Quick Posing Tip #2

We received a number of responses to yesterday's quick posing tip, so here's another. It's the classic "model turn" (that's what we call it, anyway.)

Stand at a roughly 45-degree angle to the camera, stand up straight, then turn your shoulders until they're nearly face-on to the camera- but leave your hips and lower body in place. The result is a pose that's more dynamic and much more flattering.

Plus, it's a "slimming" pose - your mid-section will automatically appear trimmer.

You can even exaggerate the pose, turning your shoulders even closer to square, and tilting your head slightly the other way, like in this photo, taken seconds after the one above.

This variation creates an elegant look, but it can feel a little awkward if you're not used to posing. (Remember that professional models create a "reality." No one stands or sits or positions themselves, in real life, the way models do for photographs.)

Two things to take with you: When posing for a photograph, even a casual one, never stand or face square-on to the camera; and if a pose feels awkward, don't worry - you look great. Oh - actually three things. If we're posing you, really don't worry - we'll make sure you look great.

A Quick Posing Tip for Brides

Unless you're a model, you're probably not super-comfortable in front of a camera. (Although, to be fair, most of our brides say they forget we exist about ten minutes into the day - we're really good at being unobtrusive and blending in.) But if you feel awkward posing with your (now) husband, here's a sure-fire way to relax: Lean your head against your husband's chest.

Not only does it help you relax, but your feelings for your husband will also show through in the photos, making for perfect images that capture the emotions of the day. Give it a try!

Wedding Insurance - Here's What We Think

We get asked a lot of wedding questions not related to photography, and that's okay - we've probably been to a lot more weddings than you have. A question we've been asked recently concerns wedding insurance and whether it makes sense. If you're looking for wedding photography advice, skip this - we'll answer the question from a general point of view, not specific to wedding photography or even insurance covering wedding photography. This is by necessity a fairly long post, so bear with us ----

And before you ask, Dirk and Laura, pictured above, didn't need wedding insurance - their wedding went perfectly.

So - wedding insurance or not? Here's our opinion. Your most important investment for your big day may actually be a wedding insurance policy that will cover many of your costs if you need to postpone or cancel the ceremony and reception.

I know that doesn't sound too romantic or exciting, but let's focus on what's on the line here. According to TheWeddingReport.com, the average U.S. wedding cost more than $25,000 in 2007. You wouldn't pay that much for a car and not insure it, or if you made a $25,000 down payment on a home.

If you are planning an expensive or elaborate wedding, it makes sense to insure your wedding. Ask your insurance agent what policies are available -- some insurers offer wedding insurance in a Special Events policy. Or you can check out insurers that specialize in wedding insurance like WedSafe (www.wedsafe.com, who we have no business relationship with, by the way).

The premiums are relatively cheap when you compare them to the money you'll spend on the wedding. WedSafe charges around $200 for a policy that will pay up to $7,500 should your wedding be cancelled or postponed for "covered" reasons (more on that later.) For $35,000 in coverage, the cost is about $400. In case you're curious, it costs about $1,000 to cover a $150,000 gala.

Cold Feet Aren't Covered
The core of a wedding insurance policy is the cancellation/postponement coverage -- the reimbursement you'll receive for all deposits and charges you've paid to your wedding vendors, assuming the insurer approves your reason for cancellation or postponement. That last clause is very important: As with every type of insurance, you need to take the time to understand exactly what is and isn't covered in your policy. You should review the policy in detail with your agent to avoid any ugly surprises down the line.

Among the important caveats to many wedding insurance policies:

Weather: If you're planning an outdoor wedding and encounter drizzle or depressing gray skies, you're out of luck if you want to postpone the nuptials for a better photo day.
But should some extreme weather make it impossible for anyone in your wedding party or the majority of your guests to attend, then your policy will kick in if you need to cancel or postpone. Keep in mind "extreme" means snowstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other major events that close down airports, highways, etc. If extreme weather damages your wedding site -- say a hurricane destroys the reception hall -- your policy will cover the costs of rearranging your wedding plans.

A family or wedding-party member's injury or illness: If someone in the wedding party or your immediate family (parents, grandparents, siblings, or children) is injured or too ill to attend, your policy will pay the costs of postponing or canceling the event. But read this coverage carefully -- typically an illness or injury caused by a preexisting condition that occurred within the past 12 months will nullify this coverage.

