Tips & Advice |

March 28, 2016

What Makes A Great (Wedding) Photographer?

So now that we have just concluded another big engagement season and many couples are turning their thoughts to booking their wedding photographer, I thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss: what makes a great wedding photographer?

Here’s my list of things to keep an eye out for:

1) Posed vs Candid Photos
This is all a matter of preference, so hear me out. A great wedding photographer has the ability to do BOTH very well. Your wedding day is not just portraits all your family, dressed really well, standing side by side for the camera. It’s not just photos of the ceremony. No. It’s all the little moments that go by in a flash and that can never be re-created again. It’s that moment when you first put on your dress and you fully realize the gravity of the day that you will marry a person and spend the rest of your life with them. A great photographer has the ability to find and capture the little things as well as the big and obvious moments, like the kiss or 1st dance.

For posed photos, they should reflect your personality and style. The portraits definitely should not just be a bunch of random photos that you or the photographer found on pinterest and you just want to copy.

2) Patience + Flexibility + Personality
The photographer is the only vendor, besides a wedding planner/coordinator, who is with you, the couple, for the entire day!!! The photographer has to have the ability to work with the couple, the mom-zilla, the (frat boy) groomsmen who’s drunk, the aunt who thinks she’s a professional photographer, but only bought the camera the day before, and the DJ who stands over the shoulder of the photographer, during the entire reception photographing all the same angles. So the photographer has to consistently work and manage 100s of different personalities on a given wedding day. Plus, everyone has something different that’s important to them and they have to try to accommodate each request.

3) Be a Problem Solver
Things will happen, little and big, on your wedding day. Sometimes you have a great bridesmaid or buddy who can take care of something. And sometimes you don’t. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have a great photographer (with an assistant) who can tackle the little odds and ends that pop up during the day. Something is not going as planned? The photographer must be flexible and adjust. Moreover, if things run late, for example, hair or make up or there was traffic. Who’s responsibility is it to get you back on schedule? The Photographer.

So yea, the photographer does more than just show up to the wedding and press a button.

We can help the bride plan everything to a T, but I can almost guarantee that little things will pop up and you will wish that you had a great photographer who can help solve those little problems.

4) Doesn’t Use a Stock or Pre-made “Filter” + Does Not “Spray and Pray”
These days everyone has a camera on their phone right? And I’d say that a good 50% of those people use something called VSCO filters on their photos for Instagram, right? Guess what? A lot of “new” photographers are using them on their wedding photos and calling it “their” style. It’s a very popular thing to do in contemporary wedding photoraphy. I can’t blame them, to be honest. A lot of brides like that look, but is it the filter or the photographer that makes that photo? We have a term among photo community and we call it “Spray and Pray”. It’s where the photographers essentially just holds the button down on the camera “sprays” a lot of photos and “prays” that just 1 turns out alright, so that they can drop a VSCO filter on it and say they made a great photo. Where is that line between photographer and technology?

Moreover, many photographers are prone to just testing each of the different filters out on a given set of photos and just picking the one their friends like the best.

Filters and Pre-sets are a necessity in the (digital) photography workflow. It speeds up our work and saves us a ton of time, especially when we have 1000s of photos to process from each wedding. But the key is finding a photographer who developed their own style and not just copied someone or used something cool that was pre-made for them.

Additionally, we believe in a more classic style that will stand the test of time. Many of these VSCO filtered styles of photography will look very dated in just 3-4 years. To give you a basis of comparison, look at the filters you used on Instagram 2-3 years ago. Do they look cool, now? 😉 I bet they look all sorts of old.

To be honest, this is a tough one. When you’re looking at wedding photos, you usually just enamored with all the great work out there that it’s tough to take a step back and look at the photo, objectively. If you have a hard time figuring it out, give us a call and we can point you in the right direction.

5) Takes a Semi-Active Part in Planning
Many photographers will just give you their prices and if they fall within your budget, you book them. And you only hear from them right before your engagement shoot and in the days leading up to the wedding. A GREAT photographer will take a semi-active role in helping plan out a few broad strokes of your wedding. Much like above, the photographer must be flexible, but they should also be doing their best to set themselves, as well as the couple, up for successful photos. If they are just “winging” it, are you going to get great photos, maybe? Could they be better if the photographer provided some input? Most likely. The photographer should be providing feedback on locations, backgrounds, shadows, and light.

