What To Do To Prepare For Your Wedding Day Photography?

April~ Living The Sweet Life

Choosing: Choose a photographer that has a similar style as you. Do you want someone who does formal photos or do you want a mix of photo journalistic type candid shots and formal photos of your wedding as well? Will the photographer take pictures of the details of your wedding such as your shoes rings and your decor?

Share: Share your vision of your wedding with your photographer. At Sweet Life Photography we have a complimentary consultation session with the bride to get to know her and her wedding better. Share some of your favorite photos that you have cut out of magazines etc. Talk about things like locations time of day. These things will help you photographer create wonderful meaningful memories for you.

Price: Most of the time the old saying you get what you pay for applies to photographers. A photographer who charges more is charging more because of their education experience and equipment. I offer a custom package for every bride since every bride is an individual with different wants and budgets. A good photographer will also have a contract of services that out lines expectations and prices.

Time: At Sweet Life Photography we ask our wedding couples to plan for 5 to 10 minutes per group shot. This allows time for the members of your bridal party to gather. A typical wedding will need to plan on 45 minutes of formal wedding photos with the wedding party. After the wedding party photos are taken schedule another 30 to 45 minutes to spend time as a couple. Sometimes couples like to schedule a session before the wedding in their wedding attire for formal couple photos so they are more relaxed during the session. The day of the wedding can be hurried and stressful.

Make-up: In photos wearing a little more make-up is better. Avoid high sparkle and shimmer make-up. It shows up in the photos as white spots.

Most of all have fun. Enjoy your day. A good photographer will capture those sweet moments for you. My philosophy in my photography is that the real moments the sweet moments are the photos I take in between the posed shots.

I am currently booking limited Wedding Bridal and Engagement Session for 2009. See more of April's work and photography at her website April Atwater Photography.

How Can You Tell Stories Through Photos?

Tara is a mother of 5 and Founding Consultant for Cherish Bound . She has a blog called Family Traditions…One Story at a Time where she shares traditions, stories, and fun ideas for families. In her spare time,she loves sports, writing and publishing her family’s stories, baking, and crafts.

Take a look at this photo….

You probably have no idea who those people are, right? Well, that’s my father-in-law. An amazing father to my husband, a perfect FIL to me, yes, I’m a lucky girl, and a man that my children are completely in love with. That was the day he met our twins and the last time we ever saw him. There is a beautiful deep story behind this photo, this man, and this day. It’s a story that needs to be told and shared so my children will remember and know who their grandfather was.

I could simply upload this photo with a few other snapshots into a photo book or throw it up on my wall in a frame. That would be easy, picture preserved and nicely displayed. But who will tell my children and grandchildren about him when I’m gone? What about my babies who won’t remember him? How do we keep his memory alive?

It’s simple…through story.

Story is powerful. When we start telling stories, we connect, teach, and often heal. We relate in a way that brings power and purpose to our lives. Stories change people’s lives. That is why it is so important to take the time to record and write the stories of our lives. Photos are simple beautiful images that help us relive single moments in our lives, but they’re subjective, they can be lost, and simply don’t tell the whole story.

Here are a few simple steps and tips to help you organize and begin storytelling through photos.

1. Get your family involved. Have your spouse, children, parents, everyone in your family begin writing down simple details of their lives.
2. It’s not always about dates, times, and places. It’s about lessons learned, traditions passed on, and leaving a legacy of who we are. Let everyone tell their story.
3. Break it up into bite-size chucks. Start with the now. Start with recording one week at time. Simple moments that define who we are….a sweet husband leaving a love note, a toddler whispering I love you for the first time, a child’s struggle to fit in.
4. Remember that it’s impossible to share every single picture we take. Pick out your favorite two or three from each event or memory and then put the rest in words.

Photos are priceless, but the stories that accompany them are a treasure. A treasure that will be worth more than anything else we leave behind for those we love. As you create your albums, scrapbooks, and photo books keep in mind one simple rule; if I wasn’t here to share this book would they know who the people in these photos and the stories behind them?

