Copyright 2009 – Scott Todd

So during my photoshoot, last week, I wanted to try something new and here’s the result.  I wanted to create a modern bride type pose and at the sametime capture some of the moon up in the sky.   I like the way this picture came out and I’d like to make a few tweaks the next time I try it.

What do you think about this picture, do you like it?  I look forward to hearing from you.

Copright 2009 – Scott Todd

Okay, so I added the image above because it’s one of my favorite from the shoot last week, but here’s the problem, there’s another picture that is very close to this one, so I thought I would post them both, and get your opinion of which image you like best, think of it as election day!

So what do you think, which image do you like best, #1 (Above) or #2 (Below)? The winning image will be added to the rotating slideshow on the frontpage of my website (http://www.stoddphotography.com), so I’m counting on you to help me!

Until tomorrow, happy voting.

Copright 2009 – Scott Todd

Copyright 2009 – Scott Todd

As a wedding photographer, I’m always looking for some way of adding new images to my collection, here’s an image I took last week at an incredible Orlando park.  This is a typical wedding bridal portrait that I included with a Signature Level 1 Wedding Collection.  This portrait session gives you the ability to capture the beauty of your gown in a setting where your not worried about getting it dirty. If you like the idea of a trash the dress session,  but don’t really want to trash the dress, a bridal portrait is a great alternative.

So here’s another wedding video that’s become a YouTube sensation.  For Jill and Kevin’s wedding they decided to change up the traditional walking down the aisle and make it a dance down the aisle.  If you haven’t seen it, you can check it out here.

Just to the south of Orlando and past Walt Disney World is an incredible resort perfect for a wedding ceremony and reception.   The Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate features elegant ballrooms perfect for a reception of any size and lush tropical outdoor grassy area overlooking the golf course in the shadow of this awesome hotel.

The outdoor grassy area is also the perfect place for an outdoor wedding reception.

If you are interested in a Trash the Dress photo session [Link] the day after your wedding, the lazy river and pool area at the Omni makes the perfect back drop.

Also, remember that Saturday’s are typically very popular wedding days for a resort like this, so if you have flexibility in your schedule be sure to ask them what their rates would be on Friday or Sunday [Link].

When you contact the hotel, please be sure to tell them where you heard about their location.

Click here to see more Images taken at the ChampionsGate [Link].

Don’t become an Orphan Bride

It’s sad to say, but there are many brides out there that are about to become Orphan Brides. In case you’re not familiar with the term, an Orphan Bride is someone who gets married and their photographer only gives them the pictures on a cd or dvd. We photographers call this type of photographer a “shoot and burner”, because they shoot the wedding, burn the images to a disc and are gone. Rarely do these “Shooter and Burner’s” edit, crop, or organize the images. Once the wedding is over, the bride gets a disc filled with images just as her photographer promised, however in most cases, she has no idea what to do with them.

But can’t she just take the disc to Wal-Mart and have them printed?

Yes, however, in the majority of cases, this never happens and here’s why. During a typical wedding, a photographer will probably take 1,500 – 3,000 photographs. Not all of these photographs are usable and many are duplicates. The duplicates are made to ensure that we capture the perfect image, everyone’s eyes are open, everyone has a smile on their face, everyone is happy, etc.

With all of these images, it becomes a very time consuming, labor intensive process to sort through these images looking for the keepers. In fact, a professional photographer will probably spend 1 – 3 hours after the wedding, sorting and organizing the images in order to deliver you the usable images. So faced with the thought of all of this work, most brides fail to ever get their disc filled with images developed as they thought they would.

What if I have this Disc with Images?

If your photographer has given you a disc full of images and you need help organizing, sorting and editing, please contact me and I will be happy to help you get your images printed or organized into a photo album for you.

That’s it for today. Scott

dwmvhtbqn9

Copyright Daniel Krieger

This is an awesome image captured by NYC Wedding Photographer Daniel Krieger and one I really like.  The picture captures a nice moment between these newlyweds and sends a nice message at the same time.  The picture also illustrates how with a little planning and working with your photographer, you can remove one more thing from your post wedding to-do list and that’s order thank you cards.  Here are the 4 simple steps needed to plan this:

The first step is to plan this kind of picture before the wedding by telling your photographer that you would like a thank you picture added to your photo list.

