Tips & Planning

The #1 Thing to Consider for Your Portraits | SB Wedding Photographer

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Chances are, you’ve selected your photographer largely due to the style of their images. The way a photographer reads and uses light is the most important factor when it comes to their work and artistic vision. As such the #1 thing to take into consideration for your portraits is lighting. As an SB wedding photographer, I’m really fortunate to get to work with such great light along the coast. Here, I’m sharing two tips to keep in mind regarding lighting to get the wedding day portraits of your dreams.

#1: Collaborate with your photographer on your timeline to take advantage of the best light.

It’s always a good idea to allow your photographer to provide input on your wedding day timeline, as they can share their experience as to what’s realistic, and what often takes longer than expected. This becomes especially important when it comes to utilizing the waning daylight. I’ve even had couples ask input about what time to start their ceremony, which always makes my heart sing! These couples recognize how important the quality and quantity of light is to capturing the memories of their big day.

#2: Trust your photographer when it comes to light and location.

Your photographer likely has very specific criteria they’re looking for when they’re assessing the lighting at a specific location. Maybe there is a specific part of your venue that you had hoped to take portraits in front of, but the light is really harsh. Trust your photographer when they suggest an alternate option. They want their work to produce the best possible outcome. And they know you the photos you will end up loving the most are the ones in which you look the most flattered (read: in the best light), regardless of where on the property they might have been taken. A way to get around this is to revisit tip #1 and discuss those backdrops ahead of time with your photographer while you’re planning your timeline. That allows them to be mindful of your requests and scout the grounds beforehand to determine when the lighting would be best.

Are you looking for more tips for your SB wedding? Check out these posts:

Your Wedding Details Checklist

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer

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BEHIND THE LENS

meet LESLIE joy

Passionate about turning your most heartfelt moments into your legacy of love

When I was first getting to know my husband, Michael's, family, I loved hearing the stories of their marriages— the good times and bad, better and worse, joy as well as sorrow, and always love. But the very first time I saw his grandmother’s collection of family wedding photos perched atop her mantel I had to stop and take in what over 200 years of marriage looked like on display. As I looked on at the images framed on the mantel, immediately all of the stories shared by Michael’s grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins came rushing through my head, and it was so easy to trace them all back to the days they said “I do.” In my role as a wedding photographer, I capture all of the raw emotions of your big day, so when you look back at those images you are reminded of the fullness in your heart and you can see how that first day of marriage created a legacy of love.

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