30 degrees is flattering. You can get away with less of an angle with thinner brides.Elevate her index finger slightly above the others for a graceful hand and be sure to show the side or edge of the hand and not the palm or back of the hand. When photographing the bride and groom together, or the bride with any male, angle the shoulders so that the male is wider to the camera than the bride. The last thing you want to do is make the bride look bigger than the groom.

Tilting the Head

Head tilts are another important subject when photographing the bride. Your goal is always flatter the subject to the best of your ability. There are two basic head tilts, masculine and feminine. Masculine head tilts place the head leaning down toward the front of the body while feminine head tilts have the head tilting down over the shoulder toward the back of the person. Feminine head tilts look best on thinner brides.

The Heavier Bride

If you are photographing a heavier bride try to avoid any shots in sitting positions, they always look better standing.

If you are photographing a group, including a heavy bride, keep her standing, turned at an angle to reduce her width, bouquet lowered and if possible, place her slightly behind another person so that one arm and one leg are hidden. This is the only exception to my earlier direction of always having the bride and groom at the front and unobscured!

In conclusion, your wedding photography technique must include a good repertoire of shots and poses for the bride. You must practise and experiment with your posing technique. As with all posing techniques you must practise them before using them on a practical basis.

I hope this brief article gives you the information you need to improve your wedding photography technique.

Regards

Bobby

Popular Sayings for Your Wedding Koozies

There are so many ways to say thank you to your guests and it can be difficult to choose which one is best for your guests. With that in mind we have come up with a list of favorite sayings and ideas for your wedding Koozies!

1. 'Thanks for Coming!' Some wedding Koozies can be personalized with the name of the recipient what better way to say 'Thanks for Coming' than to add their name on the Koozie too! It makes the Koozie just a little extra special and can serve as a neat place name.

2. 'To have and to hold... and to keep your beer cold.' The classic saying and deservedly so! Other variations include 'keep your drink cold' or 'keep your bourbon cold'. Some Koozie manufacturers may let you split orders for no extra cost if you know exactly who is drinking which drink, just let them know how many you'd like of each across your wedding Koozie order total.

3. 'I drank all the beer at... ' is another favourite light-hearted saying. Other variations include: 'I propped up the bar at... ', 'I maxed the tab at... ', 'I drank for America at... '

4. 'I stole this Koozie from... ' Variations of this popular phrase include 'pinched this Koozie' and 'borrowed this Koozie'.

5. 'Eat, drink and be married!' is a classic saying that works really well in lots of circumstances.

6. 'I found please return this person to... ' A great way to make sure your guests do not get lost on your special day!

7. 'I helped demolish the cake at... ' Other variations include ate, polished off and scoffed the cake!

8. 'I went to [Bride and Groom's Wedding] and all I got was this damn Koozie!' If this phrase works on countless T-shirts and hats from tourist hotspots all over the world it must be sure to work on your wedding Koozies too.

9. 'Hitched at Last!' For those that have savoured the journey to married bliss this favourite is short and sweet!

10. 'Some cold, something brewed, something mellowed and golden hued!' Our own in-house poetry effort has found its way on to an exclusive few designs recently, of which we are very proud!

11. 'We're so glad you are here... so now go grab a beer!' Number 11 in our list is this little ditty we saw recently.

12. 'This Koozie: $10. You being here: priceless!' Based on a popular advertising campaign, many people do a little light-hearted breakdown of some of the costs involved in keeping their guests happy and follow-up with the 'priceless' punch line. We especially like this line too: 'the beer you drank... $Too Much!'

13. 'Please raise your glass... (because) we're married at last!' One for the late bloomers we think!

Hopefully one of these sayings has helped or at least inspired you, but please feel free to let us know your favorite saying if it is not here.

What Your Wedding Album Should Have

Your wedding is one of those events in your life that may only happen once. You would want to remember that day until you are old. The best way to do this is to capture the moments in photographs. While videography is becoming more common, nothing beats the power of still photographs. You can compile the best images into one album with the help of a professional photographer.