Tips & Advice |

December 13, 2015

| Darren

3 Things A Bride Should Not Ask Her Wedding Photographer

#1 “Can you shoot my wedding like”… Another Photographer

If you’re talking to an established/experienced photographer, you’re hiring them for their particular style and creative eye. Never ever ask them to shoot like anyone else, they may take offense to that. And in some cases, I take that as a red flag that you don’t know what you want and working with you on your wedding will be a very challenging experience.

I had 1 prospective bride say that to me and referenced a $10-15k photographer in NYC. I asked, “Why don’t you hire them?” Bride Responds, “B/c I cannot afford them. I like your photos and I can afford you, but I’d like you to photograph my wedding like them.”

Do you see the disconnect? Moreover, there was a stark photographic difference in style and approach to the wedding day. Our photos are/were nothing like the other photographers.

If you’re hiring a photographer, you’re hiring them and their particular style/brand. If you like a particular photographer’s style but they are out of your price range, maybe you can ask them for recommendations on someone with a similar style who might be cheaper. Or maybe they have “junior” photographers that work with them or in their studio.

#2 “What camera do you shoot with?”

Now, I know all of the blogs, websites, magazines and maybe even other photographers say that you need to ask this question, but let’s be honest, unless you’re a camera geek or you’re into photography or videography, does it really matter what camera we use? Any reputable/professional photographer with a great portfolio will have all the necessary gear. If I say 5Ds or d800, are you going to know the difference? The end result of beautiful photos will depend upon the skill of the person behind the camera and their ability to use the tools that they have to maximize the beauty and tell the story of your wedding day.

Don’t get me wrong, having professional camera equipment is very important! And all professional photographers rock out with professional gear!

#3 “Can you Photoshop that?”

This is a very common question. We at Esvy believe in a certain amount of posterity and integrity to our photos. Our job is to photograph and document your wedding day, as it happened, looking through our camera(s) and lenses. We believe only in photoshopping an image if it enhances the image or fixes something really needs to be fixed. But to be honest, 99% of the photos on our website are NOT photoshopped.

Now, if you have the unfortunate incident a glaring blemish or pimple on your forehead and make up cannot cover it up, we can definitely do something about that. But the one caveat is that we will only photoshop it out in a select number of images that may end up being printed out or blown up into a canvas or large print. We are capturing over 1000 images on your wedding day and delivering several hundred. Photoshopping is a very time consuming process and specialized skill set. Additional charges may be applicable.

In Conclusion…

So, yes, ask your questions, but make sure you’re asking them for the right reasons, not b/c some magazine told you to. Check out our post on How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer for more tips.

Bonus:

“Can I give you a (detailed) shot list?” — You can ask this, but with a few items to consider

Yes and No. I’ll take a shot list of the group portraits that you really want, particularly if they are some strange combinations of family. So for example if you want Aunt Susie with Cousin Sam with little baby Jessica, because they all have the same eyes, yea, that’s cool, we can photograph them as that’s not very typical.

But, I will respectfully not accept a 3+ page photo shot list. And this is for a number of reasons:

(1) Most of those shot lists are pretty much the same and are standard across the industry. I mean, you don’t need to state the obvious such as.. a photo of the bride and groom kissing, after announcement of “man and wife” or “photo of bride walking down the aisle” or “bride and groom cutting the cake”. Those are all standard. So, rest assured, if you hire the right photographer, they know what they are doing. But yes, on occasion, some weddings have unique details or moments that may not be obvious, so you can bring those up with your photographer.

(2) Shot lists, for many photographers, stifle creativity and hamper our ability to get real candid shots through out the day. Oftentimes the best and most beautiful photos of your wedding day are not the ones that you put onto a list or you even expected to get. Plus if we are looking down at a piece of paper, we are not looking through our camera capturing all the great moments.

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

April 23, 2014

| Darren

What Should Your Wedding Photography Package Include?

Not every wedding photographer or wedding photography package is created equal. And today, many photographers cling to older business models that do not make sense in the modern world. So I would like to go through the 5 things that every modern wedding photography package should have.

