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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Question of the week.What were the top 3 priorities for your wedding in order? I'm SO glad photos are at least in everyone's top three! :D
Karen: Husband, food, location! :-) Emily: Photos, Photos, Photos! Which is why we chose you!! :-) Jen: Venue, photos, dress! Alison: Photos, Dress and cake...just because i already had the venue and food automatically taken care of!! Photos were number 1 for me!! Gail: Venue, photos, dresses, FLOWERS, food and cake Heather: photos, venue, dress Ashley: Photos!!!, dress, flowers Rhonda: Dress, Photos, venue. Photos are almost as important as the dress...thats what you have left years later.......Glad to have had a great photographer for my daughter.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Question of the week!Did you see each other before the wedding? Melinda: Yes - I did not want to but that was the ONLY way our photographer would do it and I really wanted him so we took most all the pictures before the wedding and it worked out GREAT! Jessica: I want to! But my super tradtitional fiance wouldnt help me pick out the dress or see me before! Katelyn: Yep! We still had that special moment where it was just us and the photographer in the room though. My husband had his back to me and I walked out and he turned around and saw me and the photographer got some really great shots of us. Wouldn't have had it any other way. Erica: Yes! It was just easier and I didn't want the guests at the reception to have to wait so long! Kelly: No, we didn't-- we had this super great photographer ;) who ensured that all of our together pictures could be done in a timely manner after the ceremony and our guests didn't have to wait forever! I wouldn't have done it any other way :) Donna: NO..... because I was running late! bwahahaha! April: Yes we saw eachother and those were my favorite pics from the entire day!!! We had a beautiful moment together that I will never forget! And I had a great moment walking in with my dad that wouldn't have happened if my mind had been on my hubby to be! Christy: Yes - so we would have more time for the photos!!!! It made the day so much more relaxed. After that initial moment with him, my stress melted and I was able to trully enjoy the rest of the day Heather Yes! we did see each other, but u know that already ;) we saw each other before because we didn’t want our guests to wait for us at the reception and we got way better pics at the place we took them at! Debbie: Yes, Cause I got married in Vegas!!! Holly: No.....because HE didn't want to! I was all for having the pics finished... Valerie: No we didn't see each other. He is a little superstitious! Michele: No, we didn't. it was something that was important to me. I guess I just always pictured that i would see my husband for the first time on our wedding day when I walked down the isle :) it was awesome! I never thought about getting picture together first :) Rachel: Yes!! I got married at a church but it wasn't one of those gorgeous background kind of churches so we went to Berry and let you take some amazing pictures of us. Plus it helped my nerves some also!
Wenesday, November 24, 2010
Question of the week!Did you hire a videographer and how many times have you watched your video? Katelyn: I had a friend video our wedding. Only watched it once though. Glad to have it. Valerie: Yep.... and once on our 1 year anniversary.... we just celebrated our 6th! Donna: My brother-in-law did ours. I used to watch it often, but haven't lately. Karen: No but wish I had! Anita: My wedding had 5 people videoing ...it was really odd to have a camera mounted at "12, 3, 6 & 9" during the ceremony...I haven't seen it since the mid 90's.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Picking the right photographer.
When I got the call from Kristi I was partly excited, partly sad and mostly angry!!! I wasn't able to shoot her wedding this summer because I was in NY that weekend, so when she called me I was a little surprised to hear she wanted me to shoot a "day-after" session with her and her new husband. She then told me two things that shocked me! So this blog is first and foremost CELEBRATE Kristi & Golden! And secondly, a word of warning for anyone looking for a photographer. #1. The CD that she recieved with all of her wedding photos was not a high resolution CD. She was able to upload them on facebook, but when she tried to print them, they were pixellated. That's because it was a CD for viewing, not printing. Make sure when you get the CD from your photographer that it is what you paid for. If you order the CD, make sure it is the High Resolution CD for printing and you get the copyright release for it. Some photographers don't offer this and say that you'll get the CD, but it's only the low-res for viewing. It can be tricky sometimes, so ask to make sure. #2. Kristi told me that when she went back to her photographer to get the high-res CD, the photographer told her his computer crashed and he lost all of her files! So when she called me, she told me she just wants a few photos that she can enlarge and hang on her wall because at this point she has nothing! (I was mostly angry about this one). Make sure to ask your photographer about their methods of storing and backing up your photos. After a wedding I back up my photos in two places and put the raw files in a fire safe box. After I'm finished editing, I put the edited files on a hard drive in my fire safe box, make a CD backup, another external hard drive backup, and I also upload all of the edited files onto a website for storage. Call me crazy, but I don't want something like that to happen to me! So, as we celebrate Kristi & Golden's wedding, please also learn from their experience and ask questions. We will not get offended if you do, and you'll be protected from making a terrible mistake! Thanks Kristi, for thinking of me for your re-shoot! OXOXOXO!