Putting together an album is not as simple as tossing and shuffling photographs. You have to look into some qualities so it will become the perfect remembrance.

Style

Your photo album should be in line with the motif of your special day. Consistency is key when designing wedding paraphernalia. Just like you and your partner, everything should match so they will work well together. A well suited photo album is good on the eyes. It sets up the same atmosphere as your happiest day captured by your wedding photographer during the ceremony and reception. How you design your album reflects the emotions you felt during those moments.

Story Telling

When you are older and your grand kids ask you to tell them about your love story, the best way to narrate it is through pictures. The photos should tell a story instead of just presenting beautiful images. It may tell them how you first met until you reached the altar and had your first child. You can reminisce your most special day with your grand kids with all the memories still fresh through the photos. You can tell them about something funny that happened during the cutting of the cake. Make them laugh about how you and your spouse could not even dance well to the most romantic tune of the time.

The arrangement of photographs should be easy to follow. Not all photos may have the best quality when they were taken, but it is the story inside them that matters. You never know, the photographer may have snapped a trivial detail on a rather candid photo. Do not simply throw away some photos you think were half-blurred or out of focus. Put sections in the album and treat it like a book with progressing chapters. All these will be easy and possible by the help of your wedding photographer.

Durability

Say, 200 years down the line, people from the future found your album. While some pictures may no longer be clear, the album should be enough to summarise your love story. Use materials that are resistant to easy wear and tear. There are different methods on how you can preserve printed photos. Do your own research and place your photos carefully in an album that can let it age gracefully. Storage is also a factor so keep your album away from moisture or heat that can cause the photos to melt.

The photographer you hire may also create your album as part of their services. Make sure to add your input into it to give it a more personalised feel.

Wedding Photography: Stunning Locations In and Around Sheffield to Consider for Your Wedding Photos

One of the most important things that you need to consider if you are planning to get married is the Wedding Photography. Nothing beats impressive and creative shots during one of the most memorable days in your entire life. You do not only need to consider the photographer that you will be hiring, but you also need to focus on the concept of your shoot.

Aside from the people in front and behind the camera, one of the most important factors that can definitely make a shot perfect is the location. If you want to have very unique, beautiful and stunning wedding photos, you need to pick a very nice location for your photo shoot. Most of the people may not be aware, but there are actually a lot of great locations in Sheffield that you can choose from. If you are able to choose the best Sheffield photographer and the most stunning location, you can definitely be sure that your wedding photos will be truly amazing.

The Leopold Hotel

The Leopold Hotel can be considered as one of the best locations for wedding photography in Sheffield. This hotel is considered as a luxury location that can be found right in the heart of the city. There are about 90 different bedrooms with 14 elegant mezzanine suites with tall ceilings and very classic and unique decors. Every room and suite has a very impressive and adequate lighting with huge and modern chandeliers that can definitely give you a taste of luxury living. If you choose the Leopold Hotel to be your location, you will even be assisted by an expert wedding team that can help you bring out your best in your photo shoot. The place is also very comfortable and relaxing, thus allowing every Sheffield photographer to capture the true beauty of any wedding event held there.

Ringwood Hall Hotel

One of the most famous wedding locations in Sheffield is the Ringwood Hall Hotel. This hotel has been known to be one of the favorite choices of people when it comes to weddings. It is said to be able to provide a very beautiful and unique wedding location all year round. This hotel is filled with about 6 acres of breathtaking gardens and even 23 acres of huge parkland. Every picture taken in this garden filled hotel is surely proven to be magnificent and one of a kind. This place is full of color any time of the year that is why it is not only best for weddings, but for other special occasions as well.

Bagden Hall

Another one of the best locations for weddings in Sheffield is the Bagden Hall. This place ensures that every wedding event will be truly one of a kind. Your individual requests for your wedding will be definitely granted in this location. Whether you decide to have a simple wedding or an extravagant one, the Bagden Hall can be the perfect location for you.

These are some of the best wedding photography locations in Sheffield that you should definitely try to see.