Tag Archives: wedding photographer

Wedding Photography Tips

 

Once you have chosen your preferred wedding photographer, there are a number of ways you can be more prepared for the big day. Today we are talking about the top wedding photography tips that will ensure your finished product is truly beautiful.

Family Photos

Here is a handy list of what photo combinations you will want to get with your family:

Bride and Groom & Bride’s Parents

Bride and Groom, Bride’s Parents & Bride’s Siblings

Bride and Groom, Bride’s Parents, Bride’s Siblings, partners and children.

Bride and Groom, Bride’s Parents & Groom’s Parents

Bride and Groom, Bride’s Parents & Groom’s Parents

Bride and Groom & Groom’s Parents

Bride and Groom , Groom’s Parents and Groom’s Siblings

Bride and Groom , Groom’s Parents, Groom’s Siblings, Partners and Children

Bride and Groom with Grandparents

 

David McAuley Photography wedding family photos

 

Little Details

Certain details will make for great photographic opportunities on your wedding day.

  • Personalised or embellished clothes hanger for the dresses
  • Fabulous shoes
  • Antique Jewellery
  • Unusual centerpieces
  • Favours
  • Pocketwatches
  • Hip flasks
  • Wedding speech notes
  • Something old, new, borrowed or blue

 

 

David McAuley Photography wedding detail photos

 

 

David McAuley Photography wedding detail photos

 

Emergency Kits

No big day in Ireland would be complete without a little adverse weather, and it is worth being prepared. Your emergency kit should include a pretty umbrella and heel covers so that your beautiful satin heels don’t sink into muddy ground. Tissues, baby wipes and chalk can cover up a multitude of stains on your wedding dress or shoes if a little bit of mud spatters or you get a grass stain on the bottom of your skirt. Even if the weather is dry on the day of the wedding, be wary if it has been raining in the previous few days as the ground may still be soft. Bring a few white towels to place under your dress while photos are being taken outside.  Ensure your bridesmaid has hairspray, extra hair pins and powder to hand in case it is raining or indeed if it is very warm and humid, as your hair and make-up may not stay in place.

 

David McAuley Photography wedding detail photos

 

Rain on Your Wedding Day

One of the last things a couple wants to think about on their big day is rain or bad weather.  Even in the height of summer, you can’t guarantee a dry day in Ireland, so it’s best to be prepared for it and assume it will happen, rather than just putting the Child of Prague statue outside the night before and hoping for the best. Here are some tips to help you prepare for rain on your wedding day.

Pretty wellingtons and umbrellas

You can now accessorise your bridal party with cute and colourful wet weather gear. Ivory and white umbrellas, adorned with frills, bows and polka dots to match your wonderful dress, or bright red brollies that will make for an incredible photo opportunity. Wellingtons in an array of colours could again make for a fabulous photo opportunity with you and your bridesmaids, while also letting you keep those special high heels safe for dancing later.

Rain on your wedding day wellingtons David McAuley
Image via Want That Wedding

Ask your photographer for advice

Your photographer will be very experienced, and will have shot weddings in all types of weather. Ask them for their advice, so that you can all be prepared for a rainy day. Ask the photographer to research some beautiful indoor or covered photo opportunities. Also ensure to check with your venue if they have any good photo opportunities within the venue itself or on the grounds. Older properties could have incredible bridal suites or an unusual bar which make for beautiful photographic backdrops. You may need to be prepared to be flexible on time; quite often a shower of rain may just last for 15 or 20 minutes so you might be better off to take a quick break from photos and wait for the sun to come back out. If you’re getting married during the winter or early spring when rain is more likely, schedule your ceremony a little earlier so that you are not rushing with your photographs just to get back to the reception on time.

Rain on your wedding day David McAuley
David McAuley Photography

Make-up & Hair

Ensure your make-up artist is using waterproof items, especially on your eyes. It’s one thing to have some mascara tears as you walk down the aisle, but another to have panda eyes in your photographs! There are some great make-up fixer sprays that you can get too. Ask your make-up artist for advice on touch-ups if the weather does dampen the skin when you’re outside. It may be an idea to hire your make-up artist to stay on to do touch-ups before your photos and meal so that you can feel confident all day. The same goes for hair – you don’t want your beautiful up-do to end up looking like a birds nest when you get back to your reception, so ensure your bridesmaids have an emergency kit that includes combs, hairspray and Kirby grips!

Rain on your wedding day David McAuley
David McAuley Photography

Finally, don’t let rain dampen your mood -it’s actually said to be good luck to have rain on your wedding day.

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

 

Meet David – David McAuley Photography

I decided recently that writing a blog would be a great way to connect with my clients, past, present and future. I’m really excited to be sharing some great tips with you over the coming months, including help with choosing your wedding photographer, how to prepare for a photoshoot and lots of other tips and tricks. Today I’m sharing a ‘behind-the-scenes’ piece to give you a look at the world of David McAuley Photography!

I’m from Palmerstown, Dublin 20. I never managed to stray far from it and I still live there currently. I’m supported by my wife Annemarie, and we have 3 children, 2 girls aged 11 & 15 & a boy aged 13. Annemarie is originally from Co. Kerry and we go down whenever feasible.

I had a long & evolving IT career which I thoroughly enjoyed. I did a couple of years as a self employed contractor but eventually got a yearning to step back from the large corporate environments and to try something new. I decided to re-activate my interest in photography, starting from scratch. My timing wasn’t great with the start of the recession and it was slower than I would have liked but it did give me time to learn and practice. During that time for my wedding photography I attended the Norwich school of Photography which gave me a baseline to build upon, in both the business and practical skills knowledge. It also gave me the confidence to specialise in wedding photography.

 

 

My core clients and specialty are weddings. I strive to give wedding couples a level of service and value that all their planning and investment deserves. I also like to shoot for businesses; this includes products, headshots and events. I also photograph families and family celebrations from babies to milestone birthdays – this is an area I plan on expanding on this year.

 

David McAuley Wedding Photography Ireland

 

 

Although my early career choice would be considered more logical and methodical in nature, my favourite aspect of my business now is the personal interaction with clients and subjects, be it a few minutes at an event or over the course of eighteen months with a wedding couple before, during and after their wedding. Of course interaction on the wedding day itself is special  and that extends to their families and guests. Thanks to social media, this often lasts a lot longer than just the time between first booking and the day they receive their finished albums. I also love being able to provide a and/or products that means something to my clients be it a wedding album that will trigger memories for a couple of their big day, or images to promote & generate interest in a business. It’s not all fun – I can sometimes find it difficult keeping up with the admin parts of running a business – I guess I’ve lost some of that logical, methodical approach from my former career!

 

David McAuley Wedding Photography Ireland

 

 

It’s important when running your own business to find time to unwind too. I sometimes think I never switch off, but once I step away from my screen there’s the usual family & domestic duties, the odd beer or meal with friends or sometimes just a little daydreaming. I’ve started doing a small (and I mean small) bit of running for exercise recently. I’m hoping to start a project this year to get all the family camcorder tapes and older snapshots that languish on CD’s & phones into print and digi-clips if time permits. I like watching movies although I seem to have missed so many in the last few years. I will try to keep track of the F1 season when it starts. Photography in general and businesses and the story behind businesses, both big and small, interest me – I’m not a great reader in terms of attention span but I like to watch and listen to business shows and documentaries.