Looking for a re-cap of this week's #GNO? See below and read these:

• College Surfing Insider
• Spa Beauty schools
• College Bound
• Holistic Junction
  

What Are 10 Ways to Involve Your Kids in Scrapbooking?

Introducing our guest author, Jill Berry masquerades as Mom on the Run on her blog: Writing My Life One Blog At A Time. She writes for Type A Mom on mommy, children, preteen, and teen issues. She is also the Preteen Editor for Typeamom.net. She contributes to MomSpark.net, Blogher.com, and Addsyou.com. She is mom to Adventure Boy, 5; Sporty Daughter, 10; and Crafty Daughter, 13.

Let me just state at the outset that I love scrapbooking. I have created photo albums as far back as the 70s. My first album was a pink paisley album where I put the photos in the album in no particular order. This particular album brings back memories to me of (1) doing the album myself and (2) not recalling my mother telling me how to do the album. Surely, she must have wondered why I was placing my First Communion photos at the back of the album while my later in the year Brownie photos were front and center. My mother let me do the album any way I wanted to...because it was my album.

I started scrapbooking in earnest when my oldest was 4 and my then-youngest was 18 months old. I bought stickers, paper, and die-cuts for use in my scrapbooks. My oldest would watch me scrapbook. Sometimes she would ask to help. Once or twice I let her write her name, but for the most part I told her that I was doing the scrapbook. After a while she asked to do her own.

10 Tips for Scrapbooking With Kids

1. Camera—Give your child a disposable camera before a trip or special event or just for around the house. Let them take any photographs they want to, even if the photos are of shoes, the inside of the cabinet, or a nose.


2. Photographs—Let your child choose the photographs that he wants. If you are worried that your child will choose too many photos, set a limit. Tell your child that he can choose 5 or 10 photos per event. Kids need limits. Once you have told your child the rules, your child will follow them.




3. Scrapbook—A scrapbook can be as elaborate as something purchased at Michaels' or a a few pieces of paper stapled together. Your child will not care what his scrapbook looks like. Remember it is her book.

4. Supplies—If you have many scrapbooking materials, decide how many our child will get to use. For instance, if you have expensive calligraphy pens, it probably would be a good idea to keep these out of reach. Let your child use markers instead. Give your child extra stickers from sets that you no longer need.

5. Workspace—Kids need a workspace to set out their photos and photo album. You could use the kitchen table, a coffee table, or the child's desk. If your child wants to work on his project on multiple days, consider placing photographs, scrapbook, and supplies in a Rubbermaid tub or
shoe box.

6. Supervision—Scrapbooking is a great time to spend with your child. Talk to him about the photographs. Your child may not know when the photos were taken. help her put the photographs in order.

7. Teach—Show your child how to look for the most significant person, place, or thing in a photograph. Help your child crop the photograph with scissors, so that the most important person is shown. Show him how to paste the photos in the scrapbook with a glue stick or scrapbooking photo corners.

8. Journal—Show a child how to write on the scrapbook page. Depending on the age of the child, this may or may not be necessary. Older children will want to write the name of the place they visited or the people at the birthday party. Younger children may not have the writing skills necessary for this task.

9. Cleanup—Once your child is finished, it is time for cleanup. My kids hate cleanup more than anything in the world, but scrapbooking results in tiny bits of paper and photos all over the floor and table. A small Rubbermaid tub or a lunch bag is useful for collecting these bits of paper as the child works on his scrapbook.

10. Share—Once the scrapbook is completed, ask your child if they want to show it to someone: dad, grandma, teacher. Kids love to share what they have created.

Scrapbooking is a wonderful way to teach your child about life and
family. It is also a way to reinforce reading and writing skills.

Photos are examples of photos my children have taken with a disposable camera:
Wesson oil bottle, my son's feet, coffee pot, and Sesame Place mug.

Did you like this article?