In order to make your wedding images as beautiful and memorable as possible, it is very important to take a few things into consideration. Many people forget that the time of year, the time of day, and the location will have a great impact on your photos. It is very important to take these things into consideration when planning your big day.
Your photographer will do his or her best to get great images, but a very dark church or a nighttime wedding can make it nearly impossible to capture those beautiful moments. Typically, if you are getting married outdoors, the sunlight is the most favorable 1-2 hours before sunset (also referred to as the golden hours). If your wedding is in the middle of the day, the sun will be directly overhead causing harsh shadows on your face. The photographer can use fill flash to help this problem BUT the pictures will still not be nearly as beautiful as if you had your wedding at an early evening time when the sunlight is golden in color and skims across the scenery.
Typically the temperature outdoors is also more favorable for you and your guests, as having a midday wedding can be hot and straining on the eyes. Finding the correct time for your ceremony is easy, as exact sunset times can be found for any city in the United States by doing a quick search on the Internet.
Another issue can be a dark church or a winter wedding. Many churches do not allow a flash to be used during the ceremony and if the room is not brightly lit with sunlight, capturing sharp beautiful photos becomes nearly impossible. Your photographer again will attempt to make the best of the situation by using expensive lenses and equipment, but many times even this is no match for a dimly lit church. Winter weddings can also be less favorable because all photos will need to be inside with artificial lighting. The scenery outside will be grey and desolate, which will not make for a pleasing backdrop.
If photographs from your wedding day are important to you, be sure to plan your wedding day accordingly so that beautiful images are able to be easily captured.
