These bridals were taken at Tahitian Noni at the Riverwoods. Beautiful place: only draw back is the timing. 5-7. Both good and bad. I wish they would give you at least until 7:30. But I am grateful it is available. Mandy is beautiful inside and out. Again McKray her son, was only available for 3-4 shots. That was all that he had on his schedule. What a bummer. I have a hard time with digital getting the details on the dress. Sometimes they get blown out, especially in the full length. I will have to take a class or two on that subject.
When you have a bride with a sleeveless gown, sometimes the dress tends to "gap" at the top. I had Mandy twist towards me so it wouldn't be so noticable. You will see on this last photo I didn't have her twist. I was more concerned making sure it was sharp because I was across the pool, and my "escort" of Tahitian Noni was waiting for us to be done. It was 7:02 p.m. Two minutes past our time. She so wanted this shot and it really turned out better than I thought. I just wish I would had remembered to have her turn slightly. It still has a beautiful reflection. One thing to watch for is what is reflecting close to their head. The step in the bottom of the pool was really close. You as the photographer need to adjust for that.
One thing I learned from a portrait class was making sure the bride dipps her wrist. Have her bend it in towards her. It will appear smaller and not to grip the flowers, but to relax the hand. Make sure the arm has a slight bend in it. It relaxes her. Those are for the shots that she holds the bouquet down along the side of her. When shooting above the bride, make sure you watch what you are shooting down "into". I had Mandy raise her flowers, just to the top of her dress. Mandy tends to wrinkle her forehead. If she smiles naturally, her forehead relaxed. Don't be afraid to remind them and get them to laugh a bit. The photos aren't so stiff.
Make sure the bride relaxes her shoulders and lowers them. This will elongate her neck. Placing the weight on the back leg, when standing, the shoulder closest to you will drop, giving you a longer line and a happier bride. (Take a look at the difference between the center large photo and the small photo just above it with her son and see the difference between her shoulder lowered and the the one with it raised. Now, I realize I was at a different angle, but I was paying too much attention to McKray and not her shoulder. I definitely would have had her drop her shoulder and rolled it back!) They really need to stand or sit taller, especially right through the lower back. This gives them a longer body and beautiful lines. Oh.... Always learning.