First, let’s discuss value. Everyone’s looking for it, the best “Bang for the Buck.” But, in any service based profession or industry, you’ll often hear the phrase, “You get what you pay for.” And it’s true. If you pay a rock bottom price, you should expect rock bottom quality and service. And if you pay top dollar, you should expect exquisite service and quality.

But the terms “rock bottom” and “top dollar” are all relative, right? So you should know that in major markets like NYC, LA, and San Francisco the price range for a “normal” package will range from $2500 to $10000. In more rural areas or smaller markets, the difference will be a lot less. So the median price point is probably much higher than most people think.

Despite all the price disparities, in every modern wedding package, you should expect all or most of the following:

1) Pre & Post Production TIme
Your photographer should be there to answer and advise you at every step of the wedding process, to ensure both your peace of mind as well as the success of the photos to be created. If you’re working with a wedding planner, that’s their job to coordinate with your vendors. The photographer should scout locations, as needed, to completely understand the lighting and logistical challenges of your wedding. And after your wedding, your photographer should process each image with love and care. You should feel confident that your photos will look nothing like your grandparents’ snap shots (unless of course your grandparents are wedding photographers!).

Did you know that many photographers may spend upwards of 60-70 hours of work outside of your wedding day? They spend a lot of time coordinating, scouting, prepping gear, downloading, backing up, processing, color correcting, uploading, and designing your album, among other things. That’s a lot of time! And probably a lot more than you were thinking. If they have multiple photographers, that amount of time only increases.

2) Online Viewing Gallery
How are you going to see your photos? Yes, you might swing by their studio for a slideshow presentation with your parents and closest friends. But what about your cousin in Italy or Spain or Asia? How are they going to see the photos?

Every photographer should have the ability to upload the images to a password protected website. There are a gazillion websites out there that provide this service for reasonable costs. And no, Facebook does not count.

3) Online Ordering for Prints
And it would be even better if you and your family could order prints from that online gallery. Afteral, some people still like to post photos on their physical bedroom walls, and not just their Facebook walls.

4) Album(s)
In a digital age, it’s easy to forget about an sort of tangible photo or book? Everyone just wants copies on their computer and to see it on Facebook and you’re good, right? But when was the last time you backed up your hard drive or computer? Or what happens when you decide to close your Facebook account? That’s right! Eventually, that computer might give out or you’ll leave Facebook. That’s where a good album comes in. Usually, the album is the centerpiece of any photography package. But like photographers, not all albums are created equal. Some are cookie cutter and some are custom-designed pieces of stately beauty. It should stand the test of time for you to pass onto your children to show how young and beautiful Mom and Dad were on the day of their wedding. The album will show all the vivid colors and details that made one of the most special days in your life. And a book or album will be easier to pass onto your children, because let’s face it the JPEG format may not last forever, much like floppy disks, eventually people won’t be using it anymore. Books, they’ll be around for a good long while.

5) Access to the Digital Negatives
Back in the old days, pre digital cameras, photographers would hold the film negatives for a period of time, usually 2-5 years. This practice would force the couple to purchase prints through the photographer and that’s how most of the photographers back then made their money. In the digital age, that business model does not work as well, because let’s face it, most people do not order prints as much anymore. It’s all about Facebook and online sharing. There will be a few prints here and there for wall art or the office desk. But couples just want access to the digital negatives.

And this is a heated debate among photographers, these days. Many have argued that sharing the digital negatives decreases the photographer’s revenue that was once supplemented by prints. So how do they make their money now? Well, photographers should be increasing their upfront prices to cover. And I can get into a whole cost breakdown of digital vs film and what not, but you don’t care. You just want your digital negatives. But if you want access to your digital negatives, be prepared to pay top dollar for them cause a photographer’s also got to eat… and pay for their digital equipment. Also, don’t be surprised if there are some rights limitations on how you can use those digital negatives. Check your contract or ask your photographer how and where you can use the images.

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

April 8, 2014

| Darren

Will Your Wedding Be Plugged or Unplugged?

Over the past 3-4 years, along with the rise of smartphones, there has been a trend in the wedding industry of having an “unplugged wedding”. But what is an “unplugged wedding,” exactly?

