by xine23 | Feb 25, 2019 | Engagement Photographer, Houston Engagement Photographer, How-To Wedding Advice
Raise your hand if getting your picture taken makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable 🙌🏻 And keep it raised if you feel more awkward when it comes to engagement photos! I remember when Robert and I were getting ready for our engagement pictures, I was worried about looking as dorky as I felt inside.
Now that I am on the other side of the lens, I realize all couples feel awkward in front of the camera. In fact, I find men to feel more awkward than the women. Which is why they are typically vocal about not wanting to take pictures, and a lot of times dread it.
But you know what? I have some tricks up my sleeve! In fact I have a few tricks to make you feel less awkward. So let’s dig into my secret stash of tricks!
1. Strike the Right Vibe
Are you and your fiancĂ© more private in nature? Does the thought of having people watch you during the engagement session make you uncomfortable? If you don’t want to be taking photos in front of bystanders or pedestrians, I highly recommend avoiding grafitti walls or murals on a weekend when the lighting is perfect. Instead, let’s go somewhere a little more remote and private. But, if you don’t care, then let’s incorporate that grafitti wall into your session!
Below you can see two examples, one in a gorgeous bar and another at a private park. Both are exactly the vibe the couple wanted.
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by xine23 | Feb 18, 2019 | How-To Wedding Advice
As a supporter of couples doing their own thing, I find that hair and makeup for your engagement session can be seen as a “nice to have”. And honestly? I could go either way. It really depends on what you are doing for your engagement session…but I am getting ahead of myself!
What’s Your Style?
I have had brides that love and wear makeup daily and it makes them feel comfortable in their skin. Then I have brides who are uncomfortable in makeup and are minimalistic. Both are 100% ok. I fall more into camp B, I wear eyeliner and eye shadow with lip gloss, but you throw foundation or mascara at me? Then I get uncomfortable. And don’t even get me started on contouring! But other women, that’s their jam!! If you are passionate about makeup and want to not worry about that aspect of getting ready for your engagement session, then I say do it. Get professional hair and makeup done. You will feel pampered and confident.
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by xine23 | Feb 11, 2019 | Houston Engagement Photographer, How-To Wedding Advice, Swish + Click Wedding Photography
Houston is a pretty big place, so finding a spot to do your engagement session can be overwhelming! I have compiled a list of my favorite spots around Houston to help everyone with this arduous task. And honestly? Don’t feel like you have to find the most exciting or best spot ever. Truth be told, I have put couples in a ditch because the area around them looked great! I kid you not! What is most important is showing off the love between the two of you!
The first thing you need to think about is your love story. Where did you meet? Get engaged? What do you love to do together? Any of these answers can help you find a spot for your engagement session. Is there a spot in Houston you have your heart set on? I encourage doing it where you will most happy.
Park
There are a ton of parks in the Houston area. Also, a lot of them are now charging fees. Centennial Gardens? Fee. Arboretum? Fee. Japanese Garden in Hermann Park? No professional photography is permitted there. Disappointing, right? But, there are other parks that are just as beautiful and are free. Eleanor Tinsley Park has the skyline of Houston behind it, and it’s on Buffalo Bayou, which is perfect. Discovery Green has a wealth of spots, and is a short walk to downtown, where you can do some urban looking pictures. Sam Houston Park, Helen’s Park, Fernland Historical Park are all awesome options! Most couples choose parks because they like the greenery in the photos, they might love a bridge or water feature as well. You can set up a picnic or sit on a bench. Plus there are usually places you can get changed in if you want to do more than one outfit.
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by xine23 | Feb 4, 2019 | Engagement Photographer, Houston Engagement Photographer, Houston Wedding Photographer, How-To Wedding Advice, Swish + Click Wedding Photography
What to wear for any session is a hot button issue for all my clients. I was such a popular topic that last year I invested in a stylist to help me work with portrait clients. Her advice was so helpful that I have taken some of her advice and applied it to engagement session clients. So where do you start with clothing?
