by Joel McDonald | Mar 12, 2016 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Kauai Weddings
Learn what you need to do to prepare your bridal party for the after-ceremony wedding portraits, including tips on styling and making a master list.
Wedding portraits
are an aspect of the ceremony for which many people in your bridal party may be unprepared. After all, some people may be following you all the way to Kauai for your Hawaii destination wedding to have fun, let their hair down and celebrate! You, however, may be counting on them to step in front of the camera and say “cheese” when they are told by the wedding photographer. Read on to learn about making your photo list, styling and posing, and how to communicate what you want. With this info, you’ll successfully prepare your bridal party for their part in the keepsake beach wedding portraits that will bring back all the memories of that special day!
Make a List and Check It Twice
Making a master list for you, your wedding party and your photographer will be a great help when it comes time for family pictures. Keep these things in mind:
- Work with your photographer on a detailed photo list and give it to every person in your bridal party. It should include who, when, and where. For example: Parents of the bride at 3:00pm by the water fountain.
- Pad the times a little to account for delays.
- Your photographer is a professional and knows which shots to take of your bridal party. However, if there are any creative poses or specific locations that you’ve been dying to use, put it on the list.
- Put someone in charge of ensuring everyone is present when it’s their time to smile.
With a master list, your photoshoot will run like clockwork.
Styling and Posing
The biggest thing to remember about styling and posing is to trust your photographer. He or she knows how to show off everyone’s best features in the wedding portraits. Here are a few other pointers:
- Carry the “feel” of your wedding into your pictures. If it’s a black tie affair, you’ll want formal portraits. If it’s a wedding with a kick-back vibe, you’ll want spontaneous and fun snapshots.
- If using any, assign someone to bring props, hand them out, and then gather them up.
- If a child isn’t looking and smiling, maintain your composure. It’s confusing and overwhelming for the child when many adults make different demands at once. Then, if the child does smile, the adults aren’t ready. Let the photographer use his or her own tricks.
The best pictures don’t always have perfect styling and poses but instead have personality and genuine smiles.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
The number one thing you can do in preparing your wedding party for pictures is to communicate the following items well beforehand:
- The list
- The styling and posing
- The assignments
- The desired lack of drama and stress
Remember, trust your professional photographer and you’ll forever look back on your wedding portraits with a smile.
For Kauai wedding photography or any other aspect of your wedding planning, contact Timory McDonald Photography today!
by Joel McDonald | Jan 30, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
In this Kauai sunset wedding, which produced magical tones of blue and pink, the sun went down 180° opposite to the background you see in this photo.
A Kauai sunset wedding
is the dream of many brides who come to visit us here on Kauai, Hawaii. If you choose a sunset wedding as many couples do, you still need make another decision about your wedding photography: having photos with the sun directly behind you, or facing you from another direction.
Kauai Sunset Wedding Options: Sky Full of Color vs. Sun Going Down Behind You
On Kauai there are times of the year where the sun sets into the water in areas besides the west side, such as the north or south shore. For information about these unique to Kauai sunset times try asking your hotel or give us a ring. In general, we find that most people do not end up liking the west side as a wedding destination due to the lower beach quality, the beaches not being close to where people tend to stay, nor having good places to eat afterwards … so we do not recommend the west side for most couples.
There are times of the year that Shipwrecks Beach in Poipu has a sunset that reaches not quite to the water, but almost into it … certainly close enough for a great shot in front of the setting sun. Shipwrecks Beach however generally has too may people in our opinion to make it an ideal place to get married. Depending on where you are on the beach it is more likely that the angle at which most shots would be taken to capture the setting sun has a beach behind it … which means space for people wearing bright colored bathing suits to stand-not great for photos.
There are times of the year where the sun sets almost into the water at Hanalei Bay, as well as most beaches north of there. Although Hanalei Bay is also a pretty crowded beach, it is better for sunset photos than Shipwrecks in our opinion because the angle at which we can take a picture of you in front of the setting sun is nearly unobstructed by where people can stand, so it’s just you with the ocean, mountains and sun setting behind you.
Ke’e is a very (year round) consistent beach for the sun setting directly all the way into the water. Because of this, lots of tourists go there each day all year to watch the sun set. The main negative point about Ke’e is that it’s a long drive away from Hanalei (about 30 min going over several one lane bridges) … but possibly for some people this may be a plus. This means it not only takes longer to get to, but some vendors may charge a travel fee to get out there. Once you are there it also means longer to get back to where you will have dinner, with everyone hungry and thirsty.
How to Get Sunset Colors in your Photos on Kauai
This is easy: get married between Lihue and Kilauea. Basically anywhere on the east side, southeast or north east sides, at any time of the year, will do (our favorite spots for this area are Nukoli’i or Lydgate.)
Untruth: Many people think they need to stand in front of the sunset going down into the water to get fantastic sunset photos. This is just not true. There are lots of great sunset shots on the east side of Kauai, where you can never actually see the sun go down into the water at anytime of the year. How is this possible? Because 180 degrees opposite of the sunset are some of the best colors! (Next time you are watching the sunset, turn around and look the other way and you’ll see what I’m talking about.)
The sun going into the water is undeniably beautiful, but it is a very specific shot. Once you have it you don’t need a whole photo shoot of the same thing. To many people a more interesting background for the majority of the photos are all the gorgeous colors 180 degrees away from the sunset (I personally agree given that here on Kauai some of the most secluded and best beach wedding locations are on the east side).
If you have any questions about any aspect of a Kauai sunset wedding, please contact us.
by Joel McDonald | Jan 30, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
Your Kauai wedding photos are going to look best when the light to not too strong or bright, usually sunset.
What is the best time of day to get your Kauai wedding photos?
