Worried About Rain On Your Wedding Day?

Piedmont Garden Tent

There is the worry every bride has. Even if her wedding is an indoor occasion, everybody wants blue skies, and 80 degrees and a few of those gorgeous puffy white clouds giving just enough cover for memorable wedding day pictures. Let’s face it, every girl dreams about what her wedding day is going to be like and it does not call for rain, thunderstorms and a chance of hail. Well about two years ago that was exactly the forecast at a beautiful outdoor wedding planned for one bride. Her wedding was at the Piedmont Garden Room and Piedmont Garden Tent in downtown Atlanta on the edge of Piedmont Park. It is a great location and like you should plan with every wedding there is a backup plan. If the wedding is outdoors often a reception tent can double as a quick shelter from rain.

As a photographer for many years I have learned to see rain as an opportunity for some very unique images of the day. After all rain can be a beautiful thing in photography.  I look for opportunities to use reflections of water pooling on the ground or the soft overcast light for beautiful images. I even bring a colorful umbrella for those kissing under the umbrella shots.

So if rain is in the forecast for your wedding day, don’t sweat it. First relax, there Is nothing you can do to stop the rain, just make sure you have a very experienced photographer that day and just enjoy it!

Atlanta Wedding Photography

Making A Wedding Timeline For Facebook

Recently Facebook has begun switching their users to the new timeline design. The timeline looks very different from the old look and design. Previously the feed for your facebook would simply roll through time. With the new version it takes and compartmentalizes the times in years months and begins to arrange your information in a type of block formation. While this change like any change disturbs some people, most people are seeming to adopt the change just fine. From a photography standpoint the change can present a few new options for you. The change I am talking about is the cover timeline photo. It is a panaramic photo strip while still showing your profile picture. Take a look at the example below:

Ask your professional photographer if he/she can make one for your Facebook page after the wedding or better yet have them do an engagement session so your friends and family can see it and then change it after the wedding to the wedding day images. If you are pretty good at layout and design you may want to create your own. Just have fun with it. This is a great idea wether you are a bride, groom or a wedding photographer in Atlanta or New York or anywhere because it can showcase your work while giving the couple in love something to enjoy sharing with friends and family.

Do make sure as a photographer that your website is located on it so that people can find your services. I always ask the bride and groom to kindly leave my info on it and not to crop it out as a courtesy for providing the layout to them.

Jennifer & Chris / April 14, 2012

Jennifer's shoesI love this image of Jennifer’s shoes. It is a great example of capturing the beautiful details from the wedding day that can often be forgotten as time goes on except thru photography. The simple taupe color against the black is just classic.

Getting Ready

It is time to get dressed! Mom and one of the bridesmaids assist Jennifer in getting ready. I really like the detail our photographer Raven got in this image. One of those great moments captured forever.

Jennifer & Chris

It’s time for romance! It turned out to be a beautiful evening that night with the sunshine pouring thru the trees. A great spot for some romantic images.

Party Time!

Time for fun, Dancing, laughing and having a great time. I love the fun that is showing while at the same time you can see the beauty of the reception hall and the warm and cool lighting in the background.

Dear Jennifer & Chris,

Thank you for a beautiful wedding. It was a pleasure to join you and capture some of the greatest moments for one of the most important days in your life! Best wishes!

Jessica, Raven & Lynn

Pretty In Pink / Wedding Colors

Are new colors for weddings beginning to change? I love this gold and pink combination at this past Saturday’s wedding. This wedding was a wonderful Atlanta wedding that was very well done. I love the mixture of the warm and cool colors together. This room just screams elegance when you walk in. The gold theme was carried out through the reception with elegant chandeliers and warm lighting. This wedding was at Eleven 15 Events.

Reception hall

The use of the material up above has been used at weddings for quite some time but it always gives an elegant and intimate feel to a room. It brings a large ceiling down to almost join the party so to speak. The bride also had touches of the pink added in again with the gold by the pink lighting behind the wedding cake.

Wedding cake

I love the different textures used in the layers of the wedding cake. I tell you as a wedding photographer in Atlanta we see some of the most gorgeous and elegant “Southern Living” style weddings.

Faith, Hope & Love Contest / Atlanta Weddings

Wedding Photography Contest / “Faith, Hope & Love”

Do you know someone that should be nominated for a free wedding photography package? We are looking to choose a deserving couple for wedding photography. We want to find the most deserving, selfless couple out there. A couple that perhaps has seen great adversity and triumphed through that adversity. A couple that truly understands the meaning of love and sacrifice. If you know someone email us at lynn@lynnbrownphotography.com and title it, “Faith, Hope & Love” and tell us in 500 words or less why you are nominating the couple.

The verse from 1 Corinthians 13 is a great standard to use in your nomination process.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  8 Love never fails.

Entries will be taken from now until September 15, 2012 and a decision will be made by October 30,2012. The contest must have a minimum number of entries to take place. For further details contact our studio at 770-831-2144.

Bridal Portrait Special / May 11 only!

