A wedding photographer's top 5 prep location tips
One of the first things your wedding photographer will capture on your big day is the ‘getting ready’, or the pre-wedding-prep. It’s a really exciting time with high energy and a buzzing atmosphere, and so many details to photograph!
To make it smooth running for you and your photographer, I’ve put together some of my best tips:
1. Just like your Mum used to say, CLEAN YOUR BEDROOM PEOPLE! It sounds funny and even a bit silly, but you’d be amazed how many prep locations I arrive at that are in a mess. Now don’t get me wrong, I will straight up clean your house if I need to when I arrive for your photos, but keep in mind that cuts into your photography time. Having a clean and tidy prep location will ensure your prep time is used for amazing photos and memories, and not moving laundry.
2. All light is not created equal. Without getting too technical, different light sources have different colour ‘temperatures’. If you have your curtains open, your kitchen light on, and your living room light on, that is three different colours as far as the camera is concerned. What that means for you is inconsistent photos, ‘dirty’ looking skin tones, and overall less appealing photos. How do we fix it? Simple! When I arrive at your prep location, I will turn off all the lights, open all the curtains, and do my little happy dance.
3. Have all your details ready to be photographed. I want to make sure that I get photos of all the little pieces you’ve put together for your outfits on the day. You put a lot of time, love and effort into choosing this stuff, so I want to make sure it gets recorded on the day for you. If you have it all ready and in a central location for me, we don’t have to send out house-wide search parties!
4. Make sure you schedule enough time. How much time is enough? Solid question! A lot of that depends on the finer points of your prep locations, but a good rule of thumb is 1-hour for the boys, and 1.5-hours for the girls. Now obviously that is just a guide. If you’re getting ready at the same location, you wouldn’t need 2.5-hours. If there are two brides, it doesn’t necessarily mean 3-hours, nor does two grooms mean 2-hours. Giving yourself enough time at prep means more relaxed photos and more time to enjoy the experience!
5. Above all else, and this is true for so many aspects of your day, make sure you enjoy it! You’ve surrounded yourself with your best friends, your closest family members, and your favourite vendors. We’re there to take care of you, so you can just enjoy every moment of the day, starting with this one!
I’d love to chat with you about your wedding day plans (I give pretty good advice too!). Drop me an email anytime at info@russellstaffordphotography.com