How to Get Beautiful Detail Photos

HOW TO GET BEAUTIFUL DETAIL PHOTOS

If you are planning a wedding [whether it be in 6 months or an unknown timeframe down the road] I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures on Pinterest: the gorgeous wedding details – all laid out in a perfect lay-flat – that makes the day look so effortless and so perfectly put together.
Never mind that it took the bride 47 days of relentless searching to find that perfect pair of earrings or that she went a little over budget with her glamorous shoes. And maybe, because of those expensive shoes, she had to get her necklace & bracelet from WalMart and order her veil from Etsy instead of getting the one at the dress shop. Either way – it all looks stunning, right?

I wanted to share a few tips in helping me get the very best & most amazing detail photos on your wedding day!

Gather Everything Together

Whether everything is taken to the “getting-ready room” together or in separate trips, it all does end up there, either the night before or the morning of a wedding. What happens from there though can be utter chaos. As bridesmaids and sisters and Mamas arrive, things so quickly get moved & rearranged: earrings are taken into the bathroom, shoes are left in their box and shoved half under the bed, the hairpiece is set on the nightstand. If you aren’t careful, things so easily get lost & misplaced by well-meaning helpers. So, not only does having all of your details together and in one place help me when I arrive, but it can put your mind at ease that you have all of your important details ready to go and nothing has gotten misplaced, forgotten, or broken. You spend hours and days and weeks preparing for your wedding, seeking out the perfect accessories – wouldn’t you be heartbroken if you got halfway thru your wedding day only to realize you never put on that perfect bracelet you’d planned to wear? So, have a little box or small container that you can put everything all together in and leave it there. That way, when I arrive & ask for your details to photograph, you can hand me the box & I can get straight to work!

Have A Clear Space

If you are looking and hoping for those amazing and beautiful “Pinterest” photos of your details, you’ll need to “rope off” a small space by a window for those photos to be taken in! That makes sense, right? It doesn’t have to be an extra large space – most of the details that I’ll be photographing will be small! It doesn’t even have to be particularly pretty, as long as I have some room to set up & a source of natural light – I’m golden! If your spot gets taken over by a bridesmaid or you forgot to set aside a space, don’t worry! I’ll do my best to work what whatever you have! It just gives me some extra time if there is already some space set aside for me!

Don’t Forget These Items!

Some details are pretty obvious that you’ll want photos of:
Your Dress & Veil
Your Shoes
Your Necklace
Your Earrings
Your Bracelets [+ along with any other special jewelry you might be wearing!]
Your Hairpiece
Your Garter [both of them!]
Yours & Your Bridesmaids Bouquets
Your Wedding Rings [both his & hers]

But then there are the details that you’ll want photos of, but you may not think to have on hand! Things like:
Your Save-The-Dates
Your Wedding Invitation Suite
Special Gifts [from the bride to the groom & from the groom to the bride]
Special Notes [from the bride to the groom & from the groom to the bride]
Your Perfume
A Customized Hanger For Your Dress [trust me, even just a plain wooden hanger is better than the plastic one!]

Don’t forget the groom either! He’s got details I want to photograph as well! Things like:
His Shoes
His Tie or Bowtie
His Cufflinks
His Boutonniere
His Cologne

The images of these details tell the backstory of your wedding day. You may not be able to see it in the Pinterest pins, but I promise, there are always stories involved as to where the necklace came from and the reason the bride is wearing that particular bracelet. I believe the details a bride [and a groom] chooses to have with them on a wedding day are of utmost importance. No matter where the details came from, I want to make them look their very best! WalMart, Etsy, Tiffany & Co., or heirloom, if you have chosen it as a part of your wedding day, I want to photograph it & tell it’s story!