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How to Get the Best Bridal Preparation Photos

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How to Get the Best Bridal Preparation Photos

When it comes to documenting you and your partner’s big day, the photos taken during the ceremony and reception are probably the first things that come to mind. However, did you know that some of the best pictures are actually taken before the wedding?

Wedding preparation photos offer plenty of opportunities for wedding photographers to capture fun and candid shots that turely show the personalities of the two people coming together as a married couple. These also allow them to take pictures of the most dramatic highlights of the preparation, such as the moment you put on your wedding dress or veil.

With all of that said, getting your pictures taken during preparation time is not as easy as it sounds – it’s also not generally the most natural of settings having a camera clicking along while you’re getting dressed! The final moments before you head down the aisle are memorable, but they are also often filled with panic and cramming. This is especially true if you had to adjust some things in your timeline and are running late for your schedule.

Wedding Dress hanging infront of Wilpena Pound

Tips on how to Get the Best Bridal Preparation Photos

To help you ensure that you get the best bridal preparation photos on your wedding day, keep these tips on how to get the best bridal preparation photos in mind:

  1. Don’t Create a Tight Schedule

Your wedding day will naturally be filled with lots of activities here and there. However, creating a tight schedule may not give your wedding photographers enough time to take great shots.

As much as possible, think about the time you allocate for your hair and makeup. I personally try to get to the place of bridal preparation just before the makeup is complete. It would also help for you to go last. This will not only allow your makeup artists to get you ready without rushing the process but also give the photographers time to take creative shots with you as you “prepare”.

Finally, try to be in the venue earlier than scheduled, then if you plan to be just that little fashionably late you can be without the stress. This will give your photographer enough time to capture a good amount of final shots before you walk down the aisle.

Bridal approach at Lot 100
  1. Prepare All the Wedding Details

Your wedding details are also an essential element of your preparation photos. Considering this, try to have your shoes, bouquet, wedding rings, and other details ready for your photographer to take creative shots of, and dont put them on until they are done with them.

This is also a great way to save time, especially if there has been a delay in your schedule. Whilst you are still not ready to have your photos taken, the photographers can work on these as they wait for you.

Engagement ring
  1. Bring the Girls With You

Aside from your solo shots, getting pictures of you with your bridesmaids is also a lovely idea. It can be a candid shot of you and your girlfriends getting ready, or a lovely snap of the whole group in your matching dressing gowns.

These photos can also serve as a souvenir you can give your bridesmaids afterwards to thank them for being a special part of your big day.

Bridal party on bed
  1. Let the Boys Shine, Too

When it comes to preparation photos, you should also give your groom and his crew a chance in the spotlight. However, it’s best to have the guys’ preparation photos done first. This will leave your wedding photographers to be with the bridal party up to the final moments before the actual ceremony.

If you and your partner are getting ready in different places, make sure to coordinate with your photographer on how to schedule the photography sessions best. I usually spend about an hour with boys, then 90 odd minutes with girls before heading to the ceremony venue. If it’s a same sex wedding then I generally allocate the same amount of time with both.

Groom adjusting tie in window 2

You will never again experience the thrill and excitement of getting ready for your big day. Nor will you get to see your closest friends get their makeup done with you and go through that feeling of finally putting on your wedding gown for the ceremony. Imagine your wedding album as a story book telling the story of the coming together of two beautiful people. The Preparation photos are the biginning of that story!

As these are all once-in-a-lifetime moments, make sure to follow the tips mentioned above to ensure you get the best bridal preparation photos possible. Above all of these, however, don’t forget to savour each moment and remember the reason for the occasion!

If you are looking for experienced and reliable wedding photographers in Adelaide, SA, we’re the ones to call! At SvenStudios, we offer you professional photography services to capture your big day in the most natural way. Get in touch today to learn more about our wedding photography packages.

6 Tips to Plan the Best Summer Wedding Photoshoot

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Summer Wedding Photoshoot

While weddings can take place at any time of the year, planning a wedding in the Summer months and surrounds will always be the most common. Choosing this season for your special day comes with several benefits: The warmer months allows for beautiful tree foliage, more reliable weather, you have more options for venues, and you have extra hours of daylight perfect for capturing your wedding photos at your summer wedding photoshoot.

More daylight means more opportunities for great wedding photography, but it also comes with a unique problem. Wedding receptions usually take place during the early evening, which means the photo session will likely occur from early to mid-afternoon, missing out of the sunset and golden hour! While this time gives you bright light to capture the best wedding photos, there is also the problem of excessive heat that may leave couples and guests sweaty and thirsty.

