Blog Archives

How to choose photos for your wedding album

If you’ve decided to book a professional wedding photographer for your wedding day, you’ll likely want to flaunt the finished images anywhere you can: in your home, on your Facebook page, as your background on your work computer. But there are so many beautiful images to choose from, where the heck do you start?

How many photos does a wedding photographer give you?

First, we’ll start with how many finished, edited images you can get from your photographer. Each wedding photographer will differ, however it’s usual to receive any amount from 300 to 1000. Obviously you can’t put 1000 wedding photos into one album, so how on earth do you choose your favourites?

If you’re based in North Wales or Cheshire and would like to book me as your photographer, you’ll receive access to an online gallery so you can download each image as many times as you like. You’ll also receive a USB that contains EVERY image I’ve taken on the day. This means that you need to create an album yourself using your favourite images.

How do I choose my favourite wedding day pictures?

When it comes to creating an album and choosing the photos to go in it, there are some suggestions I have that you should keep in mind.

Memorable moments

Are there any particular aspects of the day that really stand out to you? Maybe you loved the car ride from the church to your venue, dropped a piece of wedding cake down your dress or a bridesmaid did a drunk impromptu speech at 1am. These moments, the ones that really stand out to you, should be included in your wedding album.

For example, if you loved the car ride, find an image of one of the wedding cars. It is these memories that made your day, so they have every right to go into the album.

Being attacked by an owl is surely one for the photo album.

People you love

The people that were a big part of the day should feature in the album somewhere. It should include at least one photo of every bridesmaid and groomsman. If you had any flower girls and pageboys, these should be featured somewhere too. You’ll need a photo of your parents/grandparents in the book and of course at least a few of you as the happy couple.

Making sure that all of the best people feature in the book will make it that much more special.

An overview of the day

Aside from your favourite moments, the album should also include a photo of each part of the day. You’ll likely want some photos of the bride and groom getting ready separately, the bride getting into the dress, leaving the house to go to the church/venue, pictures of the ceremony, and then the wedding breakfast/speeches. Don’t forget any crucial moments like cake cutting, bouquet tossing or midnight dancing.

How you arrange these is up to you, but chronological order tends to work best.

Your favourites of YOU

After getting caught up trying to include all of the above, don’t forget to include the photos of you that you love or the ones where you look your best. These photos are just as important as the other ones we’ve mentioned.

If you have a favourite of you and your new husband or wife, definitely include it (and maybe download it so you can save it everywhere else too. Hello, new Twitter profile picture).

February 22, 2020

Blog

How to look good in your wedding photos

Although it’s a given that you’ll look your most beautiful on your wedding day, the photos are the one thing that will last forever. This means you want them to come out looking perfect. So how do you make sure that you and your new husband or wife look amazing in all of them?

I’ve photographed many weddings across Cheshire and North Wales but not everyone is comfortable having their picture taken. I wanted to provide my specialist tips on how to look good in your wedding photos while being at ease.

How to look good in photos

First, it’s a good idea to start looking through some old photos that you like of yourself. Study them and try to work out why you like the way you look in them. Are you stood a certain way, or facing a certain way? Maybe you’re smiling naturally instead of forcing it. Once you’ve sussed the reason you like the photo, it’ll be easier to recreate the look on your big day.

Once you’ve figured this out, you should start practising in the mirror. You might feel pretty stupid doing this but it’s a good way of finding what works best! Instead of looking straight on, try smiling while tilting your head slightly. This sideways angle tends to be more flattering and adds depth to your face. Then try out different kinds of smiles. You could do a smile showing your teeth or keeping your mouth closed.

The right lighting always helps as well, but this is something you don’t have to worry about. As a wedding photographer, it’s my job to sort this out. Direct sunlight can sometimes be unflattering, as the light falls directly onto your face, causing harsh lines. If your wedding day is really sunny, the best time to get photos is in the evening. When the sun starts to set, it creates a really soft light that is just beautiful.

I’ll be sure to find the best lighting on the day for you.

Stacey’s Pro Tips

Keep your eyes closed until just before the photo is taken to avoid blinking
Avoid a double chin by looking up slightly
Ask your makeup artist to avoid using whitening powder as this can show up if the camera flash is on

How to pose for wedding photos

Now that I’ve determined how you can find your best side and ensure you get the right photos, I want to run through how you can pose for your wedding photos.

