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Personalise Your Wedding Day With Engagement Photos

Are you gearing up to get married in the near future? If so, congratulations! Along with all of the other big decisions that need to be made, like finding a wedding venue and registering for gifts, you’ll also want to consider how to incorporate engagement photos into your wedding day. Engagement photos, also known as fiancé or fiancée photos or couple photos, are meant to preserve and commemorate the love you have for each other before the formalities of a wedding are in place.

As I’m about to outline, you can personalise your wedding day with engagement photos in a number of different ways! They aren’t just to sit there on your USB collecting dust!

6 Awesome Ways to Personalise Your Wedding Day With Engagement Photos

1) Place Photo Collages On Each Table

If your wedding venue has glass tops on their tables, make sure to incorporate them into your engagement photos. Nothing sets a stage like a few scenic props under each table. Randomly place pictures of you and your fiancé’s favorite things or of trips you took together so that guests can see how much you both love each other and all that you have in common! To further incorporate the idea of a collage, play around with shapes and sizes of pictures to specifically fit your wedding venue glass tops. This gives the impression that each table is its own mini, personal version of your collage and helps establish a theme that can easily be carried throughout your entire wedding!

Maybe incorperate your engagement photos into the table numbers – or maybe make a coaster with a photo on it? All these little things really make people smile on a wedding day!

Intercontinental Hotel wedding table

2) Create a Photo Wall with Your Engagement Photos

Not only do engagement photos serve as a great way to share your story with family and friends, but they also serve as an excellent piece of decor for your wedding venue. If you are worried about how your engagement photos will look displayed at your wedding, don’t be afraid to use them in a less-than-traditional manner. Another great way to display these photos is to create a photo wall full of your favorite images. This is a fun way to personalize the space while giving guests yet another space to celebrate you and your fiance’s relationship. You will be surprised by how much attention this display garners and how many compliments you receive on it!

Wedding Photos

3) Use Engagement Photos as a Wedding Guest Book

Wedding guest books are a great way to remember who was able to attend your special day, but they can also be a bit boring. If you have engagement photos, why not use them as a unique and personalized guest book? You can display your favorite photo at the entrance of your venue or get creative and ask your photographer to create a collage of photos for you to use instead. Allow guests to sign around the photos with their favorite wishes for the future. This can be framed and used as another piece of decor in your home after the wedding is over.

4) Use Engagement Photos for Wedding Ceremony Programs

Another fun way that you can personalize your wedding day with engagement photos is by using them in various ways throughout the day. If you choose to create printed programs for the ceremony, consider including an engagement photo on the program’s cover or back page.

This is a great opportunity to share one of your favorite photos from the shoot and give guests something interesting to look at as they wait for the ceremony to begin. You can also use social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram to share engagement photos and give guests a sneak peek into the romance that led up to this special occasion.

Belair Train Station engagement shoot with train

5) Use Your Engagement Photos as Save The Dates

Your wedding day will be all the more memorable and fun if you incorporate your engagement photos into save the dates. If you are planning a destination wedding, consider using one of your engagement photos as part of the save the date card. This will give guests an idea of what to expect from your wedding day before they board flights or make other travel arrangements!

Alternatively, you can create a collage for each guest to include in their own set of save the date cards. This is another great way that you can use engagement photos throughout your wedding experience!

Invite

6) Use Engagement Photos as Wedding Invitations

If creating invitations is something that you want to do yourself, why not use some of your favorite engagement photos? Your photographer may have taken many different shots over time, so it won’t be hard at all to find some that are just right for this purpose. You could even take multiple sets from different angles and combine them together to create a unique invitation set with several variations on one theme.

Remember that even though these invitations will only be opened during the ceremony and reception, everyone who attends will still see them – so choose carefully based on how important certain images are to you!

Bridesmaids going crazy over engagement ring

There are infinite ways to personalise your wedding day with engagement photos, but hopefully this little list sparks some sort of idea in your mind on how best to use yours! Love to get in touch to shoot some engagement photos for you!

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5 Ways to Always Look Fantastic in Wedding Photos

Your wedding day is likely one of the most important and memorable days of your life, and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll want to cherish every moment of it! As one of the most photographed events, you can be sure that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to pose for pictures, from getting ready in your hotel room to cutting the cake at the reception.

However, with so many photos being taken throughout the day, it can be difficult to ensure that you always look fantastic in wedding photos! This list will give you five simple tips to help ensure that you always look your best in wedding photos.