Bride and Groom on Maslin beach

6 Tips to Plan the Best Summer Wedding Photoshoot

There is no need to worry, though, because there are steps you can take to prepare for this beautiful yet sweltering weather to make the most of your summer wedding photoshoot.

#1 Prepare your family shot list

You may already know in your heart all the people who need to be part of the shot list, but it is always better to put it on paper so that you do not forget. Plan this together with your photographer, as they know how to make it more efficient. They can recommend the best sequence and the best combinations to ensure that no time is wasted.

Bride’s family

#2 Have a plan

A well-planned timeline will make sure that everyone’s photo is taken and that you have all the shots you need. It is also a sure way to minimize the time people get exposed to the sun. With a planned timeline in hand, you gain more control over how the shoot will take place. The less time you spend outside in the sun, the better it is for everyone.

Bride and groom walking about Burbrook forest

#3 Specify your locations

Apart from having a schedule to follow, you should also identify the specific spots in the venue where you will take your photos. Variety is always helpful in making your photos memorable. Having locations in mind is also beneficial when scheduling the shot sequence, allowing you to advise people on where they should go.

For example, if you are taking portraits or family photos, choose a location with open shade. Since family photos are usually taken around mid-day, selecting the right location will prevent exposing people to too much glare and heat.

Money shot of Crozier st

#4 Include breaks in your schedule

There is a chance that you will try to keep everything on a tight schedule to finish on time. However, keep in mind that breaks are necessary, especially under the scorching heat. You also need to have time for makeup retouches or refreshments to ensure that you look fresh and glowy in your photos. Your guests also need to do the same.

Moreover, taking short breaks can make you feel less pressured. Having extra time is also useful in case something unexpected happens.

Veale Gardens Wedding

#5 Assign an organiser

Of course, you cannot do everything on your own. It is your wedding, after all, so do not even attempt it. If you do not have a wedding coordinator, ask a close friend to take charge of keeping the photoshoot as scheduled. I’m generally pretty good at this as a wedding photographer, but it always helps to have someone also looking out for the time.

Any event needs to have someone who will oversee everything, ensure that the schedule is followed, and the photos of everyone on the list are taken. This is a huge responsibility you cannot do by yourself. No matter how much you want to, you cannot keep on worrying and going back and forth to call on people on your big day.

Under the jetty

#6 Make sure to capture the magical summer light

A summer wedding will not be complete without the summer sunset shot. Check ahead what time and where the sun will set on your wedding day, and make sure to go to that place at least one hour before the schedule. Take as many photos and videos as you can during the golden hours and try to capture a dreamy wedding photo you can treasure forever.

Glenelg sunset

A summer wedding photoshoot is a dream time for many. Minimize the stress by following our tips above. On the day of your wedding, your only concern should be to look and feel your best in front of that beautiful sunset backdrop.

If you need wedding photographers for a smooth wedding photoshoot session, give us a call. Sven Studios is your professional wedding photography solution. We make sure that our lenses capture your wedding and that our photos make you smile.

 

Hadley’s First birthday shoot

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  • Hadley sitting pretty

 

Hadley’s First birthday shoot

I got to meet up with little Hadley for her first birthday shoot after having shot her newborn photos a year ago! She’s all grown up and as cute as ever!

Even though the weather wasn’t fantastic early in the morning, Hadley and her Mum and Dad were still keen to head out to a small forrested area nearby my house for some family photos in amongst the beautiful greenery that’s about at this time of year.

I was keen on heading back here after bringing my own little one out for a walk this way to make use of the nifty reflective duck pond, the wonderfully thick gum trees and swatches of clover and thin grass that makes for a lovely backdrop for family shots like these!

It’s sometimes hard to get people out on days like this one to take photos as generally little knees get muddy and everyone gets home wet, but the fact is that this kind of weather really brings out some lively, and intimate colour tones which suit timeless family photogrpahy like this!

Now Baby Hadley and her Mum and Dad will have a proper heirloom of amazing photos of this special moment in time! 🙂

Happy baby in grass
Hadley in the grass
Hadley with Mum and Dad
Family portrait
Hadley and her family
First birthday photoshoot
Hadleys first birthday shoot
Hadley sitting pretty
Thumbs up!
Look
Family photography
Looking over Mum and Dad’s shoulder
Above the duck pond
Walking together as a family
Family shot
Happy bub in the grass
Mummy cuddles

Baby April’s Fathers Day Shoot

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  • baby in a basket in the grass

Baby April

It was a beautifully sunny, and unseasonably warm day the day after fathers day this year, so what better way to enjoy the sunshine than head out for a fathers day shoot? I got to meet baby April, who was five months old and she had given her daddy a bit of a photo shoot for fathers day! Of course it was all Mum’s doing, but that’s not how we are remembering it 🙂

The original plan was to head out to the nearby pond and reserve area nearby my house at 7am, to catch the magical rays of the early morning, similar to what we did with another recent baby shoot I did there. However, the shoot took place considerably later which meant that the sun’s rays were a little bit stronger, causing the photos to become quite a bit brighter than I had planned. however I think they reflected the lovely sunny personality of little Baby April! She was such a good smiley bub!