Bridal Portrait

Would you like to have a bridal portrait made? Maybe you are already married and still wished you had a gorgeous bridal portrait made and never did. As Atlanta wedding photographers we run across brides all of the time that come up to us and say, “I wish I had booked you for my wedding.” I always feel so bad for a bride that tells me that because that means she was not happy with the photographer she chose. As the conversation continues it usually always gets down to affordability. Most brides naturally are looking to work within a budget and sometimes the choices they make come back to haunt them for years to come. I have heard this sad story over and over. Professional wedding photography is just like any other service in life. You get what you pay for. It is not a service you want to go “budget” on. Flowers will fade, food is eaten and forgotten but your photography is the only visual remembrance you will have of one of the most important days of your life.

FRIDAY MAY 11, 2012 ONLY! Have your dream bridal portrait made for only $99. This includes indoor camera room set up as well as our 1 acre fully landscaped garden with roses, flowers, a waterfall pond, a country store and beautiful walkways.

DIY Tree Cutting / Who needs a professional?

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIY Tree Company / A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

I have written several articles on the DIY movement in the wedding business. Recently I myself fell into the same trap that so many people do. A few weeks ago my husband and I were having a retaining wall installed in our backyard. In preparation we had to have about 10 trees cut along our property line. We had gotten a quote, and trying to keep costs down, we decided against using a tree company. I begged my husband against his better judgment that he and I could tackle this head on and save a lot of money. I felt that with a great chainsaw we could rent at Home Depot we could take the trees down and have them cut up in no time for just the cost of the chainsaw rental. He reluctantly said OK to my request. Yes, I am sure you know where this story is going. The very first tree my husband notched came down further to the right than we expected taking out the side of our roof, the gutter, a soffit, a window and the side of our deck. It was awful; we saw the tragedy just happening in almost a slow motion feeling with nothing we could do to stop it. The first thing I said to my husband was, “Honey, we will look back at this and laugh later”, but at the moment I can assure you he was not laughing. He handed me the chain saw and said take it back. He said, we should have called the tree company. Well he was right. I called my portrait studio manager Jessica and she began to fuss me out. She said you are always talking about leaving things to a professional and here you go and think you a tree company!  OUCH! That hurt, but she was spot on. I could not say a thing. Well needless to say, we can go back and fix everything but it will certainly cost us more money than if we had just gotten a professional that was bonded, certified, equipped and knowledgeable to do it. When the tree company came to take out the rest of the trees I watched in utter amazement at the precise work they did and how easy they made it look. Of course it looked easy, they are professionals! I also realized just how silly and ridiculously naive we were for taking on the project.

(This is not a picture of my home, it’s a stock one, wished I got one but I was too distraught at the time!!!)

 

Bridezilla is on the rise! / Weddings Across the Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Be A Bridezilla!

Just in case you do not know what a bridezilla is, it is a bride that becomes very close to the temperament of Godzilla. Remember Godzilla from the old movies? He was a monster that went around making life very difficult for everyone and leaving a path of destruction where ever he went. Many brides find that the closer they get to their wedding day and the more undone details there are, the more stressed thy become. Well let’s face it, some folks just do not handle stress very well and become irritable and cranky to those that are the closest to them in life.  They can tend to feel like everything is beginning to spiral out of control. One of the things that have led to more Bridezillas is the DIY movement in weddings. Yes, there are many things as a bride you may elect to do yourself such as invitations, special party favors, decorations, and the list is endless. Just remember this. The more work you put on yourself the more stress you are adding to your life. If you plan to have a lot of DIY projects keep this in mind:

1. Do I have time to do this?

2. Is my time better spent with my family?

3. Is it worth the added stress?

4. Yes it looks easy, but do I really know what I am doing?

5. Is organization really a big strength for me?

6. Do I want to do this just so I can say I did it even if it costs me some gray hair?

7. Do I have friends that can help me and if I do, will this add to much burden to them? Are they saying yes to help because they don’t want to hurt my feelings by saying, no?

One of the great things about being an American is the attitude that we can take on anything and conquer it. This is very true in some aspects but we need to remember that sometimes that mentality can lead us into trouble. There are reasons that there are professionals in every field. They have been trained, educated, equipped and have seen most every situation that can happen and they know what to do when something happens. Save the DIY for the retile work in your new home if you want, you only have one wedding day and you unlike the tile floor; you can’t pull it up and start over if things go wrong.

The Wedding Booth Rage / Atlanta Wedding Booths

We have seen the vintage wedding booth start making a comeback in recent years. It is a great add on to your wedding coverage. Brides and grooms love it and guests really love it. It is a great way to involve everyone in photography on your wedding. As an Atlanta wedding photographer we have had some requests for this service. We provide the hats and neat props as well as some very neat nostalgic black and white images of the fun.  The first photo booth was introduces at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889. Then it was perfected and arrived in the United States in 1925 on Broadway in New York City for 24 cents. In modern day wedding photography the something old is now something new has really been all the rage. There are two types of booths. The first is an actual small booth that can still be rented and images printed from the machine and the second is a setup with the props and scene set aside at the reception were another photographer engages the folks and captures the fun and crazy moments. Whatever type you choose it is bound to add a flair of fun to the day.

Spring is in the air for Atlanta Weddings

Well pollen is in the air, but so is love. This time of year is a great time for a wedding. In Atlanta brides and grooms are tieing the knot as the dogwood trees are blooming and the flowers are starting to bloom. It has been unusually warm in Atlanta this year, so everything is blooming right now. The temps are warm and mild. A perfect time for a wedding. Take a look at this image from a Spring wedding.