5 Ways to Always Look Fantastic in Wedding Photos

1) Go Easy on Orange-Y Makeup

Bridal makeup is all about bringing out the natural beauty of the bride. Makeup is meant to help you, not take over your face. And when it comes to wedding photos, it’s important to look like yourself so that you can look back on these photos in ten years and still feel beautiful.

The first (and most important) step to achieving this look is to go easy on orange-y makeup. Too much orange will make your skin look sallow, and the last thing you want is to match the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

The keyword is “sheer.” The best way to wear orange-y makeup is by choosing a sheer wash of peach or coral blush on the apples of your cheeks. This will give you a healthy flush without going overboard. If this isn’t enough for you, add some light shimmer with a cream eyeshadow that matches or complements your skin tone. Be sure to blend thoroughly so that there aren’t any harsh lines or bright spots anywhere on your face.

You can also try adding some subtle shimmer in the form of a highlighter along your cheekbones, brow bones, and down the bridge of your nose for an extra pop of radiance in front of the camera’s flash. Once again, be sure to blend thoroughly!

All this is great – but the most important tip I can make about all of this is to simply talk to your makeup artist – and be sure not to skimp on the cost – the best out there of course cost a bit more.

Concentrating on makeup

2) Never Underestimate the Beauty of Laughing

If you want to look amazing in your wedding photos, always remember that smiling is the key. Not only does a good smile show off your pearly whites, but it also instantly brightens up your whole face and makes you look radiant.

Speaking of smiles, if you really want to make sure that your wedding photos are ones that you will cherish for a lifetime, then make sure to smile in an authentic way. A fake smile will not have the same effect as a genuine smile and can actually be painful to look at once you see the photo.

To get the most organic-looking smiles out of yourself and others in your wedding photos, try making people laugh instead of saying “cheese.” It is almost impossible not to laugh when someone tells a joke and when people laugh, they cannot help but smile. This will give you genuine smiles every time and a perfect picture.

Close up of bride and groom laughing 2

3) Try Body Grooming on the Day Before (Or earlier!)

If you want to look your best in your wedding photos, you’ll want to make sure that you’re well-groomed. While it may not be feasible to go for a full waxing on the day of your wedding, try doing any necessary body grooming the day before your wedding instead.

You’ll also want to avoid taking a long hot shower right before your wedding as this can cause puffy eyes and redness. Instead, take a short, lukewarm shower and use an alcohol-free toner on your face.

Don’t forget to moisturize with an oil-free moisturizer or aloe vera gel afterward. After all, the last thing you want is a case of chicken skin on your big day!

Bremer Farm wedding photo

4) Shoulders Make All the Difference

Want to present yourself in a flattering way? Then always be sure to stand up straight and keep your shoulders back. This will help you appear more confident, making you look slimmer in wedding photos. And since no one is born with perfect posture, do a few yoga poses on a regular basis—or even try standing against a wall and pulling your shoulders back while holding it for 20 seconds at a time. Practice makes perfect!

It’s a bit of a sterotype for the feminine form to have beautiful, curving lines leading up the beauty that is your face, the best way to be sure this occurs naturally is to be as relaxed as possible – dont try to force poses you’ve seen in magazines as chances are they were paid actors – and you are not. Want to look fantastic in wedding photos? Just be you, as fantastic as you are!

Bride and groom boarding aircraft

5) Be Goofy, Candid, Fun

When all else fails, and you’re worried that your wedding photos will come out stiff or awkward looking, think back to times when you’ve had fun with other people and try to bring that feeling into your photos. If you try too hard to smile for a picture, it can come across as fake, but if you just go with it and smile on your own, then it will look much more natural. You might feel silly at first, but it’s a small price to pay for great pictures! And always remember: laughter is contagious!

Laughing bride as she’s carried

As always, trust in your wedding photographer to take the most amazing photos of you – if you do that, and youve done your research into selecting the best wedding photographer for you, then you’re bound to look fantastic in wedding photos!

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5 Tips for Stunning Outdoor Wedding Photography

Your wedding is a really big deal. For the rest of your life, you will remember the day you got married as one of the most joyful and memorable moments of your life—and we’re not just saying that because we’re photographers, we’ve also been married ourselves!

Whether your wedding is indoors or outdoors, there’s something special about being able to capture those memories in photographs so that you can look back at them years later and remember how it felt to be standing there, looking into your partner’s eyes.

