You’ve spent months and months preparing for your dream wedding day. You’ve even hired your dream wedding photographer to capture it all. And the last thing you want is to have the little mistakes, particularly in the decor, distract the photographer from making the perfect shots.
Luckily, those kinds of distractions can be easily avoided. If only you are aware of it. We asked wedding photographer, Andreas Hartanto (@akuaha) from AXIOO Photography (www.axioo.com) to share the five things that could have a negative impact on your wedding photos.
1. Inaccurate lighting design. A good picture needs to be supported by the right kind of lighting. When designing your decor, make sure that the lighting designer takes into account the effect lighting can have on pictures. For example, while follow spots are great to put the bride and groom under the spotlight, when placed the wrong way, it can shadow the face, thus preventing the photographer from taking a good clear picture of your expressions. Another example would be the use of colored PAR lights. Although it might be great to enhance the mood with the colored lamps, basic warm white lights still make for the best pictures.
2. Decor elements that are poorly designed. If it doesn’t look good on the spot, it won’t look good in your pictures. The key is to think your decorating design through. Play with color choices and have a color palette that is visible throughout the chosen theme. Don’t leave out the details because even table numbers and place cards can look great in pictures when it is well designed.
3. Placing items in the wrong places. When it comes to shooting the wedding, photographers can only work with what we are given. A giant floral arrangement as a centerpiece is great, but not when it blocks everyone’s views and keeps the photographer from capturing the best angles. Also, having a ceremony set up cluttered with microphones and speakers or putting things – sound boxes or poles that hold up the decorations – directly behind where bride and groom are sitting can ruin an otherwise perfectly good shot.
4. A heavy aisle. The aisle is the most important focus point in a wedding ceremony. “May I suggest you to move on from the rose petals on the aisle and explore other options, such as a printed quote or a textured banner to walk down on?” said Aha. Another common challenge that Aha usually faces when trying to capture the bridal party walk down the aisle are the guest who fill with their heads, hence preventing him from getting a clear shot. “You can put flower stands on the aisle as a ‘fence’ to keep the guests from getting on the aisle and ruin the professional shot of the procession.”
5. Limited access for photographers. To capture the pristine decor, a photographer must be allowed to enter the reception area before the guests arrive and fill it with purses and half empty wine glasses on the tables. Even when the decor is not “entirely done”, allow the photographer to come in and snap a few pictures before the festivities begin.
Andreas Hartanto (@akuaha) or Aha, as he is more affectionately known is a Bali-based wedding photographer. He is the conversation starter, the people person, the kind of guy that just sends chills down your back when he starts talking about photography. It’s his personality that makes him capture pictures like the stories they are supposed to tell and his heart that makes every moment the “Aha!” moment to remember, but it’s his passion that makes the story so beautiful. This quote, “There’s a way to turn back time. Look to old pictures and there will be memories.” is his constant inspiration. Aha shoots weddings and pre-weddings as a part of the AXIOO Photography team.