The caterer or reception hall goes out of business: If you're jilted by a wedding vendor you've hired, your policy will kick in. Note that a DJ not showing up isn't grounds for cancellation or postponement. Typically your policy will simply pay you a set sum for the DJ's absence.

Rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, bachelor, and bachelorette parties: Policies typically don't cover any of the ancillary wedding festivities.

Cold feet: Um, no. If the bride or groom decides to walk out before walking down the aisle, the insurance policy won't cover any of the deposits and costs you've already incurred.

Mental distress: If you cancel or postpone your wedding for a legitimate (covered) reason and it sends you into an emotional tailspin, your policy may cover the shrink bills.

To Love, Cherish, and Be Liable
When you throw a big wedding party, you also need to be insured in case anyone is injured at the event. For big-time celebrations, the space you rent for the wedding and reception will often require that you have liability insurance before making a deal with you.

If you're very close to the wedding date, look into the liability coverage offered through the wedding insurance policy. For about $200 or so, you can get the coverage you need.

Rings
A wedding insurance policy often provides coverage if rings are lost or stolen during the period the policy is in force (you can typically purchase a wedding policy from two years to two weeks before the event; your coverage ceases after the event). Even if the policy will reimburse you for the cost of the ring -- the coverage is tied to your level of cancellation/postponement coverage -- you want that ring to be insured after the wedding, too.

Your smartest move is to insure the ring through a floater/rider to your existing homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Don't assume that your policy's existing jewelry coverage is good enough. Typically this covers you only if the ring is stolen. By adding coverage through a floater/rider, you will be covered for all risks. If you lose the ring or it's lost in a fire, flood, or other calamity, your policy will kick in. You'll even be covered if the stone falls out
and is lost.

The average annual cost for adding a jewelry rider to your policy to cover a $10,000 ring will be under $200. And make sure you have the insurance in place the day you walk out of the store.

So that's what we think. Again, it's just our opinion, so seek expert advice and shop around before you make a decision. It may not be a tough decision, though; wedding insurance is relatively inexpensive, and like most other forms of insurance, even if you purchase a policy you hopefully won't need it.

Best Wishes to Brent Bookwalter

We'd like to pass on our best wishes to Brent Bookwalter, a bicycle racer we met in 2006 at the Tour of Shenandoah. Brent, riding for the U.S. National Development Squad, suffered a severely broken left leg in a crash in mid-April while racing in Europe. (From what we understand, he hit a metal light pole.) Here's Brent in 2006 right after the first stage of the race.



Brent won the Tour of Shenandoah in 2006, and we later sent his mom some photos gratis. Evidently cycling moms don't get to see their sons or daughters too often, since bicycle racing requires a tremendous amount of travel.

Not only is Brent a great racer, he's also a genuinely nice guy who took the time to respond in detail to a question we asked about host housing.

If you'd like to keep track of his recovery, check out his blog by clicking here. But be forewarned - the x-rays on his site make his leg look like an erector set.

A Quick Thank You...

As we move into the fall, we'd like to thank all the couples - and their families and friends - we worked with this summer. Every couple was gracious and welcoming, and we also enjoyed some of the more fun receptions we've been to over the years. (And a few of the more interesting.)

Thanks again to everyone we worked with and had the privilege to meet. We're honored to have been chosen to photograph your weddings, and we're proud that our work will help your memories last a lifetime.

Rescuing Problem Images

No matter how hard any photographer tries, some images aren't perfect. Stuff happens.

"Problem" images, or images that are under-exposed, have incorrect white balance, have picked up an odd hue due to light sources or reflections, can usually be corrected, at least to a degree.... Normally we don't need to "fix" images - we're good at what we do, and we always take a number of shots of the same pose or moment, just in case. But since we're often asked about digital editing, here's an example of a time where stuff did happen.

In the image above, just as the shutter tripped a lady with a red umbrella blocked the strobe. (The other four photos in the series were perfect, but this one clearly wasn't.) Not only was it under-exposed and muddy, but it also had a pretty bad orange/red cast.

It was definitely fixable, though. Here's the same image, in black and white, after about 30 seconds of digital corrections including adjusting levels, curves, and some selective dodge tool application.

Not bad, right? Here's the same image in color, after corrections. This version took almost five minutes to correct; the main difference in the black and white and color versions is the need to apply adjustments to ensure skin tones look natural (which can be a lot trickier than it sounds.)

Obviously we don't want - or need - to do this kind of work to every photo, but sometimes we capture a moment or expression we'll do just about anything to save.