Second, you’re going to need the sign, so you need to plan and order the sign at least 2 weeks before the wedding.  Personally, I like the simple and elegant “Thank You” message shown in this picture.

Third, you and your photographer will need to choose the location; it could be in front of your church or venue or in another location close by your ceremony or reception area. 

Finally, you will need to determine how you want this image printed.  There are three potential ways to order these.  You could order them as postcards (4×6, 5 x7, or 4×8.5).  Postcards would be ready to mail, simply write the message and address on the back of the card and mail with no envelope.   You could also order them as greeting cards (5×7).  You’ve seen them during the holiday’s, your picture is on the front, there’s blank space on the back, put it in the envelope, address and mail.  Finally, you could get them in a folded card (5×7), the picture is on the front, and then there’s blank space on the inside for your thank you message.  You would then place them into an envelope, address and mail.

Because the picture is taken during the time you have your photographer, the only incremental cost would be for the printing of the thank you cards.

Here is my basic prices for these items:

• 24 – 5×7 photo cards – $29.95 (includes Envelopes)
• 24 – 5 x 7 Postcards – $39.95
• 24 – 5 x 7 Greeting Cards – $79.95 (includes Envelopes)

If you are interested in this type of service, please let me know when we are discussing your wedding package and we can add it on and then you can cross another thing off your list.

Well, that’s all for today – talk to you soon.  Scott

Rent a Wedding Cake

Yep, you’ve read it correctly, Rent A Wedding Cake.  You can actually rent a cake from this company [Link].

Here’s how it works,  the company will provide you with a wedding cake covered with fondant.  But instead of being made of cake, it actual made with a foam center.  Inside this cake is an area for you to store a small portion of your real cake.  After you feed the cake to each other, the foam cake is taken to the back and the real cake, which is most likely a sheet cake, is cut and served to the guest.

According to their website, a three layer cake can be rented for about $175 plus shipping.  I’ve never seen this done, but I guess it could be a way to save money and have the look of an elegant cake at the same time.  So, I’d love to hear from you, is this something you would do?

Disney World’s Tips for a Wedding on a Budget.

On this 2 minute video, a wedding expert from Walt Disney World gives a few tips to help you save on your wedding while still having a magical experience.  Some of her advise includes:

Think about what you are serving to your guest.  Instead of a large meal, consider heavy Hors D’Deuvres.  I was at a wedding a few years ago and the couple did just that.  They planned their wedding for 2:00pm, the reception started at 3:00pm and ended around 5:30 – 6:00pm.  The only food was Hors D’Deivres.  This is a good idea if you are on a budget and don’t want to spend all your money on food.

Be flexible with the time and day.  A Friday or a Sunday wedding will probably be less expensive than a Saturday Wedding.  Most weddings take place on Saturday, however, most vendors are open and available on other days.  A wedding on a day other than Saturday is like a bonus opportunity.

Ask your Florist what flowers are in Season.  Flowers that are in season are readily available and are less expensive then flowers out-of-season.

Explore Non-Traditional Venues – While the video discusses a wedding in EPCOT’s France, this advice could  also be used for a reception at a resturant like 310 Lakeside [Link], which has an outdoor area overlooking Lake Eola.  This would be a great place for an outdoor reception for a smaller wedding.

Well, that’s it for today, talk to you soon.  Scott

So the wedding is over and now it’s time for some fun in your beautiful wedding dress.  A popular post-wedding photo session is the “Trash the Dress” session.  The thought of actually trashing your wedding dress may seem strange, but in reality, the dress only gets wet and / or dirty (the two things you want to avoid most on your wedding day) and can easily be cleaned.  So read on how to plan the perfect trash the dress photo session.

When to schedule it.
A Trash the Dress Session can occur anytime.  You can choose to do it directly after the wedding reception (rare), the day after the wedding ceremony (more common), or after you return from your honeymoon (most common).  Some people even schedule it for a time on their honeymoon, so if you are coming to Orlando on your honeymoon, I will be happy to take your trash the dress photos.