Friday October 1, 2010
She said YES!Heather and Eric did the thing that I just love!!! They decided to see each other before the wedding. I know, I know! It's not traditional, but who is these days anyhow! The best part of it is that we had SO much time to take amazing photos of the two of them and the wedding party totally and completely stress free! No rushing or worrying about guests waiting. Which takes me to the second best reason for this.... After the ceremony, the guests only had to wait about 20 minutes till the Bride and Groom made their grand entrance. How great is that! Awesome photos AND no waiting! It's a very difficult decision for some, but ask the one's who've done it and they'll tell you it was worth every photo! :D
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Planning your wedding???
Over the years I have learned a thing or two about shooting a wedding and I would say the most important thing in terms of photography is being organized and detailed. One of the very first things I ask of everyone I work with is to make a timeline for your day and a family photo list for the group photos. There are SO many reasons this is important.
#1. The timeline will help
#2. The timeline also helps
#3. It also helps you plan for the time
#4. The timeline will help me know if there
#5. The family photo list will help me or your
#6. It will cut down on chaos so everyone will I also suggest having a wedding coordinator to help with the ceremony timeline and family photos. It can be a family friend, but someone who is organized and outgoing enough to rally people together and help move people along after the ceremony so you can get the family photos done in an orderly way. I've been so blessed with all of the weddings that I shot over the years that almost everyone has been this organized. It really makes your day go so smoothly and everyone will have a great time, including me!!! I included a photo of one of my MOST organized brides Jennifer. She had hours of shooting on her timeline, but since everyone knew what to expect on that day, everyone was in good spirits the entire time and we had a blast! Her photos turned out great, but the best part is we all had a fantastic time doing it!!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hair and Makeup!
Yay for Ashley who booked her November wedding with me today. I am excited about Ashley for a couple of different reasons. First of all, we met two and a half years ago at the "Olde Towne Hiram day festival." I had a booth and I was just showing off some of my photos. Mind you, I had only started up Paris Mountain Photography one year before that, so I only had a few weddings under my belt. But it was good enough for Ashley, because when she got engaged recently to Johathan, she remembered me and booked! Whoo hooo!Ok, reason #2. We got to talking and she has gone the extra mile in planning her wedding. I mean she is dedicated. Why? She is taking pre-natal vitamins (noooo no no no no not for THAT!). She wants to have great hair and nails for her wedding, and nothing gives you AWESOME hair and nails than those vitamins! Believe me, I have three kids, I know. So we started talking more about hair and makeup and I confessed to making the most irresponsible decision of my life! I wore "special wedding makeup" for my wedding day, and a sweet curlie-q hair do. Bleughth! I looked like a geisha hobby doll. Seriously! I even had a friend tell me I looked like a mail-order-bride. I admit...I did. My makeup was so "special" that it looked like I was wearing a white mask, and my hair was nothing like I imagined. But the kicker.... when I looked in the mirror, I thought I looked awesome! Hot even! Sighhhhh. So, in leu of my conversation with Ashley, and my personal experience, here are my tips for wedding day hair and makeup. #1. If possible get a proffessional do your hair and makeup. It really does make a difference! #2. Do a trial run! You don't want to find out what looks good or doesn't look good on the day of your wedding. #3. Take pictures! It might look good in the mirror, but a camera flash can really bring out that "special wedding day" glow. Some foundations shimmer and reflect in the camera. Try to avoid shimmery makeup on your wedding day. #4. Please, please. You are the bride. Look like yourself. We want you to look super glam and ultra fabulous, but you also want to look like YOU!
The photo was taken in the ancient times of 35mm film. No digital in the stone ages.
Friday, January 15 , 2010
The Kiss...
Kissing is an art. Really! Keep the slippery-slimy ones to yourself please. We want to see the tender, soft, sweet, loving ones. The ones you give when he just surprised you with flowers, or he got you a puppy. The kind you give to say, "I really REALLY love you!"Not the WAH-WAH-WAH I haven't seen you in a week and I'm going to attack you and eat your face off ones. YUCK! The - kiss you good night - strawberry eating - ice cream cone - marshmallow ones. Yeah, you know what I mean. So, please keep those kisses sweet and soft.... and hold them for second or two so I can get a few shots. And remember to breathe through your nose! ; )
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Last wedding of 2009
I surely ended the year with a BANG! Sarah and Jacob's wedding was BY FAR the BEST wedding/reception I think I've ever shot. Why you ask?!? Two reasons really.#1 Sarah, like most brides, was on a budget, but she did not skimp on the details. Most of the awesome details in her reception were done by hand, by herself and her friends. She rallied other friends and family to help with all of the food and decorating, and her reception had the BEST details of any I've ever shot. I can't even go into everything because there were just so many. People surely walked away from her reception talking about it on the way home...I know I was! #2 Sara had sooooo many great photos of her bridal party and of her and her new husband because she made it a priority when we put together her timeline. We spend about 1/2 hour at the ceremony site and an entire hour at the reception site. It was PERFECT. I've only had 2 other brides set this kind of time aside for photos, and of course, their portraits were the BEST! I am so happy I got to end the year with such an awesome wedding like this one....not to mention I go to church with the family, so it's kinda personal too! ;) Thanks Sarah!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
To throw, or not to throw....that is the question.