It’s a wedding where the guests are not allowed to bring or must check in their devices at the front door. But why? Well, there’s a general sentiment that when you attend a wedding that you’re supposed to present, in both mind and body, in the moment to share with friends and family and to witness the marriage of two special people. And how “present” can you really be, if you’re staring at a screen for about 60% of the day? Yes, you looked fabulous and that selfie was probably appropriate, because, let’s be honest, how often do you get dressed up like that. But, weddings are so much more and the bride and groom want to see smiling friends and family, not phones.

While some couples have embraced the “unplugged” trend, others have sought the flipside and saw the 100 cameras as an opportunity to see and capture moments that maybe their professional photographer could not capture, for whatever reason. Many couples create hashtags to help aggregate the photos from the day, heck there are even apps that do that for you.

And I will admit there are times when I’m with friends or family and there’s an amazing sunset and I’ll be reach for my phone or camera. But recently, I’ve caught myself and allowed myself to really enjoy the wondrous beauty of the moment without having to capture it or share it via Instagram or Facebook or even our blog.

As a professional wedding photographer, I can see it both ways. On one hand, I’m confident that I create photos that contain more aesthetic beauty aka awesome-ness than that “Rise” or “X-Pro II” filter on Instagram, so having other cameras taking more photos means more for the bride and groom. But more photos doesn’t necessarily mean “better” photos. Afterall, that’s what hiring a professional photographer is for, to create the best quality photos possible. And there have been many times when a wedding guest has ruined a photo for me. While I won’t share specific images from any of my previous weddings, I have photos where, guests are crouching down in the middle of the aisle or sticking their phone/camera (or worse, an iPad/tablet) out into the aisle, during the kiss. Yes, the guest probably got an ok shot, but for me, their hired photographer, that guest just ruined the couple’s photograph that is supposed to be timeless and last forever. See the Huffington Post link below for some examples of how the guest ruined the photo.

Other scenarios that are commonly ruined are when guests use their camera’s flash. Many professional photographers use the flash sparingly or in very specific moments. For a guest to use their on camera flash could ruin a perfect moment for the hired photographer. Look for examples in the Huffington Post, below.

But what about you? Is an “unplugged wedding” for you?

You can go ahead and Google it, but I’ve taken the liberty of doing it for you. Here are some articles or blog posts about the idea of an “unplugged wedding”:

+ News Broadcast addressing this exact issue
+ NYTimes article on Michael Jordan’s Unplugged wedding
+ Offbeat Bride Post
+ Huffington Post
+ Southern Weddings Article

Photo Credit – Pinterest (Unknown Photographer)

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

March 25, 2014

| Darren

Transform Your Wedding into a Work of Art

Every couple wants their wedding to be extra special, right? In many respects you want every aspect to be a work of art from the flowers, to the venue, to the photos. Everything must be exquisite. And this is accomplished by all the hard work, talent, and unique skill sets of your various vendors. And because of this desire to have everything become a form of art, lately in the wedding industry, there has been a trend to commission painters, to create works of art during and of their wedding. Everyone seems to be doing it, now.

One of my good friends, Dan Angeli, is a painter. Essentially, he comes to your wedding and paints what he sees with painting artistic flair. So you’re probably asking yourself the following questions:

1) Why would I want a painting for my wedding? Why wouldn’t you want a painting, is the better question! While I love photos, there is something extra amazing about a painting. A paint juxtaposed with your beautiful photos and make for great wall art! Paintings tend to invite a slower, more intimate view. While looking at a painting, it reveals itself slowly over time, captivating your viewing pleasure forever.

2) Why Dan? Dan Angeli is an academically trained oil painter. In the past 5 years he has painted over 150 events, specializing in weddings. Dan has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Style me pretty, No eye has seen, and has won The Knot best wedding vendor 4 years in a row. Here’s a photo of Dan working in his studio in Brooklyn.