A lot of people ask us when the best time of the day is to have a wedding – in terms of comfort and especially in terms of having wedding photos done on Kauai beaches. We are happy to take your Kauai wedding photos any time of the day, anywhere you want. However, there are better and worse places and time to take photos in terms of showing off the vivid tropical colors and, of course, you!
The following tips are taking adult schedules into consideration (not kids):
- We recommend booking your wedding at least 2 days after you arrive so you have enough time to get your marriage license and adjust to the time change and ground out a bit … but as early in your trip as possible. There is a reasonable chance that someone in your party may get burned while you are here, and you will look a lot better if you’re not as red as a lobster (so remember to warn people about this issue)!
- Most people are looking for sunset colors and overall good light in their Kauai wedding photos, so a good rule of thumb is to start your wedding about 90 minutes before sunset, assuming you are doing 60-90 minutes of photos. If you are doing 2 hours or more of photos, or getting ready photos, you may want to start earlier, please ask us and we can advise you.
- Try to avoid booking a wedding in the middle of the day when the sun is high. Not only will it be uncomfortably hot and you will get sweaty and shiny, but also you may look anxious or uncomfortable rather than happy and relaxed. If the middle of the day is the only time you have, then we will always find shade and make it work … but it’s best to choose a cooler and less bright time in the evening.
- Normally people are here visiting and want to optimize each precious day they are here, so often we get asked about doing it in the early morning so they can go about their day sightseeing. This is also a possibility, but not as great of an idea as sunset in our opinion, because the sun comes up so quickly. Depending on which side of the island you are on, within minutes of it rising its angle can shine so strongly into one’s eyes that it can cause people to squint. Also, most people need more time to get ready than would be possible to do to be ready before the sun is intense..and you don’t want to get up before dawn on your wedding day if you can avoid it.
- Many people want their photos with the sun going into down behind them on their wedding day. This is a beautiful shot, and we are happy to accommodate that romantic setting. However, please bear in mind that throughout the year the sun moves around Kauai, so the sunset may be visible from north or south Kauai Beach locations on a specific beach during the winter, but not in the summer or vice versa. Check with us for specific details ,but in general the sun is visible year round at Ke’e beach (north shore, end of the road) and the west side. If you are seriously considering a sunset wedding with the sun visible going down behind you, please read more advice here: https://weddingphotoskauai.com/kauai-wedding-photos-pro-cons-sunset-directly-behind/
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 888-939-3885.
by Joel McDonald | Dec 15, 2014 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
Are you having your wedding photos on Kauai? Here are our best Kauai Wedding Photography Tips. Learn what you need to know from an experienced professional.
These Kauai wedding photography tips
will help you prepare for one of the most special days in your life on one of the most beautiful places in the world! We want to ensure you get the most out of your Kauai wedding photos by being ready. The point of these Kauai wedding photography tips is to help people with no experience at all getting photographed to make the best of it. Use the following well thought-out tips to prepare for your Hawaii wedding day.
Kauai Wedding Photography Tip #1: Prepare a List of Must-Have Photos
On your actual wedding day, you don’t want to be “in your head” thinking about logistics or organizing details. To do so would detract from the magnificent moment and occasion. So, plan ahead and make sure you write up a list of photos that you want your Kauai wedding photographer to take. This normally includes which wedding guests (friends, family, etc.) in which combinations, but may also include your favorite poses. If you have certain poses you really want, choose them and tell your photographer ahead of time.
Delegate someone in your wedding party to be in charge of the list for the day, which may sometimes include herding the merry (and drunk!) guests into proper position for photos. This way the wedding photographer doesn’t spend their time looking for your family members (who they do not know) but rather spends time actually taking photos. The better organized the groups of people waiting are, the better your photos will be.
Kauai Wedding Photography Tip #2: Put the Rings on Slowly From Underneath the Hand (Not on Top)
This is a good tip to know. If you put the ring on the finger of your fiancé/fiancée from underneath, the photographer can get a much better photo angle. It makes a much nicer shot. When it is done from on top, your hand will be blocking the camera. It is also important to put the ring on slowly, to allow the photographer to take more and better ring shots during the ceremony.
Kauai Wedding Photography Tip #3: Hold your Bridal Bouquet Over Your Belly, Not your Chest
Many brides may not be aware of this, but it looks much more elegant when a women in white holds their bouquet over their lower belly (I wish the photographer at my wedding had told me this, because I looked so silly in some of my own wedding photos holding my flower bouquet up too high). If you get confused, just think of a place on your body you would like to have covered up … and for many of us it’s not our chest, it’s our belly!
Kauai Wedding Photography Tip #4: Have your Photographer or a Helper Check Details
As a Kauai wedding coordinator myself, as well as a photographer, I find this easy. It’s second nature to me to scan the couple for whom I am taking beach wedding photography before every photo to see what they would not want in their photos. If I see things out of place, smudged make-up, wild hair or even food between your teeth, I’ll let you know! Ask your wedding photographer (and your bridesmaid, your mom or anyone else) to do consistent visual scans of things you would want fixed. As a woman I know very well that it does not matter how good a picture is if there is something in it I do not like about myself.
Kauai Wedding Photography Tip #5: Be Playful!
There is no doubt that a playful, laughing mood creates a more fun atmosphere and better photos than a dull, serious one. It’s your wedding day, so laugh it up! Let your hair down, get silly, get wild and get affectionate; let your true spirit shine through. You’ll be amazed at the difference it will make in your wedding photos.
Read more tips to get the most out of your beach wedding photography!
Timory McDonald has lived on the beautiful island of Kauai for more than 15 years. As a professional photographer, she loves doing weddings and capturing those special moments between couples which can be forever remembered through photos.
