Laura Marchbanks Photography: Seattle Wedding Photography, Seattle Wedding Photographer, Portland Wedding Photography, and San Francisco Commercial and Lifestyle Photography » TIPS

Heirloom Albums- Seattle Wedding Photographer

Laura — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:09:36 +0000

Of all of the line items in your budget for your wedding, which of those are tangible heirlooms? As I’m prioritizing my own budget, I’m asking myself these questions. The dress you will likely never wear again, and the past time of handing dresses down is long gone (which I’m actually QUITE thankful for because my mother was married in the seventies). Food, flowers, favors, and decor all disappear after the big day. While you’ll cherish those memories forever, having a wedding album, brings the images to the forefront of your memory forever!

I believe that albums should be free of trend, full of classic simplicity and beautiful. They should tell the story of your day, but mostly of your love.

I’d like to welcome Queensberry Albums to my arsenal. They are the best of the best of the best of wedding album craftsmen, and I am so pleased to be able to offer them to my brides to hand down for generations to come. They’re handmade from the finest leathers, and come all the way to my porch from New Zealand. This little package arrived in the post yesterday, and I had to snap some pictures because I just adored the attention they took in packaging everything.

They offer the unique option of ”wing” or “flip” pages!!!! So amazing!

GORGEOUS!!! Can’t wait to design one for you!

visit my wedding photography website to enquire about rates and availability.

Walt and Amanda – Portland Wedding Photography – Day After

Laura — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:32:10 +0000

Many brides who want to remain true to tradition and wait to see their groom until the actual ceremony, can lose out on precious pictures with their new hubby on their day. There simply isn’t enough time to fit everything in. The pressure of waiting guest, capturing all of the bridal party and family photos can eat up that time you had set aside. Most of the breathtaking images you see of the bride and groom together are either possible because they chose to see themselves before the ceremony in a private session we call a “first look” OR because they opted to use their signature session for this:

A day after session!

Yes! You will get to wear your gown again, BONUS.

I always try to encourage a “first look” during the day of, because the emotions are so true to the day, and likely you’ve had great hair and makeup done. However I can respect the tradition, so this is a fantastic compromise!

Amanda decided to recreate her bouquet for her day after session as well, and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. I guess I know who’ll I’ll be recruiting for my florals someday!

My FANTASTIC second shooter Tre captured this one below:

See what I mean about the bouquet? I think she should be a floral designer. FO SHO.

This is my favorite shot from the session. Doesn’t Walt look so GQ?

DIY DONE RIGHT

Laura — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:37:10 +0000

My brides are SO clever! A couple of weeks ago in the mail, I got the sweetest little thank you note from a bride. We had an engagement session a few months back and she used one of the images from the session to create this easy DIY return label! There are so many details that can cost a fortune, so it’s nice to see one that is easy on the eyes and the budget! She used plain Avery labels you could get from any office supply store, but I also like these ones from Paper Source that come in fun shapes and modern colors. Drop the picture in Word, type in your address and PRINT! Presto chango!

ADDING DEPTH

Laura — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:53:02 +0000

I get a few chuckles every time I do this, but it really works! Adding depth to an image on the fly can be difficult in certain situations. I always look for natural ways to create this look, but sometimes the angle I want isn’t quite there. Placing objects in the foreground of an image when you are shooting with a wide aperture creates a beautiful DOF (depth of field). This blurred area is ideal for copy space, and creates a natural way to frame your subject. On my last shoot, hugged up against a fence with beautiful light streaming from behind, I pulled out a tuft of grass and held it in the foreground of my frame. This happens to be one of my favorite images from the shoot, and I’m glad that Jamie Delaine snapped this of me so I can share how I do this with you!

I have to give credit where credit is due, because while I might have thought of doing this on my own, I learned to love it by watching Jonathan Ross of Andersen Ross Photography do it a thousand times on set.

And no, I don’t typically shoot with my sunglasses on… it was a total fluke.