Tag Archives: david mcauley photography

Look your best in wedding photos

When you are going to be investing so much on capturing memories from your wedding day, you will want to ensure that you look your best in the wedding photos. There are a number of ways you can prepare for your photos, so today we are offering our top tips to help you look your best.

Practice makes perfect

Practice smiling in the mirror, or take a few selfies – find out what way of smiling makes you look the best, as well as what feels natural and comfortable. Look back through old photos of yourself and choose your favourites. Mimic your facial expression in the mirror so that you can practice it for the big day. You could also look at how your favourite celebrities pose and smile on the red carpet, and try it out for yourself at home. Be aware that if choose a documentary-style photographer like me, there will be lots of shots of you when you’re not posing too, and these can often be the most beautiful.

David McAuley Photography how to look your best in wedding photos

 

Get your teeth whitened

If you are self-conscious about your teeth, it may be worth talking to your dentist about the best options. This could mean a couple of cleanings, getting your teeth professionally whitened (avoid cheap home kits available online – looking for trouble!) or perhaps you could invest in clear braces if you would like straighter teeth for your wedding. It’s important to note that all of this may take time, so start thinking about this well in advance of your wedding day so that you can have perfect, long-lasting results.

 

David McAuley Photography how to look your best in wedding photos

 

Have an engagement shoot

Having an engagement photoshoot with your wedding photographer is a great way to feel more comfortable with the photographer as well as being able to see how you and your partner work together in a photograph. It might even be a good idea to have the shoot in a location you are thinking of using for your wedding photos so that you are familiar with the light, the terrain and the overall feel of the place. If there are lots of people around, it may make you feel uncomfortable so try to find a quieter time to take the photos or choose somewhere a little more secluded.

 

David McAuley Photography how to look your best in wedding photos

 

Think happy thoughts

Many people don’t realise that when they smile for a photograph, the smile isn’t reaching their eyes and can look unnatural in the end result. Think of a joke or a happy memory while taking the photos to help you relax and feel good (this shouldn’t be a problem on the happiest day of your life!)

 

David McAuley Photography how to look your best in wedding photos

 

Clean hands & nails

Your hands will probably feature quite a bit in your photographs as there will be a focus on your wedding rings and bouquet, so ensure your hands are really clean, moisturised and that your nails are neat. Have your engagement ring cleaned so that it really sparkles too.

 

David McAuley Photography how to look your best in wedding photos

 

Advice for the Groom

Going by tradition, some might say that the groom makes the biggest decision when it comes to wedding planning, as they will more than likely be the one to pop the question. There is often a misconception that once a couple is engaged, the groom takes the back seat and lets his partner do all the planning. However, there are so many ways the groom can stay involved in the wedding planning process, so today we are offering up some advice for the groom and what to expect in the run-up to the big day.

 

The Big Decisions

 

Advice for grooms David McAuley Photography

 

Give your input on the big decisions for the wedding – the date, the location, what kind of ceremony you have, who’s invited, what entertainment you’ll have and what kind of food will be served. Your partner will appreciate the help and you will feel more at ease knowing that you have given your input. It’s likely that you and your partner will have discussed things like the style of wedding you want long before the ring goes on; so ensure that you are on the same page when it comes to this. If you are envisioning an intimate soiree while your fiance is planning for 300 guests in a huge ballroom, now is the time to have a conversation and find a compromise. The same goes for choosing what type of ceremony you’ll have; if you come from different religious backgrounds this will be a very important conversation to have, as you will both want to make your families happy.

 

Support Your Partner

 

 

Advice for grooms David McAuley Photography

 

 

If your fiance has taken on most of the wedding planning duties, he or she will undoubtedly become stressed out by some of it and will need your support and patience. Take bad moods and tantrums with a pinch of salt, and ask how you can be there for them. Find out if there are any smaller jobs you and your groomsmen can look after, which will lighten the load on your partner. Most importantly, if you feel the stress is getting to your relationship, why not plan a spontaneous weekend away where you can both relax and forget about the wedding for a few days? It can help to put everything in perspective and give some much-needed breathing space to your partner.