Two More Recent Wedding Trends

Oops - forgot a couple. (Check out the next entry for a number of other recent wedding ceremony and reception trends BlackBird Images photographers have noticed this year.)

Cakes and Cake Cutting. Decorating cakes with flowers has become more popular this year. It's a nice way to personalize your cake and, if you wish, extend your floral theme a little farther.

Also growing in popularity is cutting the cake earlier in the reception - even before the meal. A highlight of any wedding reception is the cutting of the cake, which traditionally occurs late in the celebration. By staging the cake cutting earlier - after the first dance but before guests dine, for example, there are at least a few advantages. You and your spouse had a chance to freshen up before your entrance, you're not tired and maybe a little frazzled from dancing, and all the guests should still be there to enjoy the experience. Plus, the catering staff has plenty of time cut the cake and do any last-minute plate decorating.

Weddings in the round. We've only seen a couple, but if the venue is right (especially if you're outside), some couples choose to have their ceremony in the round - the chairs are formed in a circular pattern around the altar. While not everyone will have a great view (some will be looking at your back, but that happens at most weddings anyway), no one will be more than four or five rows away from the front. It creates a more intimate setting, and will make you feel like you're closer to your guests. It's not for everybody, but it is something we've started to see....

Latest Wedding Trends

BlackBird Images photographers have had a busy summer, and we thought it might be fun to share recent wedding trends (based, admittedly, on the very non-scientific "data" we collected solely from the weddings we photographed.) So while our "findings" may not be statistically accurate, they do reflect what we've seen...

More Popular:

Photojournalism. Almost all our couples want candid shots that capture moments, gestures, emotions, and real interactions. That may not actually be a widespread trend, though - we're really good at and work hard to capture candid and "un-posed" moments, and couples specifically seek us out for that reason. Regardless, from what we can tell most couples want natural photos that truly reflect the day, and not posed photos that reflect, well, how the photographer wanted people to look.


Destination locations. More couples are opting for weddings at resorts or B & Bs or other locations where guests stay for a few days or longer, both before and after the wedding. The result is a wedding, reunion, and vacation all rolled into one.

Facing the guests. Traditionally couples face an altar, the person marrying them, or each other. We've seen a lot more couples turning to face their guests during the ceremony, or at least standing at a diagonal with their bodies opened up towards the "audience," which the guests seem to appreciate (and so do we).


Creative cakes. We've seen an increase in the use of flowers to decorate cakes, as well as monograms, crystals, and other items. Lots of cakes are now tiered in different flavors and colors so guests have a choice.

Save-the-date cards. Cards are mailed about six months before the ceremony, announcing the date, place and time of the wedding. (Formal invitations follow at some point.) They may also include information on hotels, flights or rental cars — anything guests may need to plan the trip.

Presents for guests. Instead of party favors, some couples have given meaningful tokens—we've seen books of poetry, monogrammed wineglasses, tulip bulbs... things with a lasting value. But - small boxes of candy is still very popular.

And a Little Less Popular:

Pastels. In everything from invitations to bridesmaids’ dresses and centerpieces, stronger, richer colors seem to be in. We've even seen a few engagement rings with colored diamonds (and they're really pretty.) Colored diamonds are rarer (red is most rare) and more expensive than white diamonds, though.

Tight bouquets. A lot of brides chose a more natural look, with stems exposed, tied loosely with long, flowing ribbons. While they're a little tougher to carry around all day, they are pretty.


Elaborate receiving lines. This summer we haven't seen a single formal receiving line; everyone who choose to have a receiving line just included the bride, groom, and parents. The days of receiving lines with every relative included seem to be over (thank goodness).

Post-ceremony church photos. More and more couples want their posed photos outside the church. Church interiors normally have busy backgrounds and poor lighting... plus some altar areas are simply too small to accommodate larger group photos. Many of our couples want a few shots inside and the rest outside, using the church, the mountains, etc as the backdrop. We're all for this trend - if for no other reason than the people being photographed appear more comfortable and natural outside rather than inside.


Garter and bouquet tossing. We think it depends on the age of the couple; if you and your friends are under 30, the garter and bouquet toss can be a lot of fun. If you're in your 40s or 50s... not so much. A number of couples, even younger couples, skipped this part of the reception this year.

Creating environmental issues. Rice-throwing seems to be completely gone (birds eat it, but not always to such a great effect) and very few butterfly release weddings. And a lot of couples seem to be planning the reception with recycling in mind.