Sunrise Creations Blog

When photographing wedding flowers it’s not as simple as aiming your camera and clicking away. Some preparation has to go into photographing flowers whether in the wild or in a wedding bouquet.

Find a place where you want to photograph the bridal bouquet. Some professional photographers move the bridal bouquet to a studio to get an unobstructed background. Others will shoot less formal shots and involve the bride in a variety of poses.

Point-and-shoot digital cameras give you limited options, though many point and shoot cameras will have a "Macro" setting that allows up-close and detailed photography.

Decide your focal point in the wedding bouquet and then consider the “rule of thirds”.
 

Simply put, the rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb which will greatly improve the composition of your photos. The rule of thirds says that the viewer’s eyes naturally go to certain points of interest in the photo and not to the center. It identifies these points of interests as the four lines and their intersection points, and suggests that this is where you should place your to create more balance in your photos. An easy way to remember the rule of thirds is to avoid the center square while placing your subject.

Whilst this is considered a “rule” in photography don’t forget to use your own creativity to enhance the composition of the photograph. Experiment with moving in extremely closely with your lens so you get more elements of the flower's texture and colour. Doing this creates abstract photographs that can sometimes add a flavour of difference to the wedding album.

Study your lighting conditions and how they will affect the image of the flowers in your photograph. Natural light is usually best.  If you have to, you can use a reflector that captures natural light and reflects it onto your flowers when the surrounding light is otherwise too dark. Don’t forget that often a wedding dress will often act as a natural reflector.

Finally, remember that for many of us, some of our best shots were unplanned.  Allow yourself the joy of experimentation.

 

While there is no one set time that will be right for all weddings, there are many factors that you need to take into account when trying to work out how much time you need to allow for your wedding pictures to be taken.

Each wedding has its own style, different people, different sized wedding parties, different sized families, different locations and different weather conditions etc. but often 1-2 hours is enough time for most post-ceremony photo sessions.

The best idea is to talk to your wedding photographer, as most seem to have their own way of capturing a special event. Some professional photographers will take only 300-400 Photos at a wedding, while others will take thousands! 

Many photographers will have a suggested list of photos that you can choose from, so you can get an idea of how many photos you would like in your formal wedding album.  Often many duplicates of each setting are taken to ensure at least one “perfect” shot, so if you can get an estimated time from them in advance it makes your time management a bit easier.

Some of your special photos would look wonderful on the wedding Thank You cards and give your guests a keepsake of the special day. 

Something else that you need to think about is lighting, particularly for outdoor photos.  What time is sunset?  What is the lighting like in the place you plan to have your photos taken?  Your photographer might be familiar with the venue so ask for his or her advice.  You may only have a short time period in which the lighting is good so know shots you would like taken.

Don’t rush the photos, because you want everyone to look relaxed and happy, but remember that you have  guests who are not involved in family and group photos.  They will need to be taken into account. If they are not going straight to the reception it is nice to suggest a meeting place for refreshments.  It can make their wait can much more comfortable, especially if they are from out of town.   

Remember that these formal photos will only form part of your photos from the day.  Leave plenty of time for some informal shots of you and your guests.  They can often be the photos that you treasure most.

We are very excited to introduce our latest product range – photo books with lay-flat pages. This new pages stock is the most deluxe available.  They lie flat, similar to a traditional wedding album.

To get technical for a moment, each page is printed on 300 gsm card stock. Isn’t that exciting?! Well we think it is!!

Below is an example of a Wedding Photo Book and a Holiday Photo Book - perfect for your honeymoon photos!

Can't you just see yourself in Egypt?!

If you like our photo books, why not also look at some of our wedding guest books. These are absolutely stunning as they incorporate photos of the bride and groom as well as beautiful messages from loved ones. A treasured momento!