3) How does it work? Dan arrives 3 hours before guests with a blank canvas, easel, and oil paint to begin sketching the scene. The painting develops so quickly that guests are floored each time they walk by. By the end of the evening the once blank canvas is now a brilliant orchestration of color and brushstrokes depicting the bride and groom with friends and family in their romantic setting. …. You can check out his portfolio on his website at: http://www.capturedoncanvas.us/

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

March 4, 2014

| Darren

Outdoor Weddings – A Few Things To Keep In Mind

The smell of the fresh air, the blue sky above, birds chirping, violins playing in the background…. sounds like an outdoor wedding! But sometimes, Mother Nature has her own plans. So you best be prepared! Here are some excellent tips for your outdoor wedding.

1) Where’s the Sun?
Depending on the time of the year and the time of day, the location of the sun in the sky will play a direct role on your wedding photos. For example, If the aisle runs north-south and the ceremony is at say 6pm in the Fall or Spring time, one side of the aisle may have the sun directly in your guests (or your photographer’) eyes. Conversely, if the ceremony is at 2pm in the Summer, the sun can be so bright that everyone might need sunglasses, if there is not enough shade. So just keep the sun’s location in mind when planning the wedding timeline. There are websites out there that can calculate the exact position for you, depending upon your location.

Bonus Tip: Keep some oil blotting tissue handy, so that you don’t get too shiny in the sun.

2) Golden Hour
Generally speaking, the best time to take photos outside is during “Golden Hour” it’s roughly the 1-2 hours before sunset. It’s usually the prettiest and most flattering light. So if you can schedule your ceremony or portraits during this time, your photos should have a little extra amazing-ness to them.

3) Backup Plan
And of course, there’s always the potential for rain! We all dread that possibility, but you must be prepared to have an indoor location (or potentially a tent) to save you and your guests from getting completely soaked. If the property doesn’t have the space for tent, they may have an indoor room that will work out well.

4) High Heels & Grass/Sand
If you’re having your wedding on a beach and you plan on wearing high heels, you might want to hide a small piece of plywood under the sand where the bride will be standing at the front of the aisle, so the bride doesn’t sink. Otherwise, your calves are going to get a pretty good workout during the ceremony. If you’re having your wedding on grass, you can’t exactly hide plywood, but maybe you always use those clear pieces of plastic that you can attach to your heels so you don’t sink. Here’s one brand called: Sole Mates. You could also just wear flats.

5) Music
Because you’re in an outdoor location, the traditional music playing over speakers may not fit the mood. So it’s a great opportunity to hire some live music, like a quartet of string instruments or maybe just a harpist or violinist.

Ask Us to help plan out your wedding photos.

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

February 25, 2014

| Darren

5 Photography Tips for Your Church Wedding

If you’re getting married in a Church, Synagogue or Temple, you’ve probably been attending service there for a long time. You’re probably familiar with the layout and generally how your wedding work in the space that they have. But even though you think you have it all figured out, here are 5 things to think about to ensure you get the best photos at your wedding.

1) How to Deal with Low Light
Churches usually do not have a lot of light. But that’s not a bad thing. Yes, it might be a little more challenging for your photographer, but It offers the opportunity to create a romantic atmosphere with a series of candles and flowers to help brighten up the setting and make your wedding truly beautiful!

2) Procession Timing
If your church has a very long aisle, it will take time for your entire wedding party to make it down to the front. And if you have a big wedding party, it will take even longer. So couples tend to stack the pairs closer together when going down the aisle, to save time. When you do this, the photographer can not get a clear shot of each pair. So please ensure there is adequate distance between the pairs. If possible, ask your photographer, to attend the rehearsal to help figure out the timing or distance between the pairs. It may take longer, but at least you get all the photos.

Houston Wedding Photographer, Indian Wedding, New York Wedding Photographer

3) Ceremony Photos
Some churches do not allow the photographer to walk around during the ceremony. And some churches don’t even let the photographer beyond the last row of seating. So if you’re looking for great candids during the ceremony, and if there are restrictions like these, great candid or “in the moment” type of shots might not be possible. So you may want to be aware of this when discussing with your photographer. You should talk to the church coordinator to ensure that your photographer has the opportunity to get the photos that you want.

If it isn’t possible to get the photos during the ceremony, there are still opportunities to stage many of the photos afterwards. This is great opportunity to have fun and create some really unique moments that you would not otherwise dare to pull off during the real ceremony.