When scheduling your trash the dress photo session, you will most likely want to schedule it for the golden hours of photography, which is the first and last hour of sunlight in the day.  This is the time of the day when the sunlight is the least harsh and the sun produces more warm colors and the light is diffused making the perfect time to capture these beautiful pictures.  If these times are unavailable, then you can schedule it for anytime, especially if you are working with a professional photographer who can work with the light to capture the perfect shots.

The Location
One of the great things about a trash the dress photo session is that it can be held anywhere.  The beach, your home swimming pool, the hotel pool, or anywhere else you can think of.  The options are endless, so let’s be creative and together we can find the perfect spot.

The Bride’s Attire
In most cases brides will wear their actual wedding gown for the trash the dress session, however, in some cases you may not want to actually trash your original dress, so you could purchase a discontinued dress or even wear the dress from your rehearsal dinner.

For this photo session your shoes don’t have to be fancy; in fact, if you are going to take the pictures on the beach or in a pool, then bare feet will work.  One important thing is your jewelry; wear all your wedding day jewelry and we’ll capture some great pictures of them.

In most cases, the hair and makeup will be done by the bride.  If you want it done professionally, then it is possible to get it done for a discount or free if you find a make-up artist willing to provide services for free in exchange for picture they can use in their portfolio.  This option would require you to sign a release for the make-up artist and for the photographer to be willing to release the images.  If you are interested in having this done by a make-up artist, please let me know when you book your session and I will be happy to help you find a make-up artist willing to provide the services for free.  I will also release the images for the make-up artist to use in exchange for helping you.

If you want a bouquet, then check with your florist when ordering your wedding flowers.  The bouquet for the trash the dress photos should be very simple and you could easily pick up a good one at a low price from the grocery store.  Publix always seems to have a nice selection.

The Groom’s Attire
Grooms could wear their tuxedo especially if the trash the dress photos were being taken the day after the wedding ceremony.  If it’s scheduled for a time other than the day after the wedding, then you could approach the tuxedo shop and ask for a low price loaner for the session.  The other option is for the groom to wear more casual clothes, maybe dress pants and a dress shirt.

One Last Tip
Remember, these photos are casual and fun.  Unlike the wedding formals which are very structured, these photos are relaxing for both the bride and the groom.  So relax, enjoy the opportunity to goof off and you will have a great time with your trash the dress photo session.

Are you ready to schedule your Trash the Dress Session?  If so, complete the contract form below and we can plan your dream trash the dress session.

Talk to you soon – Scott.

Take a look at this picture.  Here I am on my wedding day!  I’ve just gotten in the car and my father-in-law is driving me and my bride to our wedding reception. 

There is a great story to this picture and whenever my wife and I see it, we laugh about it – it’s one of the funny wedding memories we had on our wedding day, so let me share with you the story.

After our wedding pictures were completed, we walked out of the church and got to my father-in-law’s car, he wanted to drive us to our reception.  My wife got into the left side of the car and with her door open, the photographer positioned himself to get that classic shot of the bride and groom in the car.   I walked around to the right side of the car and as I was getting in the car, my wife asked  me to hurry up, so trying to get into the car quickly, I slammed the left side of my head into the car door frame and at the exact same time, managed to close the door onto the right side of my head, thus sandwiching my head between the door and the car.  I sank into the seat of the car, smiled for the photographer with the best, I’m not in pain look I could muster, and then crashed in pain as we drove away.

To this day, my wife and I smile everytime we see this picture because we think back to that painful event (the door slamming, not the wedding)!

There are many little special moments that occur at weddings and that’s what I try to capture in my pictures.  I may not know every backstory, but you will and it’s a great pleasure for me knowing that you will get many years of enjoyment from your wedding pictures and many stories you can share with your children and grandchildren.

 Now here’s a great video clip of a wedding photographer helping his clients create and capture that moment they will remember forever.  

So, what will your special moment be? 

That’s it for today – Have a great weekend.

Scott