Tips for the Women
Have you pondered rocking a sequined gown, tulle skirt or flower crown but just never had a real reason to get that outfit? Guess what!! This is your chance to do it up! Remember: There is no such thing as “too dressed up” when it comes to your engagement session, so don’t be afraid to have some fun! If you don’t want to add a new item to your collection, a lot of my brides love Rent the Runway for their engagement photos because you don’t have to spend a lot to feel like beautiful. Plus, you can send the outfits back when the session is over. Other brides love having a great excuse to bring a new permanent item for their closet!
The Case for a Dress…or two
Long, flowy dresses and skirts look amazing on camera because they bring extra movement to the photos. Especially when captured with nature whether it’s greenery or the beach. Shorter-length dresses photograph beautifully too! Dresses and skirts tend to look most stunning on camera because they really flatter a woman’s figure, and they make you feel super confident! I recommend avoiding pants and shorts for your session, and saying yes to a dress.
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by xine23 | Jan 18, 2019 | How-To Wedding Advice, Swish + Click Wedding Photography, Wedding Photographer
Let’s get real, planning a wedding can be overwhelming! (The good kind, most of the time). It starts with inspiration from Pinterest/Instagram, but then you get 20 tabs deep into local vendors and your mind starts to melt a little. Add onto this that for most of us, it’s unfamiliar territory! Knowing how early to book your venue, photographer, flowers, dress can be a little overwhelming. What really sucks? Finding that perfect place or vendor and then not being able to book them because they were booked earlier by someone else.
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by xine23 | Jan 16, 2019 | How-To Wedding Advice, Swish + Click Wedding Photography, Wedding Photographer
Why an unplugged wedding?
Imagine this, you are walking down the aisle {or are standing at the front of the aisle} and you cannot see your fiancee. With all your guests standing as you walk down the aisle, that is expected. What isn’t expected? Uncle Bob* has an iPad and is taking pictures of you, so you can’t see your sweetheart, but you do see them straining to see you. Then you notice one of your close friends not looking at you, but at their cell phone, as you walk down the aisle. All in all it wasn’t the moment you thought it would be–people seemed more interested in taking pictures than being present in the moment with you.
I get this concern a lot as a photographer–how do I get my family and friends to understand I want to have them not breaking out their cameras and cell phones during the ceremony? Let’s be honest, posting a sign or making an announcement on their own doesn’t necessarily work. So what can you truly do?
Tell them Early
When sending out wedding invitations and creating your wedding site, communicate about the expectation upfront. For your invitations, there is typically an insert with instructions, directions to the location, etc. You can include the request for the ceremony to be camera-free in there. I also recommend putting it at the beginning, as a psychological trick. Most people remember the first and last things they read and gloss over items in the middle. You can easily replicate this on your wedding site as well. I would use graphics as well to illustrate your point.
Use Your Parents
Not everyone reads all the portions of your wedding invitation. Which is sad, because that invitation is gorgeous! So they might miss the request of not using their camera or cell phone during the ceremony. They also might not go to your wedding website. In this case, it is a great idea to enlist your parents and get them to communicate to the possible future offenders and let them know about the ceremony rule. I don’t know about you, but my grandparents and aunts were more compliant when a directive came from my mother than from myself. Even though I was a grown ass woman. Sometimes you just need that authority figure to be your ambassador.
Be Repetitive
On the day of your wedding you can do two things in writing to help–the first I mentioned earlier: have a sign as people enter the ceremony space that asks the guests to put their cameras and phones away and turned off. Then, in case they missed it {it happens}, I would include said verbiage in your program. With a nice graphic, to convey your message, incase they were glossing over the program. I know I am guilty of this!
Final Step
The last and final thing you can do is the announcement. I highly recommend it being done by a family member/authority figure to help give weight to the message. I also saw at a wedding where, after the announcement, the family member looked out into the crowd to ensure people were turning off their phones and putting away their cameras.
At the end of the day, I realize that it is impossible to get everyone to comply. But if you follow these steps I bet you will be pleasantly pleased to see how many people put down their cell phone and truly enjoy your wedding ceremony with you.
Love my work? Want me to capture you and yours? Let’s talk!! It’s easy, my email address is Christine@swishnclick.com. Let’s have a heart-to-heart, get excited about the possibilities of your wedding or session and come up with a plan that is uniquely you! I want to hear from you!
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