As a photographer, one of the most important things I tell my clients is to get enough shots of the two of you. When you look back in 10 or 20 years, the pictures that will be most valuable are a) family portraits- yes the necessary evil, and b) pictures of the two of you on this amazing day. Now, I know, getting to the cocktail hour, and enjoying your friends seems so much more crucial. But trust me when I say you will want a plethora of images from your first moments as husband and wife- and you wont want them to include tons of other people! Some couples choose to do a first look, which can be great for so many reasons, and will be addressed in another blog post, post ceremony shots are filled with so much emotion. You have just said your “I do’s” and now its time for just the two of you. Its my favorite part of the day! For many of my couples, this time of day is at sunset, and if its not, then I suggest we head back outslde for some sunset stuff. Why you ask? Isnt there something as too many images? Well, as a photographer, my answer to that is no, but lets talk about the basics first.

The #1 most important thing to any image is LIGHT. The meaning of photography is literally “painting with light”. And there is a saying in the movie industry thatv sunset is the “golden hour”. Nothing looks as magical, as perfect, as glowing, as two people in love at sunset. Now, that being said, there are two kinds of images at sunset- flash and non- flash. I am a big believer in giving my clients both styles, but there is no question, images with flash are deeper, usually more colorful, and well…show the sky!

sample #1 {yes, #1 is an outtake, and no, my client won’t see it…well unless the look here. But I wanted to show the EXACT same location and the EXACT same time}.

These images were taken at the exact same moment…ok, well 30 seconds apart. The one of the left is taken with flash, and the one on the right is all natural light. Do both of them work? Sure! Are both of them exposed correctly? Yes, again! But, to me, the one on the left and such depth, and color, and captures what it looked like to be on the beach and looking at the sky.

Now, sample #2

While these are different poses, again, you see the sky in the image on the right. This image also has some back lighting, to give a little depth to the brides hair. Again, no right or wrong, just different, and why I want my clients to have both. But, I also want to make sure they get outside to have the option!

So, if you are getting married, I highly recommend some sunset light, and a tad bit of flash- what a difference it can make in the photos you will look at most now…and ten years from now!