New York City Wedding / Saint Ignatius / Central Park Boathouse

4) Approved Photo & Video Locations
Oftentimes, the bride and the groom are up on a stage or an elevated position and only religious figures or employees are allowed on the stage, during the ceremony. So, similar to #3, the photographer may only take photos from approved locations within the floorplan and oftentimes cannot get a good line of sight to the marrying couple. We’re not asking you to change your church, we just want you to be aware of this and we don’t want to disrespect the sacredness of the location.

5) Post-Ceremony Group Portraits
If you’re having group photos after the ceremony, please coordinate with the church to have at least 20-30 minutes. This is because after the ceremony, everyone will want to say hello and congratulations! And some churches have back to back weddings. So to minimize stress, on the day of your wedding, make sure you have enough time. For more information on this, you may want to check out our previous blog post on Managing Time on Your Wedding Day.

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

February 11, 2014

| Darren

5 Tips to Managing the Time on Your Wedding Day

Wedding photographers wear many hats, and as we are often with the bride and groom from the beginning to the end of their wedding day, we sometimes find ourselves taking on the role of a planner or day-of-coordinator. Over the years we’ve learned that time management is one of the most important aspects of your wedding day, and poor time management can create a lot of stress on both the bride and groom—the last thing we want our couples to feel as stress and anxiety are emotions to mask when you’re being photographed. To keep your wedding day low-stress and to keep smiles on everyone’s faces, here are some tips that we have learned about managing your wedding day.

1) Add slack to your schedule
Every wedding that I have photographed has run late, at some point in the day. Sometimes it’s 5 minutes. Sometimes it’s 1.5 hours. On your wedding day, things just tend to take longer than you’d expect. It’s helpful to add an extra 15 minutes to each part of your day, just in case. The unexpected has a way of happening during weddings, so be ready with some added buffer time to keep you on time, not in a rush, and most important, minimize any anxiety or stress.

2) Have a family member wrangle your key family and friends for portraits
Because larger group portraits take longer to set up and photograph, we find that wedding guests have a tendency to wander off during portrait time. Ask a reliable family member (or 2!) to be in charge of finding your important guests and keeping them together for portraits. A week before your wedding, give your wrangler a list of of the key people who you want for portraits. This will help him know who’s where they need to be and who’s missing.

Bonus tip: Don’t forget to share your portrait list with your photographer! This will ensure no one is left out of portrait hour.

3) Limit the number of portraits
Your wedding day is one of the only times when you’ll have all of your family and friends together in one place, so we understand the desire to want a portrait with everyone. Remember, though, formal group portraits are very time consuming, and let’s be honest, are you really going to frame and hang that picture of you and your college roommate’s boyfriend or you and your cousin twice removed? We encourage couples to really hone in on your most important groups for formal portraits, remembering that there are tons of opportunities throughout your wedding for candid photos of you with everyone else. To help plan your portraits, try breaking down your list into “must have” and “would be nice” sections. This way, if you’re running late on your wedding day, you’ll know which portraits to cut to save you time and stress.

4) Plan for a second portrait hour
It’s getting late in the day and you are already an hour or more behind schedule? What do you do? If you plan for a second portrait session in advance, you can simply skip your initial portrait session and catch up in your schedule knowing you have another time in the day planned for portraits. This is also a great way to break up your portraits, splitting them throughout the day versus spending long blocks of time just taking pictures. Think about doing some portraits before your ceremony, some during cocktail hour, and some after dinner. There’s 3 sessions right there!

5) Hire a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator
At the end of the day, there is nothing like a good planner or coordinator to help your wedding day run smoothly. Hire someone else to take over your stress. After all, it is your wedding day!

Also, check out some of our tips for getting better Getting Ready Photos.

Tips & Advice |

December 11, 2013

| Darren

5 Reasons To Have a First Look

Why do brides and grooms usually get ready in different or locations?

It’s so that when they see each other for the first time and experience that moment together, hat moment where the couple recalls why they chose to spend their life together and cherish their love, they will remember it forever. So if you’re not familiar with the term “first look” or “reveal”, it’s some time set aside for the bride and groom to meet and see each other before the ceremony. It’s a chance to talk and potentially get some of the nerves out before getting up in front of everyone.

