Wedding Wrap It Up In Style

Wrap it up in style - Wedding Photography

         After all your wedding images have been captured and backed up, and the best of them have been renamed in chronological order by your wedding photographer, it’s time to create a wedding album.

         The first thing you’ll need to do is decide on the wedding album that you want based on your style and budget. From there you will need to determine the size of your album. Most are between eight and 16 inches in a square or rectangular format. A good rule of thumb is to select a size that best fits the space in your home, since this is where your wedding al bum will be nearly all of the time.

         As you are working out your album size, you should consider how many pages and/or spreads (two side-by-side pages) you want your album to contain. Some wedding album companies work only with spreads while others work only in pages. Deciding which images to include in the album will be difficult; I know you’ll want to have them all, but an album should never exceed 50 pages. Go beyond that and you will lose the interest and impact of it.

         I recommend allotting no more than 2.5 images per page to keep your wedding album attractive and uncluttered. Consult the chart below to give you a general idea of how many images you can select based on the number of pages in your chosen album:

         Album Page/Image Ratio

         20-page album 40 - 60 images

         30-pages album 70 - 90 images

         40-pages album 100 - 120 images

         50-page album 130 - 150 images

         A good wedding album design is no accident. It’s a carefully crafted and chaptered pictorial storyline with a beginning (the bride and groom as they prepare) right though to the first dance and beyond. And each chapter of this story requires a certain number of images in order to balance the weight of the album design.

         I’m happy to offer—as an appendix at the back of this book—a copy of my personal design sheet suggesting page counts to balance out your album. If, for example, you choose a 30-page album, you will see that according to my personal design sheets, you will need nine images for each pictorial chapter of your wedding album. The chapters that need to be filled are:

         1. Bridal Preparation

         2. Groom Preparation

         3. Ceremony

         4. Creatives

         5. Reception

         When you are selecting the images for your album, it is always wise to separate them into different folders, based on the above noted chapters, for your reference and the designer’s ease. But before the images are turned over to the designer, it is a good idea to discuss with either the photographer or the album designer who will handle the colour correction.

         Many professional photographers—myself included—carefully go through each photo to correct any colour deficiencies created by varying light sources. In low light situations where I am unable to use a flash, I must compensate by using a faster lens. The result is discolouration. Tungsten light will create a yellow hue while fluorescent lighting will give a green tint. Fortunately, these discolouration issues can be remedied by someone familiar with colour correction, and I strongly advise you to make sure your photographer or designer is well skilled in these techniques to ensure your wedding album comes out perfect.

         Just when you think you’re ready to send your album off for printing, stop and give it one more go-through. Check and double-check the images and the design. Make sure it’s exactly as you want it because once the album is printed, there’s no going back.

  Conclusion - Wedding Photography

         There is an endless supply of terrific photo opportunities at a wedding, and now that you are armed with 10 photography techniques that the professionals use, you are well on your way to making sure your photographer captures them all.

         Now is the time to contact your photographer to start planning your shoot. I hope you will use the tips and techniques I’ve provided in this ebook to advance your photography knowledge so that you can help your photographer take great photos and create a truly magical wedding album—one that will be viewed and shared often and treasured for many years to come.

         I’d like to thank you for reading my guide—I hope the information you found here will help you plan an extraordinary wedding day without breaking the bank. I created this guide based on the many wonderful experiences I’ve had as a wedding photographer—and I invite you to visit my website to see for yourself the commitment I make to every wedding I shoot. If you’re looking for some advice as you plan your special day, please do not hesitate to contact me at the email address listed below. I’d also love to get your feedback on my guide. Please email me your comments!

         Please keep in mind that although I am based in London, I am more than happy to travel anywhere in the U.K. (and the world!) for the opportunity to photograph a wedding. Please share my name and information with your family and friends.