The most important thing is to try and relax. If you’re feeling nervous about your photos, it will show in your body language. You should try and un-tense your shoulders, hold your head up and relax your arms.

Many people feel unsure about what to do with their arms in photographs. If you can, avoid keeping them too close to your torso, as this will make them look bigger than they are. Lift them away from your body ever so slightly to make them look as slim as possible. You could even try putting one arm on your hip, keeping your elbow tucked behind you. This will also accentuate your waist.

Many brides forget about what their legs are doing in photos, and why should you need to think about this? Your legs are covered by your dress, right? But what your legs are doing can impact the way you stand in your photos. Either keep one knee slightly bent so that you don’t look too stiff or cross your ankles to make your hips appear narrower.

It’s more flattering to have your body facing at a 45-degree angle instead of directly onto the camera, just like in the photo above.

Finally, stand up straight! You don’t want slumped shoulders in your photos.

February 16, 2020

Blog, Real Weddings

Wedding at Soughton Hall, Mold, North Wales

I came to Soughton Hall to photograph the beautiful wedding of Phil and Aleisha and it’s a place that I’ve fallen in love with. Based in Mold, North Wales, the stunning Georgian building is surrounded by acres of Welsh countryside and is full of character and history.

About Soughton Hall

Soughton Hall is a Grade II listed family home that was built in 1720. There are 15 bedrooms, allowing your nearest and dearest to stay overnight, as well as many beautifully decorated rooms, including the Drawing Room, Library and Dining Room. For summer weddings, there’s the option to say your vows outside on the lawns or in the secret garden.

Phil and Aleisha’s Wedding

The weather was a little overcast on the wedding day, with touches of sunshine, but this didn’t matter – Soughton Hall has plenty of stunning indoor spaces to use, and the bride and groom hired out use of the marquee too. As a photographer based in North Wales, it’s actually easier for me to shoot in overcast weather, which is lucky considering it rains a lot in this country! The rain held off so we could get plenty of shots outside, including in the secret garden.

Aleisha chose a beautiful corset-back princess dress. Her bouquet was mostly a mixture of white and pink roses that were hand-tied with some white ribbon. The pink roses in her bouquet perfectly matched the blush pink colour of the bridesmaids dresses.

I adored Aleisha’s shoes which had small pink flowers on them and looked so pretty.

The bridal prep room at Soughton Hall is the perfect place for you to get ready surrounded by your bridesmaids, your mum, your friends, whoever! There’s plenty of space and it can be a really fun time to get ready together, with enough mirrors and natural light for everyone. I captured this beautiful image of Aleisha looking out the window while drinking her champagne.

In my opinion, there isn’t a colour that goes with pink better than blue. The groomsmen wore blue suits complete with pink ties and handkerchiefs to bring the whole colour scheme together. Their buttonholes were white roses that matched the bride’s bouquet.

The ceremony itself took place inside Soughton Hall and Aleisha’s mum walked her down the aisle.

The ceremony room has decor that is perfectly fitting with the building’s character, emphasising the stunning ceiling rose with a large chandelier. The wallpaper is modern while also keeping some feeling of grandeur.

The venue has plenty of beautiful outdoor spaces to take some photos of the newly-weds and their guests. Phil and Aleisha chose to have some group photos as well as some fun ones of themselves in the grounds, playing on Soughton Hall’s swing. You can see that Aleisha chose to swap her simple heels for a pair of pretty trainers complete with bows!

When you hire Soughton Hall, not only do you get use of their stunning hotel, but also the marquee for use during the wedding breakfast and evening. Phil and Aleisha kept the pretty-in-pink theme by adding bouquets to the wedding tables and pretty table names. The chair covers were made from delicate lace that adds a vintage feel to the whole area.

Phil and Aleisha chose to make their wedding cake a statement by placing it on a large swing suspended from the ceiling, surrounded by stunning foliage. The cake was the centrepiece of the dance floor and was the backdrop to their first dance. Guests often don’t get to see the cake, as it is cut and whisked off to be portioned out, so this was a lovely way for guests to be able to see it in its full glory. I especially love the iced characters of Phil, Aleisha and their children, complete with the colour scheme of the day.

Congratulations again to Mr and Mrs Dennan!

January 28, 2020