Tip for the Beach Bride

Todd and I photograph lots of New Jersey beach weddings. Its easy being a Spring Lake wedding photographer because I grew up there and know the area well.

Here is a word about how to look your best in MD, VA and NJ beach wedding photographs: Time the photographs for optimum light. Sand is a fabulous background for wedding gowns and veils but the problem is it reflects sunlight very harshly. The brighter the sun, the harsher the glare off the sand. Glare makes people squint and squinting cannot be hidden. You just can't force yourself to look natural when sun is glaring off the sand into your eyes. The muscles in your face contract into a frown and your eyes start watering.

Relax your eyes and face in your bridal portraits and group shots by timing the beach photography for early evening. The light will be kinder, much more romantic, and you'll have more of the beach to yourself since the crowds will have left.

It is said that when viewing a portrait, the viewer looks first at the eyes of the subject. To make a great first impression in your beach wedding bridal portraits, take advantage of evening light. You'll love the results! For more information on New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland beach weddings please visit our website www.TraceyAttlee.com

Tip for Brides: Coping with Rain

The pitter-patter of falling raindrops may be a comfort when drifting off to sleep, but when the rains come tumbling down on your wedding day here's how to cope:

It all goes back to advance planning. Well before the wedding day you'll need to establish where and when to have couple, family and wedding party group shots taken in the event of rain. Does your reception venue have an extra room you could use for photography before the cocktail hour begins? Find out. How long can you stay in the synagogue or church after the ceremony? Find out. Then, you and your wedding photographer can come up with a rainy day plan.

In addition, make sure to purchase a set of golf umbrellas. Their large spread is just what you want to keep your gown dry. What color to choose? A solid. Purchase them all in the same solid color. This will keep the viewer's eye on the faces in the pictures. That's what you want. Umbrellas with patterns compete for attention. So do umbrellas in a variety of colors. The simplest approach is to select one basic solid color umbrella that best matches the wedding attire of the bridal party.

By planning in advance and stocking up on golf umbrellas you'll keep a smile on your face no matter what the weather on your wedding day. And, you'll have a ready supply of golf umbrellas to give as wedding party gifts! Please visit our website www.TraceyAttlee.com for further information and to discuss your upcoming wedding!

Tip for Brides: Pin that Veil!

The bridal veil is one of the loveliest things about a bride's ensemble. It adds an air of mystery, of spirituality, of holiness.

Wind and light in a bridal veil can make pictures very special. We love to photograph weddings on windy days because the veil makes beautiful shapes when caught in a puff of wind. So my tip to you is: don't be afraid of wind; be prepared for it.

Ask your hairdresser to pin in your headpiece securely and to set in your veil for you.

It is a brave soul who thinks she'll just plop on her veil a few minutes before going down the aisle. Usually everyone forgets or never learned how exactly to place the veil and which way the comb faces. So, it usually goes on crooked or too low or too high the first time. Then a new problem starts. Every time the bridesmaids pull the comb out and reposition the veil the bride's hairdo suffers. Misshapen tufts of hair are hard to hide. And if the hairdresser isn't there with professional tools to correct them it will get out of control quickly. We've had delayed weddings because the bride's hairdo got so out of shape she refused to go down the aisle until it was corrected.

Skip all the heartache! Have a professional set in your veil at the salon. Then you can smile and have fun in your veil no matter what the weather. Please contact us at http://www.traceyattlee.com/for further information and to discuss your wedding plans.

Tip for Brides: Get Close

Lenses distort spatial relationships. The wide angle lens distorts the distance between people in group shots. It makes them look farther away from each other than they really are. So, when group shots are taken, expect to stand closer than normal to the person next to you. It may feel like you are crowding but it will look good in the pictures. Take a look at our website www.TraceyAttlee.com for other samples of how good we make people look in our wedding photographs!

Tip for Brides: Permits or Jail

Permits are a way of photographic life in DC. Even for a few quick shots down by the monuments with a professional photographer, you must have a permit in hand. Without one you and your photographer will be promptly arrested.

The National Park Service issues permits for photography at the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall. To obtain a Filming Permit for any of those locations please call: Ms. Robbin Owen, 202-619-7225. Or visit the National Park Service on 1100 Ohio Drive, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20242.

