Style for the Camera: Achieving a ‘Picture Perfect’ Look

Today, it’s all about bridal fashion and style, as L.A.-photographer Damien Smith shares with me his tips for ensuring a photo-perfect wedding day look!

As a fair-skinned bride, I’m concerned about turning into a lobster on my big day. But I’ve also heard it’s important to watch how much sunscreen I use, since it might affect the amount of light reflecting off my skin in the photos. Is that true?

Yes, this is true, since sunscreen can make your skin very shiny. It’s best to use an oil-free product so there is no shine or reflection.

When shopping for a dress, what should a bride keep in mind about the types of details and silhouettes that usually photograph best?

Don't let your desire for a perfect silhouette picture influence the type of gown you buy. Get the dress you really want, because a professional photographer will definitely be able to capture a great shot no matter what. However, if a stellar silhouette photo is really important to you, try not to get a dress that's super puffy.

As for as the fine details of your dress, such as beading and shimmer, your professional photographer will capture all of it, usually before you put on your dress, and immediately after you put on the dress. Most wedding photographers do a one-on-one session to showcase the lovely bride and her dress.

When I was trying on gowns, some of the dresses looked completely different in the mirror than in the photos we snapped with my digital camera. For example, the intricate beading and embellishments on the gowns were not as visible in the pictures, and the shots looked dark. Will a professional photographer’s camera be sophisticated enough to truly capture these details?

Point-and-shoot cameras use an averaging system to determine the best exposure for a picture, and so do professional cameras when used on certain automatic settings. When you have a lot of white in the frame, the natural response is for the camera to darken the picture.

However, professional cameras can be adjusted manually by the photographer. As long as your professional photographer knows how to use his camera, there will be no problems. A good question to ask a photographer is, "Do you shoot with your camera using automatic settings, or do you shoot making manual adjustments?"

You want a photographer who makes manual adjustments, as this is the mark of a true professional and someone who knows which settings to use to get the best pictures. If the photographer doesn't understand F-Stop and shutter speed, run!

What should a bride keep in mind when it comes to her makeup for the photos? I’ve heard horror stories about brides who tried doing their own makeup and ended up looking way too washed out in the pictures. How important is it to hire a makeup artist skilled at doing applications for photo sessions?

Unless the bride-to-be is a professional makeup artist, she should not attempt to do it herself. Hire a professional, because there's a huge difference between doing your makeup to go hang out, and doing makeup for your wedding. Professional makeup artists understand that a bride’s makeup must be "camera-ready” to prevent that washed out look.

Why let thousands of dollars in photography, attire and so on go down the drain just to save the couple hundred dollars that a professional makeup artist costs? When choosing your makeup artist, always ask to see pictures of other brides he or she has done makeup for.

What are your plans for hair and makeup, and which photos of you in your gown are you most excited about?

(Photo Credit: Damien Smith Photography)

Here Comes the Bride?

When you envision the bride walking down the aisle at a Christian wedding, you can surely hear the familiar notes of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)” playing out in your head. When I imagined my wedding day, I automatically saw myself walking to this melody, too.

But after hearing and reading that “Here Comes the Bride” is a “theatrical” piece that many Catholic churches frown upon, I armed myself with plenty of unique and different options, though all traditional church songs, before meeting with our officiating priest and rehearsal director over the holidays.

Well, to my complete and utter surprise, our particular church is not only fine with songs like “Here Comes the Bride” and the well-known “Wedding March” recessional by Mendelssohn, but also with plenty of other non-traditional tunes, as well. So, without further ado, here are our picks, which I’m absolutely thrilled about!

Wedding Party Processional 

I love this march, “Trumpet Voluntary in D Major,” especially when played on the organ, which we’ll have available at our church.

Bride’s Processional

After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to walk down the aisle to a revised version of the wedding processional from The Sound of Music, one of my favorite classic plays and movies. I can’t wait to walk to this melody, which we’ll shorten and tweak so that the song doesn’t launch into the “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” portion.

Recessional

We’ll ask my bridesmaid Gianna, who will be our cantor throughout the ceremony, to sing a couple verses of  “The Lord of the Dance” as we make our joyful walk back down the aisle together.