I have been wanting to blog about this for EVER! But I've been so swamped with fall weddings. But, since I finished my wedding early this week and I just wrapped up two albums and three thank you card orders...and the kids are asleep...I can take the time to chat... and if you know me, you know I LOVE to chat!This blog's topic is to throw or not to throw. At your send-off that is. First I should mention, even if you've booked me for a short amount of time, but you want to party the night away, many couples opt for the "fake leave." Everyone congregates about 10 minutes before my out time, throws the whatever, cheers as the happy couple drives off...then a few minutes later they sneak back in for some more dancing and whatever else goes on in the late hours of a reception.... ;) This way you don't have to book me till 1am (thank goodness) and you get a great send off photo! Ok, now to the nitty gritty. What to throw. We'll let's go with the good ole traditional, RICE. Er, um.... no photos of rice? Actually now days no one uses rice anymore! It was a great tradition till we found out about all of those poor little birdies. :(
BIRDSEED.
1. They hurt!
FLOWERS. I LOVE flowers! As a photographer I only really care about #3. Flowers are so colorful and are perfect for making those photos where only the color stands out! Just remember, don't use white flowers for the send off for the obvious reason. Mix them with another color. I've seen red, yellow, and pink flowers. They all work well.
BUBBLES
BUBBLES + FLOWERS!
SNOW anyone??? I know what you're thinking. She left out the best one! No to worry grasshoppers! I saved the best for last.
SPARKLERS! I LOVE sparklers! Whoo hoo for sparklers!!! My last tip for today, as if I haven't said enough, is how quickly you should walk. Okay. Different photographers say different things, but here's my opinion. Walk briskly! If you walk slowly you look like you are strolling and you don't look like you are having much fun. If you run, you would probably look happy and excited if I could get the shot! That's why I like a brisk walk. You're having fun, and smiling, looking at your friends, not me, laughing and almost skipping your way to the car. Then you should stop and kiss, get into your car...look at me for another shot, look back for a wave, then take off into the sunset. You can even swing your bouquet out the window for a cool shot too! You can't go wrong with any decision you make for the send-off, but this might give you some ideas to ponder for your day. No matter what your choose, it will be perfect!
Saturday September 5, 2009
Wedding Tips!
There are always a ton of questions about what I do to capture what I like to call "pre-wedding excitement!" I try to go with the flow, but a little bit of good planning always helps! I like to arrive at least 2 hours before the ceremony. That gives me enough time to spend with everyone. Here are some important tips!1. Have a good timeline so everyone knows when and where they should be. This will help family members, the groom and ME have a solid idea of where to go and it sets the tone for the pace for the rest of the day. 2. Have someone answer your cell phone for you. You don’t want to be chatting with Aunt Fran while you are getting dressed. Give your phone to the MOH or someone close by to take your calls and answer any questions for you. She can also coordinate when the groom should hide or come out for photos. 3. Keep the dressing area tidy! You are going to want these photos to look timeless and you paid for a gorgeous bridal suite, why muck it up with a bunch of target bags and trash around the room. The best bridal photos are when the room looks beautiful not like a 15 year old boy’s bedroom. 4. You should already have your hair and makeup finished when I arrive, but not dressed yet. This is when I like to take some detail shots of the dress you love so much and I’ll get some great shots of everyone helping you put your dress on too. 5. The bridesmaids and MOB should already be dressed and ready so when I arrive so they can help you put on your dress looking their best… not in sweatpants. :) There are many more things, but oh so little time. I’ll keep adding as I think of more. I hope this helps and doesn’t add more things for you to have to think about!
Do's
The most important "DO" in my book is to relax! So many times when people get their photo taken they tense up and get nervous. Nothing is worse than a photo of someone throwing their hand up in front of their face or the back of their head! Laugh and interact!
