september
08
2010
Is It Vain To Ask For Portraits Of Yourself?
It’s a situation that I’ve been in many times before--I am on the phone with a bride discussing which shots she wants for her wedding. We go through all of the family members and the wedding party, and then there’s a long pause, and I can almost hear her blushing over the phone as she asks “Can you take some portraits of just me?”. It’s a completely reasonable request, yet many brides feel as though they are being vain by asking for beautiful portraits of themselves. Today’s post is for all of those brides who feel bashful--always ask for great fashion photographs of yourself, you won’t regret it.
EMBRACE THE MOMENT
Getting married is a rite of passage. The whole process--from getting hair and makeup done, putting your wedding gown on, and being photographed by a professional photographer--is part of that rite. As a bride, you deserve to have beautiful portraits of yourself. It is one of the few times in most people’s adult lives that they have the opportunity to hire a skilled photographer to document their day. Your wedding day is a pivotal moment in your life, so your photographs should reflect your personality and emotion. They should be a visual representation of who you are. Rather than thinking of having your portrait taken as vain, brides should embrace it wholeheartedly and enjoy their moment in the spotlight. Finding a skilled photographer that you trust will make it easy to have fun and relax while getting great portraits.
ASK TO SEE A PORTFOLIO
A professional wedding photographer’s talent lies in bringing out positive energy and finding the camera angles that are the most flattering to you. But how can you trust that your photographer will be able to capture every beautiful moment on your wedding day? Brides should always ask to see a photographer’s portfolio before hiring them. There are good and bad photographers out there, so the key to making sure you hire the right one is carefully evaluating their previous photographs from real weddings to see if they have examples of the type of shots you want of yourself. Some of the most beautiful portraits of brides have been captured when the bride was unaware of the camera, so check to make sure your photographer has examples of beautiful candid shots of brides as well.
When you are viewing a photographer’s fashion portraits, it’s important to make sure that the photographs are of real brides, rather than models. It’s easy to photograph models, but the really talented photographers are able to capture the same kind of beautiful fashion photographs of someone who is not in front of a camera everyday. If a photographer only has portraits of models, it should be a warning signal that they might not have experience creating fashion photographs with real brides, and it’s just not worth the risk.
In closing, know you are not vain asking for portraits of yourself. It’s the perfect opportunity to get great photographs that will last more than a lifetime. And, having a skilled photographer will guarantee that you look your best.