 

The Stag

 

Advice for grooms David McAuley Photography

 

 

Your best man and/or groomsmen may be planning this, but ensure you give them your input. If you don’t fancy a night in the casino followed by a strip club, then make that clear to them. Keep in mind the budgets of your friends and family members that will be attending – if you know that your best bud is struggling with his bills, then a long weekend in Barcelona may not be the best idea. Keep things simple – you don’t have to travel for hours to have a great experience. A night away doesn’t have to break the bank if you choose budget accommodation or self-catering, and keep it wallet-friendly with some bar food and a pub crawl. Some wise words – leave plenty of time between the stag and the wedding, just in case you have a little ‘tumble’ and end up with a few bruises, or heaven forbid, a broken bone!

 

Take a time-out on the big day

 

Advice for grooms David McAuley Photography

 

 

On your wedding day, things will go very, very quickly. When the ceremony is over and you’ve taken your photographs, make sure you and your partner take 15 or 20 minutes alone to kick off the shoes, have a small bite to eat (you will be very hungry) and let the events of the day sink in before you return to your guests and the night begins. You will appreciate the day all the more.

 

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

 

Choosing a wedding photographer is one of the biggest decisions you will make when you are planning your wedding. It can often cost quite a big chunk of your overall budget, but in order to capture all of those amazing memories of your big day, it is an essential purchase to make. Today I’m going to discuss the factors you should take into account when thinking about how to choose a wedding photographer, as well as telling you a little bit more about what I do.

 

How to choose a wedding photographer David McAuley Ireland

 

Personality

A wedding photographer with a good personality is essential for a number of reasons. Someone with a warm and welcoming personality will make you feel more at ease on your wedding day. If they are confident, they will be able to give you direction without making you feel overwhelmed. Ensure you meet with the photographers you are thinking of booking before paying a deposit so that you can see if you ‘mesh well’ together – someone who you get on with and who immediately makes you feel at ease will be a good match on the day. What is very important in making a couple feel relaxed is always remembering that I am there for them and not for myself. Having the bridal preparations as part of the day’s shoot is always beneficial as I’ve just blended into the mix by the time the ceremony comes around. Part of my job on the day is to guide the couples but not dominate their day. If a couple or bridal party or their guests for that matter, are not relaxed with what is happening then it will be reflected in their images. Every wedding shoot is unique to that couple and what might suit one couple wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable for another couple. Ideally,  I will have met my couples more than once before their wedding day and chatted about all aspects of their plans and what’s important to them.   

 

How to choose a wedding photographer David McAuley Ireland

 

Equipment

Is photography his or her full-time job, or is it something they do a couple of times a year to supplement their income? Someone whose whole career is dedicated to photography will have the very best equipment for taking the photos, editing and producing your albums. Someone who has already invested in the right equipment and can work out their costings exactly will often be able to fit into your budget more easily, rather than someone who is perhaps taking a day off their full-time job to shoot your wedding and needs to cover that cost as well as their equipment and time.

 

How to choose a wedding photographer David McAuley Ireland

 

Style

Each photographer will have their own personal style. Some specialise in posed photographs, with a list of shots they need to get throughout the day. This may suit a couple who are very specific about what they want. Others specialise in ‘candid’ or documentary-style photography, which will capture a more natural look and often involves lots of shots of your guests having fun.  My style is a mix of ‘candid’ and ‘directed’ images depending on the stage of the day and often they blend into each other. I may arrange a particular shot but it’s the follow-on images I’m really interested in. For me weddings are about the people involved, not just the couple but also the bridal party, the guests etc. I like to be interactive and try to make people feel at ease. Great venues and decorations are good to shoot but it’s the emotions & interactions between the people that really counts.

 

How to choose a wedding photographer David McAuley Ireland

 

Budget

When it comes to how much to budget for wedding photography, it is a very individual decision for each couple. While some couples have a very comfortable budget, others may not have as much to spend. Some wedding experts suggest that your wedding photography will cost 10%-15% of overall budget. Many photographers however will have a number of different packages that can suit a variety of budgets, for example providing your finished photos in digital format only. This could be a great option for a couple on a smaller budget who may choose to get their photographs printed and framed at a later stage. It is important to bear in mind that a photographer coming in a lot cheaper than some of their competitors may not always mean that you will get the same quality. The overall time involved in shooting and editing photos right through to delivering the final product can be 30+ hours. You must decide how important the photography of your wedding is to you, and decide how that matches into your budget. If it is an essential part of your day, then your budget should reflect that, as it would for any major purchase in your life be it wedding or non-wedding related.

 

How to choose a wedding photographer David McAuley Ireland