I’d say that 80% of our couples do a first look and are glad they did. And here are 5 reasons why:

1) Intimacy
If you do the traditional way of seeing each other for the first time, when you walk down the aisle, the groom is standing up in front of potentially 100-200+ people. Yes, they should be close friends and relatives, who know the couple very well. But it can be tough for a guy let himself breakdown and allow himself to become vulnerable in front of all those people. The first look allows him to be truly himself with his bride. And he can be his true genuine self.

2) Distance
When you see each other for the 1st time, you’re only a few feet from each other, so you can really see each others reactions. With the long aisle, you’re pretty far away, so it could be tough to see their actual reaction or face.

3) Opportunity for Touch Ups
Should you actually break down crying there is still time to look in the mirror and fix your make up. With the aisle, you just don’t know if your eye lashes came off or some eye liner is out of place. Plus when you’re walking down the aisle, you’ve got a lot of other things going on in your mind let alone holding back emotions and tears of joy. I’m sure your heart will be beating furiously and your mind will be concentrating on walking straight, trying to trip, and smiling not too much, not too little, but just the right amount.

4) You Can Hold & Kiss Each Other
Yes, I know that some people think that it might be bad luck to kiss before you’re actually supposed to. But you know you really want to! 🙂 All you want to do is take a good look at how wonderful each of you looks, hold them in your arms, and give them a big passionate hug and kiss, right?

5) Alone Time
Not only do you want to hold each other or kiss each other. But it’s also a little quiet time together. The whole day is filled with friends and family, but this can be your moment alone together and can give you that “calm before the storm.” How many weddings have you experienced where the bride and groom barely have a moment to themselves, let alone eat their dinner? This gives the couple to opportunity to have a private moment that they wouldn’t otherwise get.

And… It can be romantic, sweet, fun
However you decide to conduct your first look, it can be anything you want. Whether the bride walks up with the groom facing the other way, cover the eyes, blindfolds, doors open, whatever you do, it will be the way you want it. Just make sure you tell your photographer, videographer who are capturing those moments what your plan is, he or she knows how best to document everything.

But it is your day and don’t let us tell you what to do. If your dream was to see each other for the first when walking down the aisle, more power to you! It’s your wedding. We just wanted to offer up why we like it.

Tips & Advice |

May 8, 2012

| Mike

Wedding Reception Entertainment… Getting Your Groove On

In light of this past week’s passing away of MCA from the legendary Beastie Boys, we wanted to spend this week to recognize how music is and will always be a major component of a bride and groom’s wedding day. Many will concur that music can be considered the universal language of the world, and it undoubtedly speaks on so many levels throughout a wedding ceremony and reception. The couples’ first dance, the introduction of the wedding party, the tossing of the bouquet , and even dinner hour are all moments in the reception which are typically accompanied with melodies to instill some sort of emotion to all those in attendance. With that said, here’s some hopefully helpful tips for those seeking their wedding music vendors.

Disc Jockey or Band

Many couples plan their weddings and arrive to the point where they must decide between drums and guitars versus two turntables and a microphone. To be quite honest with you guys, we’ve shot weddings where both have provided hours upon hours of great music that would even satisfy the Michael Jackson’s and Fred Astaire’s of your wedding guests. Seriously, both types of music providers have caused us to shake our own bums to the beat of the music while camera in hand. Typically, you can expect to pay a premium for having a full fledge band due to having multiple musicians, but this shouldn’t sway you completely from this option. There’s something truly special about hearing unique & unheard renditions of today’s pop hits and all-time classics from decades ago (Yes, that’s why we have a Glee playlist on our iPods…and I digress).