When you are laughing, you let your guard down and loosen up. Your posture is much more natural and interesting. You look happy, like you are having fun. People who look at your photos think, "Boy they are having so much fun!" or "They must be so happy together." or "I wish I was there." This is some of the psychology that goes into taking a good photo. So, laugh! If you interact with me or people you are with, the image becomes more photojournalistic rather than posed. Loosen up and talk to those around you. Don't feel like you need to stare into that intimidating lens. I love it when a couple is just talking to each other and then they start to laugh. That's when I snap the shot! Part of the job of being a good photographer is to help people get comfortable with the camera. If I was annoying (which I can be sometimes!) or creepy, it just wouldn't make people want to relax and then they look tense and unnatural. So, I'll make conversations and jokes, even poke fun at myself. Sometimes I'll take from SNL and start a conversation. "I'll give you a topic... Cheese. Okay, Discuss!" So my last "Do" is to please try not to be intimidated by the camera. Look at each other, laugh, interact, and your photos will come out more natural and capture who you really are.
    
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wardrobe Do's
I've been so busy lately that I've neglected my blog. I'm so sorry! My "DO" for today is WARDROBE. After shooting hundreds of sessions I have my opinion on what you should wear. But the most important thing is to wear something that YOU are comfortable in. You might have a smokin' dress, but if it makes you uncomfortable because it's a little too tight or a little too low cut, whatever, your discomfort will show on camera. It can detect even the slightest bit of tension in your shoulders, eyes or lips. So be comfortable is my #1 rule.That being said, please don't wear a t-shirt and jeans! Don't get me wrong, I think an engagement session is cute when you are both wearing jeans and matching shirts, but dress it up just a little bit for the photo session. My choice, you ask??? Well, I would put the guy in a nice button up shirt slightly or all the way unbuttoned with a CLEAN undershirt, jeans and nice shoes or boots (not necessarily sneakers). The girl should look her cutest. Even if you're a country girl and love being casual, make it cute! Wear a cute sundress and some big jewelry that really pops! And the shoes! I typically don't focus on the shoes, but when they do show up, oh how cute it is! Colors, you ask??? Stick to rich solid colors. I love it when people wear navy blue or black. It lets the camera put the focus on YOU not your shirt! You don't have to be matchy-matchy, but compliment each other. Try to stay away from loud patterns. It becomes too noisy and distracts the eye. Avoid shimmery and shiny fabrics. If the sun hits it just right, or I need to use the flash, the fabric will glow! Also, if you want great black and white images stay away from red, it will come out a muddy grey. Try to stay away from whites too. They will be too bright in the photos and sometimes trick the camera to expose differently. I compensate for that to make your faces correctly exposed, but then your shirt is BRIGHT! One of the pitfalls of being a wedding photographer... I can't ask the bride to get a navy blue dress. :) Last thing.. About your children's wardrobe. I love a themed photo shoot! Like the post on May 8th. The tea party gave the girls a chance to dress up and gave them a ton more images to choose from! On April 11th we just shot in their back yard. But mom was wise to have several wardrobe changes. Again, it will give you many more shots and plenty of variety! Just be realistic to keep the wardrobe changes withing the hour session! You don't want to loose shooting time because you're constantly changing. Finally, don't let ME, the picky photographer, dictate to you what to wear. If you want to wear your favorite t-shirt that is red and green checkered and your lucky sneakers, don't let me stop you! Here are some examples of really good wardrobe choices. More Do's to come later.
   
  
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Pam's "Do's" of Photography
I've had many clients ask me advice about what they should wear for their session and I try to tell them to wear whatever is comfortable. But it doesn't hurt to spice it up a bit for a professional photo session does it! So here are some of my Do's.Do - Get your hair and makeup done professionally if possible. If not, ask your cousin or friend who has great hair to do it for you. Do you wonder why brides and girls going to prom look so fabulous! They have someone do their hair. Do you think Megan Fox looks that good when she gets up in the morning? Well, maybe SHE does... But I'm sure she gets her share of bed-head and raccoon eyes! Nothing looks worse than fuzzy hair in a photo. Especially when the sun is glistening just right on your hair, even just a few strands of fuzzy hair can ruin a shot. I usually try to fix it in editing in that case. Makeup is important because too much makes you look like a clown and not enough is... well... just not enough. When I was working at CNN I would see anchors come in and they look like their face is gone! Without makeup they are a clean slate, then when they walk out of the makeup room they look like it's caked on. But the end result on camera is spot on! Don't be afraid to kick it up a notch with your eyes especially. One warning though, don't go too dark around the eyes, avoid too much shimmer and stay away from browns, reds and whites. Many times it will look good in your bathroom, but remember, the camera sees you differently. Do a test run and take a photo of yourself to see if it works. Here are some examples of really good hair and makeup. More Do's to come later.
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