tips outdoor wedding photography by Ariel Campos, photographer. Los Cabos, Mexico

 

Beach photos tips , for your Cabo San Lucas wedding.

Tip 1. -The more comfortable you feel in front of the camera, the best you will look in your wedding photos.

A fun and relaxing rehearsal for your wedding photos is an engagement portrait photo session, anytime before the wedding. It is good for you to practice your moves / expressions for your wedding photos and is the opportunity for your photographer to find your best angles. You may follow the link to find some recent engagement photo galleries.

  • Tip 2.- Use your engagement photos as: thank- you notes, guest book table's decoration or even as real postage
  • Use your engagement photos as thank you notes for your wedding guests.
  • Display your engagement photos as decor on your guest book table.
  • A quite original usage, for engagement and wedding photos, is as real postage http://www.photostamps.com/good
Tip 3. -Plan your wedding ceremony accordingly with optimal lighting conditions.
The word photography comes from the Greek and means "drawing with light". Lighting is a major concern in the quest of outstanding photography. Here in Cabo we are blessed with 350 days of sunshine a year. Anyhow make sure to schedule your wedding ceremony taking the most advantage of natural lighting. If you will have a sunset wedding on the beach at Los Cabos Mexico, link below will help you to find out the exact sunset time for your big day.
Tip 4. - Set your wedding altar with silk-like fabric .
During your ceremony direct sunlight may be right over your faces, producing long dark shadows on your wedding photos. To avoid this effect, set a "silk" shade as your wedding altar. It will look beautiful and improve your pictures by diffusing light.
Tip 5.- Share your wedding photos with your beloved ones using a password protected web gallery. It is always a good idea, your guests will be delighted
Follow the link to find some recent open photo web galleries.
Tip 6. - Prevent your wedding photos from fingerprints and digital alteration. Using DVD slideshow .
A DVD Slideshow is also an excellent way to entertain during a family reunions and a good way to showcase your cabo san lucas destination wedding photos at the office without carrying voluminous photo album
Tip 7.- Use online photo processing services to order your prints & albums.

Over the years, I have found the best way to handle destination weddings prints : online photo processing services. Where I, as your photographer, can post your wedding photos and you make a selection of your favorite ones. With this selection, we design together your wedding album.

Using these online photo-processing services, you can even share your photos with your friends and family and - if you give them enough privileges - they can order prints on their own.
Tip 8. - Make sure your wedding photographer's style matches your taste.
The most effective way to check your wedding photographer's style, is by visiting his wedding photo galleries. Be sure you're watching full wedding coverage, which will give you a better perspective about his regular work and not just few extraordinary highlights. You may also find useful the section : Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer
Tip 9. - Hire a wedding planner

I gladly serve equally: wedding planners and solo brides, just as a comment: Hiring a wedding planner seems like an expense, but at the end of the day they make everything more efficient, which gives you more value for your money, helping you to seize YOUR day.
Tip 10. -In the getting ready, you're meant to be the LAST one to be ready not the first one.
Make sure your bridesmaid(s) are ready at least 1.5 hrs before ceremony. In my experience, bridesmaids are so devoted helping bride getting ready, that they forget about theirselves. Therefore, the most common reason - I had seen - for a ceremony to delay, is the bride waiting for the bridesmaid to be ready.
Tip 11.- Hairstyle for your outdoors beach wedding :

For outdoors weddings on the beach fasten hair works better.Try to avoid long bangs and loose hair, it gets messy with the wind.

Two styles that I had seen to work are: either a half pony tail with some volume on the top and curls in the bottom and Up-dos, if you have trouble finding a good hairdresser, you may try some hairigami / hairdini accessory. Obviously your hairstyle depends a lot on your veil or tiara style.

On your getting rady, be sure to wear a button-down dress when you get your hair done on your wedding day.Otherwise when you pull the dress over your head to take it off, your bridal hair style will get all messed up.

Check the following link for further ideas is an article on tips for your bridal hairstyle
http://www.celebrityseduhairstyle.com/?cat=5

Tip 12 .- Emphasize your EYES, with white shimmery eye shadow
One good make-up trick, I had seen in many brides is : white shimmery eye shadow applied below eyebrow , over nose and chin. It looks attractive on most women, try it on yourself, perhaps it looks good too. MAC cosmetics has some wonderful ones called "paint pots" try "bare study" is a flattering tone.
Tip 13.- Suggest Mexican wedding shirts as an alternative to tuxedos for summer weddings on the beach.

Tuxedos are totally comfortable to wear in Los Cabos, anytime but from mid-July to mid-October. That is VERY HOT! during that time a dressy comfortable alternative to tuxedos are guayaberas, also known as Mexican wedding shirts.

Guayaberas are a fresh and flattering piece of male wardrobe, they are a must in upper-class Mexican weddings, I'm sure Americans would find them comfortable and elegant, too.

You can buy them online, google: wedding guayaberas and you'll have many options, if you already in Cabo and want to try them , I saw some nice good quality ones at Liverpool store in cabo san lucas marina.
Tip 14.- Ask your photographer to use multiple cameras, to achieve full wedding photo coverage.
Beach weddings are full of spontaneous photo scenes, that can't be replay. Having multiple cameras with different lenses and aperture settings each one, allows photographer to snapshot properly, varied situations taking place simultaneously.
Tip 12. - Gain control of your digital files.
Nowadays in the digital era, people look forward doing more things with their pictures that just print them. They want to publish their wedding photos on their blog, add their hero wedding photo to the family newsletter, carry it their bride's picture on their cell phone, use their engagement photo as wallpaper on their computer, etc. Make sure your photographer will provide you with a copyrighted released CD from where you can make as many copies / prints as you wish.
Tip 13. - Ask your photographer, to scout the wedding location in advance (under the same lighting conditions).
It is very important to foreseen the shots and choose the best positions for the camera.
Tip 14. - Make sure your photographer has a reliable method to confirm wedding's location and time.
The method I have, to confirm wedding's information is by asking clients to fill out my wedding form, specifying location and exact time. Any change must be notified in advance, directly with me, written if possible. Events are all about synchronicity.
Tip 15. - Look after professional experience, ask questions and maintain the communication.
Outstanding wedding photography is not just about point the camera and click, it requires photographic techniques knowledge, storytelling ability, easygoing personality and a lot of bridal market understanding. Look after expertise on a wedding photographer. Ask questions about his/her photography style. Communicate your wedding photography wishes to your photographer. Tell him what kind of snapshots you are looking for, even send him pictures from magazine or current pictures you may have, for him to create a mood-board and work after that
Tip 16. - Consider having your wedding portrait photo session, few days after the wedding.
There is a big chance that your formal wedding portraits will be hang on the wall of your home and/or your parents home for many years. Wedding portraits are very important for the family. They deserve time and dedication. Nevertheless it always brake my heart to set apart the newlyweds away from their reception for even 1 (one) full hour, in order to have this photo session. If you are staying in Cabo for honeymoon, consider making your formal wedding portraits a couple days after the wedding ceremony.
These were just few tips to enhance your sunset beach wedding photos. Hopefully it helps improving your photo keepsake.

arielphotographer@mac.com :: Tel in cabo 011 52 624 144 6278 :: Skype US Phone 1516 8742839
 
© Ariel Campos, Cabos San Lucas photographer - bio-