Don’t hesitate to ask for a live demo or video footage of the music vendors that you’re exploring. Some couples assume that a demo CD or a website with a soundtrack give an overall representation of the DJ or band, but it’s even more beneficial to see how the vendor interacts withs guests. 9 times out of 10, they will be the master of ceremony on your big day and have huge a responsibility of setting the mood throughout the occasion. Another topic to hit is music selection. Ensure your entertainment vendor can perform the songs that matter, which leads us to the next tip…

This isn’t Seacrest’s American Top 40… On this day, you call the shots

This is your day, so your playlist will be the one on rotation. Outside of the obvious need to provide music for the key parts of the wedding reception, we think it’d be a great idea to gauge the music preferences of your wedding guests and piece together a decent playlist of songs that everyone will enjoy. Yes, you may have teenagers who are head over heels about Justin Bieber’s latest tune, young adult males and females who will still, to this day, sing their heart out to Backstreet Boy’s “I Want It That Way”, and older adults who want the cool listenings of the Pretenders and Phil Collins. Don’t be afraid to also include songs that you wish to exclude from the evening’s event. In most cases, the playlist you compile won’t be enough to last through the reception, but the more detail you provide for the band or DJ, they’ll have a better idea on what additional songs to perform that you may have overlooked.

On that note… we leave you with the hilarious Dan Band performing “Fame” at the wedding reception at the end of the movie The Hangover. Surprisingly enough, they are indeed bookable for weddings. Yes, we’re as shocked as you are…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJY0UzuO1hw

Tips & Advice |

March 21, 2012

| Mike

Engagement Photography Tips – Say Yes To The… Second… Dress.

Ladies, let’s be honest for just a moment. No matter how much you deny it, the majority of you are shopoholics, especially when it comes to the latest fashion trends. The Esvy team has been exposed to enough episodes of Sex in the City (not by choice, but by our close female friends with remote in hand proclaiming it the best show to hit the tube…ever), and have taken plenty of strolls down NYC’s SoHo district & 5th Ave. to recognize that women’s fashion is a force which all photographers must be mindful.

For those of our female readers who have recently become engaged and are brainstorming strokes of genius for your engagement sessions, don’t pass on that Cosmopolitan cover worthy dress sitting at that shopping window. The Esvy team always recommends that their ladies bring at least two contrasting outfits for their engagement shoots. The photos coming out of your engagement shoot will be everlasting memories of you and your significant other right before your wedding. A pair of gorgeous outfits for your engagement session and many years down the road, you and your loved ones will have a lasting impression of how you looked on your Sunday best as well as on a day-to-day basis. It can also be quite entertaining to see the progression of fashion when taking a look back at your engagement shots, wondering and laughing hysterically at how you convinced yourself to wear such an outfit. Another small tip: Although most assume that you are restricted to the threads of the season, don’t let that drive your final decision. To a certain extent, the photographer can manufacture outdoor shots to hopefully fit the season of your attire. Indoor engagement shots are even more manageable situations and open the door wide open to whatever outfits float your boat. (Thank goodness for air conditioners!) Just ensure you don’t wear a springtime dress & sandals outside in subzero weather during a snowstorm. But I’m sure you already knew that. 🙂 AND MOST OF ALL: HAVE FUN!

Tips & Advice, Weddings |

February 16, 2012

| Darren

Wedding Photography Tips – Makeup & Prep Shots

Here at Esvy we care most about our clients; we want the best photographic and customer results possible. We know sometimes working with a photographer may seem scary or foreign so we thought we’d start a monthly feature that offers various tips for people to know before their photo shoot or event. Whether an engagement session, wedding, or studio portraits our tips will help you feel more confident and comfortable working with your photographer and should yield the best photos possible.

Got specific questions about our services? Contact us here.

Now get ready for our first tip…

We don’t always photograph the preparation of the bride, but when we do, we prefer to use natural light. The process of getting ready for your wedding, particularly the application of makeup, truly looks best when photographed using natural light. Brides and their bridesmaids look the most natural compared to the sometimes harsh feeling made by artificial lighting. Window light just makes for better photos.

We know that a lot of makeup artists bring their own light setup. Unfortunately, from a photography perspective, this is not ideal. These small light setups don’t usually put out enough light, and they are not the most flattering for a bride; they tend to be harsh uneven compared to the soft even light from a nearby window.

It’s a different story if you happen to be at a large salon or makeup artist’s studio getting ready for your big day. Their professional stations are often times equipped with a mirror full of high output daylight balanced bulbs. These bulbs are known to be flattering in a similar way to natural light.

The photos above are some shots of past clients photographed under window light. You’ll notice that in both, the natural light really makes these photos work.

Credits:
Ms. Painted Lady
Posh Artists