Taking outdoor wedding photography presents its own challenges. From wind to bright sunlight and harsh shadows, there are a lot of variables that can affect your shots (and we mean a lot). And so today, we’re going to share with you our tips for making beautiful photography work even in those extreme situations—or just on any sunny day!

5 Tips for Stunning Outdoor Wedding Photography

1) Discuss With the Bride and Groom on the Best Times of Day to Capture Every Precious Moment of Their Wedding

One of the most important things that you can do as a wedding photographer is to connect with your clients and ask them if they have any preferences or restrictions. For instance, when planning their wedding, many couples decide to get married during the “golden hour,” which is when the sun is low in the sky and casts a soft glow on everything. This is also one of the best times for taking pictures!

If you know that your couple want to get married during this time, then you can plan ahead and make sure that you’re able to use natural light for all of those beautiful sunset shots! Of course, it’s important not to limit yourself to one particular time because there are lots of great outdoor weddings taking place throughout the day—but having this information beforehand will certainly help make scheduling easier.

Semaphore Beach Sunset

2) Use Fill Flash to Compensate for Bad Lighting

No matter how hard you try, sometimes the lighting isn’t going to be the best. Maybe it’s a bright and sunny day, or maybe it’s cloudy and overcast. Maybe it’s just a little too dark for your liking, so it seems like there’s no easy fix. Well, whether you’re dealing with poor lighting conditions or just want to add some extra flair to your pictures, fill flash is a great option.

Fill flash is when you use a flash on your camera that is set at lower power than the ambient light. It will help illuminate the parts of your subject that are in shadow from the main light source.

This helps create a natural look, which you can see in a lot of outdoor photography. For instance, if you’re photographing a couple on a beach during sunset, but it’s still very bright outside, and there are shadows covering their faces—and you want to brighten them up—just pop on your flash. It’s a quick fix that doesn’t take too much time.

Penneshaw beach Wedding

3) Use a Polarizing Filter to Make the Sky Pop

We could go on for hours about using polarizing filters, but here’s the simple version: if you’re trying to take a picture of a scene that includes the sky, or lots of reflections – a polarizer helps.

Why? Because without one, you can get a washed-out white sky. Not always the most flattering background for your wedding photos!

A polarizer works by cutting out any light that is not polarized and absorbing it into the filter. This leaves behind only polarized light, which is what gives color to your image.

For example, when you look at a cloudless blue sky on a sunny day, that beautiful blue color is what’s being left behind by the polarizing filter—if you were looking through one!

This isn’t to say that you must have a filter to get this effect – only that it does help – and if you have time on a wedding day to make use of one, it does give an effect that is very pleasing.

Wedding photo at Pt Willunga Beach wedding

4) Showcase The Wedding Venue with Wide Shots

The wide shot is a powerful tool that can add dramatic impact to your photos. They help establish context, scale, and scope while also building excitement and anticipation. You see them in all kinds of movies and television shows—but you’ll also find them in wedding photography! So, if you’re looking to wow your audience with beautiful pictures from your outdoor wedding photography, be sure to take some time capturing wide shots before settling into medium or close-up shots!

This is one aspect of wedding photography I am super passionate about – my background is in landscape and science photography, so telling a story with the landscape, and tying it together with wedding photography I feel is very important – doubly so when talking about outdoor wedding photography!

Groom leading bride through forest

5) Use Foregrounds to Give Wedding Photos Context

The magic of wedding photography lies in capturing the fleeting moments between people, and if you can do that without making it obvious that you’re taking their photos, then so much the better. But one thing that will help your images is to make sure they have a context. You want to make sure they are not just a portrait of two people but actually show how they fit into the world around them.

How do you do this? Simple: Use foregrounds. Not only does this give your photos a sense of scale, but it also helps to draw people into your images. And by playing around with different foreground elements, you can add an extra element of interest to your shots. Also, don’t forget to use the bride and groom as additional foreground elements. You can also use them as focal points by placing them in front of something interesting and then using a shallow depth of field to blur out the background.

Bride and groom under a fallen tree

feel free to get in contact to have a bit of a chat for your vision of your outdoor wedding photography – it’s something I really enjoy doing and love to talk about!

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13 Tips For a Successful Family Photoshoot

Family photoshoots are supposed to be a lot of fun. It’s an activity that you get to enjoy with the people you care about the most in the world, all while preserving shared memories that you may cherish for the rest of your life.