The Park Service has a variety of permits to select from, depending on where you would like your DC wedding photos. And there is a fee for each permit depending on which one you select, how many are in your wedding party entourage and how many photographers are in the crew. You'll have to fill out an application and wait a period of time for your application to be reviewed and the permit granted. Allow plenty of time for this as they do get busy in the spring and fall.

To schedule a photography session or see more samples of Attlee Weddings and Portraits please visit our web site www.TraceyAttlee.com

Tip for Brides: Hold It Down

Where's the right place to hold your bridal bouquet when you walk down the aisle? Below your waist. That way you won't cover up pretty dress detail or the slimming curves of your body. How to know the bouquet is in proper position? Use your hip bones as a measuring guide. Your bouquet is at the right level if your wrists are below your hip bones. For other tips on looking good in your wedding photos please contact Attlee Weddings and Portraits. We have over 20 years experience in making brides and their families look great from New York through the Jersey shore to Washington DC!

Tip for Brides: Look Like You

Makeup on the wedding day is a good thing, provided the groom will recognize you! Whether you're doing it yourself or having a professional apply it for you, the key is make your wedding day makeup subtle. Also, pratice beforehand to avoid surprises on your wedding day.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, make sure an expert has helped you select colors that match your flesh tones and your gown tones. Then practice the bridal makeup application several times at home. Have a friend take a picture so you can see how it looks. Avoid overemphasized individual features. Do add brightness to the eyes with liner and mascara. Finish your face with powder. As for lipstick, deep red or brown lipsticks photograph several shades darker--not recommended unless your wedding is on Halloween! Go for fresh, natural shades of lipstick.

If you have a pro apply it for you, by all means have a trial application sometime before your wedding and have someone take a few pictures and notes. That way you can repeat or tweak as needed on the wedding day without wasting time.

For further information on how to look your best on your wedding day please contact Attlee Weddings and Portraits. You'll be glad you did!

Tip for Brides: Is it Advertising or Truth? Find out!

When Washingtonian magazine selected Attlee Weddings and Portraits this January as Best Wedding Photographers in the DC region for the third straight year we were delighted. Know why? This title is earned, not paid. The magazine collected votes from our peers, colleagues and yes, competitors, then made selections based on vote counts.

So many brides see photographers names in "featured listings" and don't realize the listing has more to do with fee paid than talent. The "featured listings" are too often nothing more than a collection of names of photographers who paid very steep fees to be there. What may look like a recommendation is really a title that is bought, not earned.

Thank you Washingtonian for making your contest fair. Your award is based on votes and talent. That's why we're so proud to open Bride & Groom and see our names!

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Tip for Brides: Speed Dial

This tip comes from over 20 years of experience in wedding photography: Make sure you have the cell phone number of every wedding vendor you have hired. Put their numbers on your speed dial.

Imagine this scenario: The bride is finally ready to go to the church. But, where is the limo? Mom and Dad already left for the church. So did the wedding party. Mom lined up the limo company; what's their name again? Waste time searching frantically for the number only to find no one's there, just a recording. Really starting to freak out now. Got to get a ride from someone in the neighborhood. The photographer's car is full of equipment, no room there. Start calling the neighbors. No one's home! They've all gone to for the ceremony! Only house with lights on is that weird guy way up the street who's not invited. Sheepish call made complete with having to explain the situation several times before he finally gets it. He says his car needs service that he hasn't gotten around to yet but he'll try. He pulls up in a rattly, teeny little car that hasn't seen a wash in months. Bride has a very grand cathedral train so we loop it around her. She shoves aside candy wrappers and sticky soda cans to squeeze in the back seat. Off she sputters and bangs to the church in the neighbor's lurching car, that fabulous gown wrinkling more deeply with every mile. Meanwhile at the church the guests are starting to whisper and the organist is playing song after song after song to fill in the silence while they wait.

This is a real DC wedding horror story. Bad karma spirals on the wedding day. So, do keep your cell phone in your bride's purse. Be able to reach your entire team of wedding vendors instantly on your wedding day!

For more information on how to make your wedding day a thing of joy please contact Attlee Weddings and Portraits. We have the experience to back up our award-winning work!