Which song will you be walking down the aisle to, and how will your ceremony music mesh with or break away from the conventional wedding “norms” in your faith or culture?

‘Getting Ready’ Shots: Must or Bust?

Now that I’m finally all set with the wedding gown of my dreams, I must say I’m much more excited about the “getting ready” phase of the day.

Closing my eyes, I can picture the moment. I’m stepping into the dress… My mom and sister are zipping me up and fluffing the train… It’s all perfect except for one little thing.

I won’t have any professional photos to document it!

Let me first explain that our photography package includes eight hours of pictures, and that in the beginning, we thought that would be more than enough time to get all the shots we want. But now, since we plan to do a “first look” at the Gardens of the World botanical site, the hour we would have allotted for “getting ready” shots is instead being devoted to that photo session. The logistics are also understandably complicated by the fact that the house where I’ll be getting ready, the hotel where Stephen will get ready, the “first look” site, the church, and the golf course reception site, though all fairly close to each other, are obviously not in the exact same place.

Plus, now that I’ve received my hair and makeup timeline, I’m wondering whether an extra hour would even be enough time anyway. You see, as of right now, my stylist plans to start doing my hair during the morning hours, and my makeup application mid-morning, so that there will still be plenty of time should I request any last-minute changes.

I suppose I could ask our photographer what it would cost to add extra hours to our package, but with the cost of my new gown and our planned catering upgrade, the wedding budget is just about maxed out. So, the only solution I can realistically foresee at this point is to ask our friends and family members to handle these shots, both as I’m getting ready and as the groom is getting ready across town.

Has anyone else faced this problem? Do you think our friends can handle these photos OK, or is it worth the money to look into having a professional onsite? How are you handling the pre-wedding shots?

(Graphic Credit: Google Images)

The Wedding Planning ‘Bug’

I’ve had a great time establishing my career on Capitol Hill over the past few years, but it’s no secret that my dream job would be writing for a magazine or website that specializes in a topic I’m passionate about, especially weddings or health/fitness.

But over time, I’ve also considered another amazing job. You know what I’m talking about, ladies. Wedding planning.

When I first came to Capitol Hill as an intern, my supervisors loved to joke with me, asking whether I’d caught the “bug” yet. Considering that this was over four years ago, and that I’m still working there today, I think I definitely was guilty of catching it!

And now, planning my own wedding has revamped my interest in coordinating weddings for others, as well, although I know many established planners frown upon “wannabes” who think what they do is all fun and games, or that planning someone else’s wedding will be just like planning your own.

But I know that planning someone else’s wedding, being fully responsible for all of the details and the ultimate outcome of the day, is an extremely high-stress role. For those who can handle it and even thrive off of it, I feel planning allows them to put their organizational skills and detail-oriented focus to good use, while also feeding a creative side – a combo that is rare in many of the other professions I’ve explored.

One serious book I’ve enjoyed on the topic so far is Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients by Maggie Daniels and Carrie Loveless, who initially created it as a textbook for students studying to enter the field. It’s comprehensive and fantastically detailed.

What about you? Have you ever considered a career planning weddings or events, or do you already work in the field? If so, what are you doing or have you done to get started?

When it comes to planning your own wedding, has the experience been enjoyable and fun, or mostly stressful?

(Photo Credits: Google Images)

Wish Upon a Wedding

As brides, we happily banter back and forth each day about all the aspects of our wedding planning, wondering whether we chose the right gown, picked the right menu or should have gone with a different hairstyle.

But somewhere out there, maybe just around the corner, there’s a bride wondering whether she’ll even live to see her special day become a reality. And if so, will she have to be married from her hospital bed? How will she ever afford it on top of all her medical bills?

Founded by well-known West Coast event planner Liz Guthrie, the newly launched Wish Upon a Wedding is making big day dreams come true for those facing life-threatening illness.

As soon as I read about this incredible organization, I emailed the organizers to ask how I can help out with the D.C. chapter set to launch in June. Want to get involved with a chapter in your area, make a donation, or share your talents? Check out the website today, and don’t miss this incredible chance to share your passion for weddings with those in need!

(Graphic Credit: Wish Upon a Wedding)