Baby April’s Fathers Day Shoot

As it is the beginning of spring, we got to make use of some of the lovely wild flowers poppng up around the place, while the grass is still super green from the winter. All this combined with the strong sun made for some lovely airy portraits of baby April and her little family.

As I knew this was a fathers day shoot, I was keen to start off with a bit of a father daughter portrait, and I feel as though that worked out very well, very quickly! Usually the best shots of a shoot happen towards the end as everyone is more comnfortable in front of a camera, but they killed it straight up!

baby April had a number of different outfits to change into during the shoot, so while walking about the pond, we had a bit of fun chaging outfits and shooting some cute family shots.

fathers day photo
Baby with her father
Fathers day shoot 2
Smiling family photo in the grass
Walking along the pond edge
Family photo in the sun and trees
April and her Mummy
Fathers Day Shoot 3
Baby sitting in flowers 3
Family walking though trees
happy bub on a sunny day 3
baby in a basket in the grass 2
Smiling baby in a basket 3

In the studio

After out little walk, we finished up within my little home studio for some neat studio shoots. Thankfully April found my face to be absolutely hilarious so I diddnt have to work too hard to make her show her huge grin! Made for a lovely ending to what turned out to be a beautifully successful fathers day shoot!

Cute baby in pink
Alice in WInderland Baby photoshoot
Mum and bub playing
Family photograph in studio
Kisses for April

Thanks so much to little baby April and her parents for coming in for a fathers day shoot! Was a lot of fun and I hope you treat your photos as beautiful reminders of your little family as it is right now! 🙂

Veale & Himeji Gardens Family Shoot

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  • Himeji Gardens Family Shoot 2

 

Veale & Himeji Gardens Family Shoot

On a beautiful, sunny day, just prior to the recent CIVID-19 related full lockdown we’ve endured in South Australia, I was asked by Nadia to head out with her family for a bit of a family shoot!

Nadia and her husband were in Adelaide, from Perth and decided to make the most of their time with their family while here, considering the recent troubles in the world, times like this are precious and what better idea is there than to refresh their family portraits?

Himeji Gardens Family Shoot

We began our little family shoot by heading to the lovely, manicured surrounds you can find within the Adelaide Himeji Gardens. Giften to Adelaide by our Japanese sister city, Himeji the gardens provide a stunning backdrop to photography all year round.

And the best thing is that the gardens are free to roam about in, and they cannot be booked as a wedding venue, or for other such private events, meaning they are always available during opening hours.

The lovely light shining through the leaves of the beautiful weeping willows at this time of day are always the biggest drawcard of the Himeji Gardens – they make for the best background for any Himeji gardens family shoot.

Himeji Gardens Family Shoot 2
Couple in Himeji Gardens
Couple under weeping willow tree
Family finding fish
Touching fingers under a tree
Couple portrait in Himeji Gardens
Couple portrait in Adelaide Himeji Garden
Family portrait
Sitting on the bench together in Himeji Gardens
Family portrait under tree

Veale Gardens Family Shoot

Whenever I head to south Terrace for a photoshoot, I tend to use both Himeji gardens and Veale Gardens to provide a bit of variety in the colours of the images I provide. Himeji Gardens – at this time of year – is lush and green, and well manicured, while Veale gardens just up the road also provides this, but also a bit of an Australian twist with a small Gum tree forest behind.

This allowsfor a bit more yellow and warmth in photos, while also having different trees in the background.

While walking about we made sure to take photos of both the full family together, and also couples shots, and individual portraits alklowing me to provide a huge amount of photos for Nadia’s family to use in many different ways – hopefully to fill their walls with beautiful physical prints!

family shot under veale Gardens Gum Trees
Family portrait under gum trees
Couple photo on log
Veale Gardens photo
Adelaide Veale Gardens Photography

I’d like to thank nadia for having me photograph her beautiful family, and I’m super glad she and her husband were able to get back into Perth before the big Adelaide shutdown!