Photography Tips with Katie Moos- Part I

Hi Kelly and Kelly Oshiro fans!

Thank you for the opportunity to guest blog!  My name is Katie Moos and am going to chat with you about what you can do to make the most of your wedding day from a photographer’s perspective.

Here’s a list of tips along with some images for you to enjoy…

1.  I suggest you allow an extra hour for hair and make up then needed.  Example the stylists need 3 hours, allow 4.  REASON:  Buffer in case the hair and make up take a little longer which it often times can as you want to be sure it looks absolutely fantastic!! Worst case scenario your hair and make up run over and you allowed time for it so you are totally relaxed or your hair and makeup is done when expected and now you have extra time to relax before putting your dress on…maybe even eat a little something! You want to start the day off calm…not rushed.

2. Consider what time of day your wedding will be at.  To do that start with sunset and work back (if at all possible).  Example:  Sunset is at 7:30pm, so that’s when it’s going to be pretty dark…so cocktails outside enjoying the sunset from 6:00-7:00.  This is also when you get nice warm sunset light for the photos of you with your husband (or wife).  So the ceremony (if it takes between 20-30 minutes) would start at 5:30.  By doing this you are allowing the best light for your ceremony, photos and cocktail hour.

3. Consider where you are getting married.  Let’s say you decide to get married on the sandy beaches of Santa Barbara…at 5:30.  You may have sun directly in your eyes or your quests eyes…what to do?  A canopy with sheer white fabric will diffuse the light on your faces (making you look great) and reduce the squinting.  As for the guests consider a paper parasol for them…creates great light (for cheap) not to mention a great little favor or prop to use in photos. If you are getting married out at a vineyard often there is a wonderful tree for shade…shade is your friend…. it will keep people cool and provides soft even light for photos.

4. If you want to hang with you friends at the cocktail hour and are worried about spending all of the time taking family photos consider either cutting back your list or simply extending your cocktail hour to an hour and twenty minutes.  You will have all the photos on your list and spend some time at the cocktail hour!

5. Determining how much time to allow for photos…here’s what I suggest…allow 2 minutes per group photo + 10 minutes for the wedding party + 20 minutes for the bride and groom shots.  For example, your list has 10 groups on it…10×2= 20 minutes + 10 for the wedding party= 30 minutes + 20 minutes for the bride and groom= 50 minutes all together.  This is realistic.