Archie Fulton Photography is one of the fastest growing photography companys in the Yorkshire area and 96% of bookings are by word of mouth.
I have been photographing people for as long as I can remember, having got my first camera aged ten as a Christmas present. I love phototography this bring life to already interesting items.
Informal and reportage photographs, usually providing a mixture of all styles. We focus on telling the story of the day, recognising that this calls for a commitment of time and energy.
We work with our couples families to capture the spirit of the day, whilst ensuring that we get those essential shots to record everybody there.
The following few paragraphs sum up what is mostly discussed at the first appointment betwen photographer and client!
Tips and Hints
It is your wedding day, you have spent an immense amount of time, money and effort on the arrangements.
You have your dream dress, your make up is how you’ve planned it and your hair is perfect.
The day goes marvellously and you excitedly wait for your wedding photographs. A number of weeks later they arrive, and you’re disappointed. The photos in print do not match how you felt. Why?
There are a number of reasons that this can happen, and some of them are down to the photographer, who should always look for the best pose, the best light and the best composition.
However there are ways of taking some of these factors in your own hands. So let us look at what you can do, to match how you feel, to how you look.
The Dress
1. Choosing a Dress
When you are choosing your dress be honest with yourself. Take a friend with you who is known for being a little blunt and whose judgement you trust.
Mums are a great help, but the hardest Mum will struggle not to be moved, when they see their daughter, trying on the emotionally charged gowns. The shop assistants can be good or bad, but even if they are excellent they do not know you, they do not know what suits you or how you move.
So the blunt friend is the best option, someone who is used to you and familiar with when you look good.
2. Dress Colour
We have photographed white dresses, ivory dresses, blue dresses, purple dresses, red dresses, red and white dresses etc..etc… There are many options other than just white.
Be honest about what colours suit you. Colours are very particular to skin tone. Do not choose a dress that works with your natural skin tone and then fundamentally change your make up or spend 3 weeks on the sun bed. If you do the dress will not look the same on the day.
When trying on dresses you are advised to wear the type of underwear as you will wear on your wedding day. This rule applies just as well to skin tone.
If you get the opportunity then try and see your dress under natural daylight, as this is usual light for your photographs.
3. Dress Shape
I am not going to talk at this point about pear shapes, hips and busts. I am not an expert on the right type of dress for the right type of body shape. If you want this advice I can put you in touch with an extremely proficient dress maker.
Instead I am going to talk from a photographer’s point of you.
Forget fashion, go for the right dress not the “in” dress. As photographers, we think about the overall shape in the pictures, how the skirt flows, how the shape and size of the dress balances the pictures.
The areas that we have difficulties with are busts bursting over the top of the dress and throwing the shape out, skirts rising up when a bride sits down, skirts that catch and throw the hem line out.
An interesting point is that in group shots or more distant shots, detailed beading can be lost. If you are won over by a dress that has the most intricate patterns across the bust line, bear in mind that whilst the photographer will do their best to bring them out, by using the light, they will only really be visible on close bridal portraits.
So again I emphasize the importance of the shape and flow of the dress. This will be the overall lasting image.
4. Strapless or Not.
Strapless dresses are currently very fashionable. Do not be scared to buck the trend if it is not right for you. Strapless dresses are about shoulders and necks. When photographing a bride in a strapless dress the shape that dominates is that of the shoulders.
Consider whether you have got the right shoulders for a strapless dress. Consider how broad, or narrow shouldered you are, do you stand straight or curve. Consider whether your neck is long or short, and whether the dress emphasises it correctly.
Strapless dresses are beautiful, but unforgiving, there is nowhere to hide.
If a strapless dress is right for you then consider the bust line, again bearing in mind the photographers mantra of shape and flow. Consider the size and shape of your bust, does the dress flatter.
A nice trick is to squint slightly and see how the shape looks.
This prevents you from being distracted by beautiful detail and focuses on the shape.
You might want to consider double sided tape to keep everything in place.
Do not get me wrong, I think strapless dresses are beautiful, and we have sensational photographs of brides in them. I merely warn that because something is fashionable does not make it suit.
When the fashion swings back to straps and sleeves as it will, I will be rewriting this section, issuing the same warnings about strapped/sleeved dresses, because in the end it is about finding a dress that suits YOU.
5. Style of Wedding
It is worth considering that the style of wedding and the style of dress go hand in hand.
My final section on dresses is about how the choice of dress will determine, to an extent, the nature of the photographs and therefore how your wedding is represented.
Remembering always that we photographers are drawn by light and shape, composition and environment.
We recently photographed a marvellous wedding in a barn, the bride bucked the trend and wore a pale blue, rustic dress. It matched the environment and suited her. The photos are slightly unconventional but they work. We focussed on rural environment with greens and browns and an informal and intimate approach to the portraits.
A good idea is to look through magazines not just at the dresses, but where are those dresses set. Another recent wedding was in a Tudor college, the bride wore a classic, elegant full length dress in white with a full train. The bodice was covered with lace and she had full length laced sleeves. The detail showed beautifully. She wore a full veil and the balance in the pictures matched the environment perfectly.