You may be wondering what to bring, how long the shoot will take if you can bring your dog, how hair and makeup are done, and if venues can be switched! 

There are so many details to work out before the scheduled day. So we compiled a list of thirteen tips for a successful family photoshoot to help you get ready for your big day.

13 Tips For a Successful Family Photoshoot

Prior to the shoot, you must:

  • Brainstorm Ideas

The great thing about family photoshoots is that they can be a huge collaborative effort amongst you and your relatives. You must first let them know what you are planning for everybody and get them excited to brainstorm ideas with you. Let them contribute poses, themes, and costume ideas. And remember, this is part of all the fun!

Know that whatever works for your family will be your own unique style. The shoot is something you all should look up to, so frame the experience in a brilliant and positive light.

family sitting on a log
  • Plan Everything Accordingly

We can’t stress this enough: you have to plan ahead and accordingly to have a successful family photoshoot. No matter the size of your family, it’s important to set everything up from scheduling, wardrobe changes, grooming, food or catering, and so on. 

Fix your clothing the day before your shoot, for example, and make sure all required things are dry cleaned/ironed. Set aside time the day before the shoot to have everyone conditioned and ready. Also, allow plenty of time if you’re getting your hair or cosmetics done. You don’t want to be rushed and flustered when you arrive.

Mt Compass Family photography
  • Get Some Beauty Rest

A big part of photoshoot preparations is setting the mood for the entire day. And to achieve a successful family photoshoot, everybody in your family must be well-rested, energetic, hydrated, and well-fed. Eight hours of sleep, lots of water, a big breakfast, and an uplifted mood sure can go a long way.

Family walking along the pond

Things to Pack

  • Healthy Snacks

No, we’re not just talking about chips and junk food. We’re talking about jelly beans, cheese cubes, light crackers, and dried food. Avoid foods that could stain or get stuck in your teeth like chocolate, candies, coloured beverages, and anything that consumes too much time to devour.

Food platter on display
  • Extra Clothes

It’s always a good idea to pack extra clothes and backup outfits for everybody, young and old. This tip is especially advantageous if, let’s say, you’re bringing a bunch of kids along. With almost any type of photoshoot, expect spills and stains to go wrong! It wouldn’t hurt to be a little bit overprepared.

I have a cake!
  • Fun Activities

Breakout sessions in between photoshoot layouts are a must. This is a way to inject fun as the day progresses. This is not really a requirement, but it can relax your whole team and loosen up your family members

In addition, fun activities like blowing bubbles, and playing with toys and balls can be added to your themed shoot.

Family photo in Pine Reserve
  • The Furry Friend

If you bring your dog, please consider bringing a dedicated walker to look after it throughout the shoot. This way, you can keep your dog secure and comfortable while not interfering with the shot. Also, before bringing your dog to the shoot, evaluate her disposition. How will it be able to pose for photos if it is typically wild and rowdy? Finally, provide dog treats and toys for the dog so that he would comply.

bride groom and dog
  •  Outdoor Items

Best place to hold a natural family photography session is to hold it outside – rather than in a studio. For example, heading to the beach? bring beach towels, sunscreen, coolers, umbrellas, and more! Treat it the way you would for any beach trip. How about a forest? maybe bring a picnic setup, some games? frisbee?

Family sitting together on rock
  • Grooming Tools for Hair and Makeup

Perhaps grooming for hair and makeup aren’t requirements either, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring your own tools. This way, you can touch up in between layouts and keep it all hygienic as well. But beyond hair and makeup, you may also want to bring a sewing kit for emergencies. And if you’re feeling quite extravagant, feel free to hire your family’s own glam team!

Running in front of the family

Reminders During the Shoot

  •  Make the Most Out of It

We’ll say it again: A family photoshoot is a perfect excuse to bond with your loved ones. So, use this time wisely. This is a time to learn new things through new experiences, together.

Family looking through the bushes
  •  Grab a Solo Portrait for Everyone

Show off everybody’s beauty. One by one, allow every member of your family to have their own time to shine. Let them show off their hobbies, their talents, and their unique styles.

Portrait
  •  Give Room for Goofy Shots

You can culminate the shoot by taking a goofy group family pic which you can blow up and hang on your wall! This is a way for you to truly cherish your close family ties, unbreakable bonds, and sense of humour! There are no wrong answers when it comes to taking goofy family portraits.

