Wedding Series: The Benefits of having an Unplugged Wedding

Hampton, VA, Historic Post Office Wedding

What is an unplugged wedding?

An unplugged wedding is where you ask your guests to turn off their phones, cameras, tablets, and other mobile devices during your ceremony. 

What are the benefits?

• There are many benefits to having an unplugged wedding. 

• When guests use their own cameras, there are many ways that this affects the photography that you’re actually paying for. Guests oftentimes are taking photos at the same time we are, and their flashes interfere with our cameras, leaving you blown out completely (and unsalvageable) or having weird shadows or lighting throughout the photos. 

• Guest cameras can leave a red or green dot from their focusing mechanisms. These will show up in our images. 

• If guests don’t turn off the noise on their cameras, they could be very loud when taking the photos. This can be very distracting to you and your guests. 

• Speaking of distracting – let’s talk about iPads and other tablets used to take photos. They are HUGE and are very distracting. If we are taking a wide photo of your ceremony, your eyes go straight to the tablet and completely ignore the beautiful couple exchanging vows. 

• Guests will often get in the aisle or stand in front of the professional photographers, blocking their shot. Sometimes, it’s too late for us to be able to get them to move, and we certainly don’t want to upset your guests by making them move. 

• During family formals, guests will often stand around photographers to get shots of their own, which can create harsh lighting if they use their flash. Even if they don’t use their flash, it causes the group to constantly be looking around, leaving wandering eyes. It’s hard for the photographer to get a good photo with everyone looking at the camera when there are multiple people taking photos around you. 

• Most importantly, if your guests are taking photos, they are not fully able to enjoy the moment. They are absent and distracted by their picture taking and posting. 

Tamika & Boochie, Historic Post Office Wedding

We highly recommend having your wedding unplugged, but respect your wishes if you choose not to. If you have any questions concerning this or how to unplug your wedding, feel free to contact us and we can chat.

Now that you are Engaged: 5 Tips for Hott Engagement Photos

How to Get Hott Engagement Photos

Getting ready for your engagement session? If you need some extra tips, check out this list we created just for you!

1. Dress for the season. Think about the season as you prepare for your e-session. If it’s summer, make sure to dress appropriately so you and your fiancé aren’t getting sweat stains and red faces during the session. If it’s in winter, wear bright colors so you don’t blend into the snow. Just be aware of these things so you are comfortable and your photos will look the best they can be.

2. Choosing the best session time. In the morning and later in the evening are the best times for a session because of the amazing ‘golden hour’ lighting. If you have a session at noon, there is going to be harsh lighting and your photos will ultimately suffer. 

3. Be prepared. Make a list of everything you need for your session – brush, lipstick, extra clothes, accessories, etc. Put them in the car and be ready to go. Along with that, get directions and a GPS, or your handy dandy smart phone, and program in the address of the session. You don’t want to get lost and cause unnecessary stress. Leave with plenty of time to spare.

4. Be excited. This is also part of being prepared. If you’re excited, it can’t help but rub off on your fiancé. He or she loves you and gets excited when you’re excited. Your significant other can’t help but get excited, too. So build up the hype and let him or her know how important this is to you and how fun it will be.

5. Relax. Do not, I repeat, do not, stress out about this. This is supposed to be fun. I know you're worried about what you're going to look like, if the weather is going to cooperate, etc., but the more you stress, the more likely you’ll read stiff or uncomfortable on camera. The more relaxed you are, the better your photos will be. Do what you can to prepare for the session and leave the rest up to me. That’s what I’m here for, so just take a breath and relax. Hey, maybe this is a prime excuse to spring for that massage?