If like me and many others you are getting married in the local registry office, this is not a reason to tone down your dress. Not unless you want to. Firstly each registry office is different and has an individual character. Secondly you are wearing the dress for the whole day and the whole event. Thirdly, remember the dress can set the tone of the wedding, so the wedding is as grand as you wish it to be, wherever you are getting married. In my experience registry office weddings suit pretty much any style of outfit, as do churches.
Veils
Veils have been out of fashion recently, or have often been worn at the back of the head. The advantages of veils are that they can be used to balance the dress and frame the face. The disadvantages are that they can hide the face and need managing in strong winds. Although a veil blowing behind a bride can add real movement to a picture.
My only comment on veils is that if you feel you look good in a veil or that you simply would like to wear one then do so. Don’t be put off by bridal magazines, they often will not feature a veil because it will hide the detail of the dress they are selling.
If you do choose to wear a veil then go for it, embrace it, don’t be embarrassed by it. They are beautiful, and they can make brides look beautiful.
Practice
You might feel daft wandering around your living room in a full wedding outfit, but you will feel a lot more comfortable on the day, if you have practiced. If your dress isn’t available get an equivalent. We have wrapped a sheet around someone before now to help them get use to the weight and feel of a sizable dress. This behaviour will dramatically increase your ease on the day. Play with your hair up or down. Grab a pretend bouquet and think about where you are going to hold it and how you are going to hold it.
We can offer practice and preparation sessions if a bride would like this, where we take demo photographs and the bride herself can see what works and what doesn’t. A friend or mum with a disposable camera can be an alternative to this.
Practice walking, practice standing, how you hold your head, how you turn your head.
When practicing standing, try not to be full on to the camera as this is the least flattering pose, angle yourself a little, turn your head a little, put your weight slightly on your back foot and …click….get someone to take a picture. Look at the picture, does this pose work for you?. If not try a slightly different angle, a different tilt of the head and …click.
Another area to consider are hands. Aim to hold your fingers out elegantly. If you are resting your hand on someone’s arm, rest your fingers down or up the arm rather than around it. You can practice where your fingers will lie on a bouquet.
Just getting back to the bouquet and where to hold it. This will depend upon the type of bouquet. Long flowing bouquets look lovely flowing down a dress, or rested slightly on one arm and flowing across at an angle. Posy type bouquets can look particularly nice held slightly on the hip, particularly when the bride is at an angle.
Have a look through magazines and consider where the brides are holding bouquets, then stand in front of the mirror and try it out.
The Groom
It is time to groom the groom. If your groom is willing to play ball, then get him to practice as well.
There are 2 main areas that a groom can struggle when they get in front of the camera;
the first is standing up straight. Often embarrassment can lead to a lean or slope.
the second is what to do with their hands. This becomes a lot easier once they are married because they have a bride to wrap them around.
The groom should practice standing, preferably in front of a mirror or his bride to be. For formal photos, hands in pockets do not work. The hands in front can tend to look like a player, in a wall facing a free kick. In truth hands, hanging at the side work best. To relax with your hands hanging straight can be hard, and this is where practice helps.
The End
Now this all seems a lot to think about, particularly when you have a whole wedding to organise. There is, of course, lots more that we could tell you, but there comes a point when you have to just get on and enjoy your wedding. If you choose a good photographer, then they will be looking out for all these factors and will be gently guiding you on your day.
The final thing that we say to all of our couples, before we start the day is;
“We are here to photograph you. We will take photos regardless of how self conscious or embarrassed you feel as that is what you have asked us to do. As this is the case, it is best to accept it and just enjoy it.”
They seem to and so do we Trust your first instinct with your photographer
What our customers say
John & Mandy Trirt
"Right from the first meeting we knew we had made the right choice. He was professional, imformative and creative in his ideas. On the day, he made us feel special and it just added to the occasions. At the end of the reception, Archie let the guests see his work on the laptop and all we impressed with style and creative aproach. He is top draw so grab him now".
David & Joan Appleby
"Just a quick note to say thank you for the fantastic job you did for us on our wedding day. We loved you and so did our guests. The photographs are stunning, we are really please how you captured the day - very natural and exactly how we wanted them"
Drew & Susan Ferris
"Archie came highly recommended from my friend's wedding 2 years before and he didn't disapoint. When we first met Archie he discussed things he would do for us on our wedding day, exactly how we had discussed wanting it. The day went smoothly with all of the day and evening guests commenting on how good he was and how relaxed they all felt. Thanks Archie for helping to make our day so special"
Neil & Alex Sunner
"Archie came highly recommended and lived up to his professional reputation. We were told in great detail before the event about the different packages and options available. On the day Archie was punctual, courteous, made everyone feel at ease and the results are truly wonderful photographs, a mixture of very personal, spontaneous shots and more formal group pictures which we will cherish forever".
Darren & Elizabeth Allsworth
"Archie was speaking to the guests as if he had known them for years.He even helped my best man and I with our ties and flowers.The wedding photographs he took were exactly how we imagined them. The normal formal ones and plenty of natural shots that we asked for. Thanks Archie for helping make the wedding day special".