Family portrait under gum trees

Keep Your Photographer Team in the Loop

  •  The Editing Process

As with any photoshoot, the images are thoroughly retouched. For this process, you have to let your photographer and their assistant know what you’d like the outcome of the pictures to be. 

If you feel conscious about something, raise it. They can keep everything natural, with a bit of tweaking when it comes to reducing wrinkles, toning down puffiness around the face, lightening the eye bags, etc.

Let us know if you’re planning something special too – perhaps an engagement? We are good at keeping secrets, and if we know about it beforehand we can be sure to look out for the cues!

Santorini Couple Shoot

Thirteen tips may sound like a large amount of advice for a successful family photoshoot, but one can never be too sure about family activities and gatherings! Being prepared and knowing what to expect can save you and your family members a lot of stress, arguments, and unnecessary pressure. That said, make sure you plan ahead, prepare, and enjoy every second. Take this chance to capture special shared moments while you still can!

Are you looking for a family photographer in Adelaide? Sven Studios offers professional photography services that are intricately crafted to capture your most special moments. Contact us now at sven@svenstudios.com and make your dream family photoshoot happen!

 

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Three reasons why you should consider Santorini for your next holiday

I was just sitting here thinking about some of the more spectacular weddings I have covered in the past, and how excited I am to get out and about again now that travel has opened up and it was about this time of year, several years ago now, I was setting out for Kerri and Tony’s Santorini Wedding.

As far as destination wedding venues go, Santorini and it’s sister islands like Mykonos and Rhodes offer some beautifully stero-typical sights and experiences that just scream oppulence and ‘travel’ in general. It’s not often you can see a picture of the blue-capped churches from any of these places and not think it looks like an awesome place to visit. So I figured I’d put together an article to reminice a bit and perhaps convince you to consider Santorini for your next holiday!

In recent years, Santorini has gained a burgeoning reputation amongst holidaymakers across the globe. Located in the Cyclades group of the Greek Islands, it’s never too far from the top of any list pertaining to the region’s must-see destinations. Whilst it’s gained a reputation primarily as one of the best honeymoon spots, Santorini is far more than just a couple’s retreat. There is something to enjoy for every type of traveller.

Three reasons why you should consider Santorini for your next holiday

It shouldn’t take much convincing to explore this Cycladian jewel. But if you need an extra little nudge in the right direction, here are three reasons why you should consider Santorini for your next holiday.

The sunset

As golden hour arrives, Santorini is transformed by the dying light of the sun as it dips below the Aegean horizon. To get one of the best sunset views in the world, head to the grounds of Oia Castle. You’ll be sure to leave with a breathtaking photo collection of the windmills and blue-domed churches that encapsulate the beauty of the Greek Islands.

On the other side of the camera, however, and what you won’t see on your pictures, are swathes of tourists who had a similar idea in heading to Oia Castle to soak up the last of the day’s rays. People will typically head there long before sunset to secure the best views, so allow plenty of time on your trip to avoid disappointment.

Bride looking out over Santorini’s Caldera

The food and drink

Any visit to Santorini isn’t complete without having sampled the local (and highly recommended) delicacies which headline restaurant menus across the island. Whilst seafood plays a central role in Santorini’s gastronomic scene, the main attractions are grown on land, where the weather conditions and volcanic soil help to produce some truly unique foods. Be sure to try some Santorini tomatoes, which are grown exclusively on the island and hold PDO status. For a true taste of Santorini, try a tomato fritter (tomatokeftedes).

Whilst it can’t claim to rival the global reputation earned by some of its European neighbours, Santorini’s viniculture has been thriving since ancient times, and produces some outstanding wines. Due to the unique makeup of the island’s soil, wines produced in this part of the world have a distinctive taste, and are sure to leave a long-lasting impression.

Santorini Food

The location

On top of its natural beauty and allure, Santorini has been blessed with a central location within the Greek Islands. If you can ever peel yourself away from Santorini’s shores, it’s the perfect set-off point for an island-hopping adventure.

Santorini is one of just a handful of Greek Islands to have its own international airport. This makes it a great place to start or end your adventure. Island hopping is the best way to combine the charm of the region’s more popular islands like Santorini and Mykonos with the more authentic, less commercialised places, like Serifos and Folegandros.

What’s more, this part of the world is blessed with sun-filled days and balmy temperatures throughout much of the year, making it perfect for an off-peak trip.

Santorini Couple Shoot