Laurie Beck Peterson – Photographer

Black and white images can be a powerful addition to you wedding album or group of wedding photos.  Not all photographs look good when converted, so make thoughtful choices on what you want shown in B&W. Tracey and Cedric had a fabulous wedding at The Manor House at Commonwealth and I can’t wait to begin to put an album together with all the wonderful photos we have. 

I was thrilled to be contacted and selected to have one of my weddings featured in the fall/winter issue of Brides.com Magazine – Real Weddings.  I photographed Sondra and Carl’s wedding last August 2nd and they were such a photogenic and fun couple that I immediately featured them on my website.  They were married at Appleford  and Beautiful Blooms did a fabulous job on the flowers. Their wedding was a natural choice for me when I was asked for submissions to Real Weddings.  You can see the full spread on pages 138 – 139 as well as more images from the wedding at Laurie Beck Photography. 

 Katherine and Matt were married on a Thursday at Curtis Hall Arboretum in Cheltenham.  They had a self uniting ceremony  filled with many remarks from friends and family.  They made use of the beautiful grounds by recessing from the ceremony straight into a private walk into the woods as the guests went to the cocktail hour.  This is a good way to skip the receiving line and let your guests know you will see them in the reception.  I always like this approach as it allows me to concentrate on the formals and get the bride and groom to the reception as quickly as possible.  Because Katherine and Matt are free spirits, they were game for using the many areas on the grounds at Curtis. Thanks to Heather Fowler for being my second photographer and shooting some wonderful images.            

At the brides request, I went into the kitchen to take some photos of the folks from Joshua’s, who catered the wedding.  The food was fabulous and the evening was topped off with a display of cupcakes in every flavor from Flying Monkey.

To see more images from Katherine and Matt’s wedding visit Laurie Beck Photography.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get some useful information about wedding photography from a wedding photographer?  Well, I thought so too!  By the first Friday of every month I will be posting 5 tid-bits of information so that the photography at your wedding can run smoothly and you can have those wonderful shots you see in all the magazines!

      Invest in your photography!!  Your pictures are all that you will have left after the guests have gone – well, you will have each other!  Don’t skimp on your photography.  Guests with point and shoot cameras are nice and can grab some fun shots, but rarely do these images end up framed on your wall or in your album.  So, let your professional photographer do what they do best and let the guests enjoy the day!  Photographers need enough time to document the entire day, so cutting back on the hours is not always a wise decision.  

     Make up and hair.  Even if you don’t wear make up on a daily basis or spend loads of time on your hair, because you are being photographed, this is a must.  You don’t have to go heavy on either, but you don’t want to appear washed out or messy in the photos.  At the very least, some powder helps keep the shine down and a touch of color on your lips looks great.  If you are getting your hair done the day of the wedding, great, but get the cut or highlighting done a week or so before.  NOT the day of!  Mistakes can happen!  I’d be happy to share some of these stories with you.

     Choose a friend to help.  Formals of the bridal party and family should be a time that is fun, whether they be taken before or after the ceremony.  Rounding up all the folks to be in the pictures can be a chore, so appoint someone to be the “handler” and help gather those people in the photos.  This can be someone who is special to you and not in the wedding party, but who knows who is who.  Once these shots are taken, everyone should go back to the reception or wait for the ceremony so that the bride and groom can relax and have their photos taken without on lookers.

      Consider taking your formals before the ceremony.  Ever wonder how those beautiful photographs are taken?  Well, it takes time  - not forever  - but it does take time.  If you are inclined to be antsy and want to get to the reception, consider taking the formals prior to the ceremony.  Rushed photos look exactly that way, rushed and poorly composed.  If you can’t dedicate at least an hour to the formals between the ceremony and reception, your best bet is to take them prior to the ceremony, or some couples even choose to have them taken the next or a different day.  

     What to do about the weather?  Well, there isn’t much you can do, but I always find it fun to use it to my advantage.  I love cloudy and overcast skies because the quality of light can be beautiful.  Don’t be fooled into thinking  a bright and sunny sky is the best.  Snow can be wonderful if you are adventurous and willing to go out in it for a few shots.  Even rain can be used to make great  images and I always carry and umbrella.  Of course I would never force anyone to go out if they don’t want to, and always scout open doorways, windows and alternatives for making great pictures just in case.