Planning a Destination Beach Wedding
Numerous hours of your time are invested into planning your destination beach wedding. The wedding dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the groom’s and groomsmen’s attire, the wedding rings, the invitations, the programs, the ceremony site, the reception site, the timeline of the day, the dinner menu, the d.j. or band, the songs to play during the ceremony and reception, the videographer, and the photographer are just a few of all the details to figure out for your wedding day.
Planning a wedding can be fun and exciting, but it can also tend to be stressful especially the last few days leading up to the Big Day. Hopefully, by your wedding day, all the details are in place, and you are able to relax and just enjoy your day with your family, friends, and new husband or wife!
Our Goal as Your Beach Photographer
One of our primary goals as the photographers of your wedding is to help make your day amazing. We want to set your mind at ease knowing that you will have a great experience with us. Not only will we be there on time and with the proper equipment, but we’ll also do whatever we can to make sure you are having fun and feeling great!
Professional Digital Camera Equipment
So that you can be assured that you will have a great experience with us, we want to give you an idea of what your beach wedding photography with us will be like. For starters, we use all high quality professional photography equipment. Our studio uses all digital cameras because of their quality, versatility and efficiency. Taking wedding photos with digital cameras allows us to photograph in a variety of lighting situations with only a few quick setting changes. We are able to check for proper exposure immediately and make any adjustments if necessary.
Photographing with digital equipment also allows us to do any editing after the wedding to adjust lighting or color, change images to black and white, get rid of something in the background, make requested touch ups, or add some cool effects to your images. Having digital images also allows us to upload your images to an online album so you and your friends and family can view them from anywhere! More wedding photographers are using digital verses film cameras these days for these reasons.
Arrive Early to Become Familiar with Wedding Site
In addition to being prepared with the proper equipment, we also become familiar with your wedding ceremony and reception site. We make sure to arrive early to become familiar with the property, the lighting, and the best spots and positions for pictures.
Southwest Florida Beaches
Many of the weddings that we photograph are beach weddings that take place on one of Southwest Florida’s beautiful beaches. The beaches of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Bonita, Marco Island, Naples and Sarasota are great spots for a beach wedding.
Wedding Ceremony Angled Away from the Sun
When the wedding ceremony takes place on the beach, we offer a few beach wedding photography tips. If possible, we recommend that that wedding ceremony be set up at an angle away from the sun so that the guests aren’t looking into the sun and so that we aren’t photographing into the sun.
Best Timeline for Your Beach Wedding Photographs
We also recommend that the wedding ceremony take place about an hour and a half to two hours before sunset. This timeline allows for the ceremony to take place when the air is cooler and the sunlight is less harsh. It also allows us to time the lighting correctly for pictures of the wedding couple leading up to sunset. The best lighting for taking photos of the wedding couple on the beach is starting about twenty minutes before sunset until a few minutes after sunset. Southwest Florida’s beaches have absolutely amazing sunsets, it’s no wonder so many couples choose to have their weddings on the beach!
Best Lighting for Your Beach Wedding Photographs
When taking wedding photos on the beach, we are very aware of the lighting. When there are no clouds in the sky, sunlight on the beach is often very harsh during the ceremony. So, in order to work with the sunlight and avoid sun spots or underexposed images, it is important to take beach wedding ceremony pictures away from directly into the sun and with the proper camera and flash exposure.
When there is some cloud coverage or when the sky is overcast, we adjust our camera and flash exposure accordingly. We can’t predict the weather, so we are prepared for whatever type of lighting we’ll be working with.
Ceremony Photos of the Special Events
When taking your beach wedding photos, we make sure to get all the important things that take place. The wedding party walking down the aisle, the flower girl tossing the flower petals in the sand, the ring bearer carrying his pillow, dad walking his daughter down the aisle, the ring exchange, the first kiss as husband and wife, the recessional…these are all special traditional moments that we take pictures of.
Ceremony Photos of Candid Moments and Details
But we also seek out the special moments that are particular to just your beach wedding to photograph for you to treasure forever. Moments such as your mom with a tear in her eye and a smile of joy and pride on her face, the ring bearer having a great time playing in the sand, the bride laughing with a glowing radiance, the groom smiling in awe at his bride…We also photograph the special details that you’ve spent so much time planning such as the programs, the flowers, the chairs, and anything else that you have at your wedding.
Family Photographs
After the ceremony is over, we typically take pictures of the family with the bride and groom. This is as extensive or as simple as you would like it. Having your family there to celebrate with you is very special so we understand that these pictures are important to you.
Bridal Party Photographs
After the family pictures are over, we then photograph the bridal party. We do a bunch of fun, creative shots with the bridal party as a whole, some with just the ladies, and some with just the guys.
Sunset Photographs of Bride and Groom
We save the last twenty minutes before sunset – the best lighting of the night – for the bride and groom. We create special moments to photograph by suggesting a variety of poses that help you have fun with each other and make you feel relaxed, such as walking hand in hand down the beach, practicing your first dance, and whispering something in each other’s ear to make each other laugh.
Taking wedding photos is what we love to do. It is our passion. We feel privileged to be a part of your special day. By giving you some beach wedding photography tips and an idea of what your day with us as your photographers will be like, we hope you are assured that you will have a great experience with us.