I was recently contacted by Lake Erie Living Magazine, a local magazine that specializes in writing on topics that relate to anyone living near the grand shores of our wonderful lake. In an upcoming issue, there will be a nice little piece on outdoor wedding photography locations and tips for lake Erie wedding photography – certainly something worth picking up if you’re a bride (or photographer) in the Cleveland/Toledo Area.
Being a photographer in the area, and one whose been fortunate enough to snap some nice shots at some local lake Erie photo-venues, I was happy to help them out with their piece. There are quite a few nice places to shoot at in the area, and I’ll be blogging on those later. But if you’re interested, here’s a snap-shot of some of the information I provided them for their piece.
Below is my response to their question on “What tips can you give on getting that perfect beach-shot?”. I thought these few tidbits of advice might prove helpful to you, whether you’re a bride getting married in the area, or a local photographic professional.
- Other than having a skillful and creative photographer, the best tip I can give to a bride is to relax and have fun! It might be my personal style, but I tend to encourage creativity and spontaneity, rather than trying to force a photograph. I’m somewhat opposed to “canned wedding photography” – photography is art, and I love when a bride and groom want to paint the canvas with me. In light of that approach, trying any and every idea that you come up with together, is always the way to go.
- The best thing a couple can do to get any sort of perfect shot is to choose the right photographer, one that is skilled, experienced, but most importantly – that they can be themselves around. Good pictures come from a couple being comfy with their photographer, feeling free to be themselves And a good photographer knows how to bring out a couple’s unique personalities in an image.
- Breaking out of the box – always good. There are some really typical beach shots out there… and anyone can replicate them. My goal on the beach (or any time with artistic portraiture) is to come up with a few shots that stand out from the crowd. My big goal is to someday find a couple that is willing to bring furniture (couch, armchair) out on to the beach with us. What fun (not to mention cool pics) that would be?
