After several years of working in the wedding photography business, and portrait business, I have learned a few tips and tricks to looking amazing in your wedding photos.

Have you ever noticed how some instagram stars like to share portraits of them looking slim and fit, then a second later sharing a photo of them looking like they have an enchilada baby growing in their bellies? That’s because they know their body and what angles they look best in. They know the tips and tricks of the trade. Below I am going to share some of those tips with you.

The basic way to look good in your images is to feel confident and to consciously think about your carriage (how you hold yourself). When you feel confident in your photos, you will look confident. As for your posture, pretend there is a string attached to the top of your head and someone above is pulling it up. Below, I will bread down some common body concerns for men and women.

Arms:

As a wedding photographer, I work with a lot of clients who find themselves holding things (ie flowers) in their hands. People tend to relax their arms and push them into their bodies. This flattens your arms and makes them look bigger than they really are. The easiest way to prevent this is to be conscious of your elbows. Make sure your elbows are NOT touching anything.

Curves (boobs & butt):

This is fairly simple. If you want to accentuate your curves, you need to think about your spine as the “S” that it is. Push your chest out while pushing your butt out at the same time. You should really feel this in your lower back. You can angle your body slightly to the side of the camera to make sure the camera sees your curves. Never face the camera dead on if you want to accentuate your assets. Ladies, it’s also important to pop a knee in your photos. This will help to offset your angles and really accentuate your curves.

Tummy:

Pretty much everyone is concerned about how their stomach looks in pictures. I know I defiantly am. For women, if you are taking photos with your fiancé, turn perpendicular to your partner (ooh I just used middle school math!) then press your bellybutton into your partner’s hip bone. If you are taking pictures by yourself, you can use the same “S” shaped spine idea as above in accentuating your curves to make your tummy disappear. In general, we have bad posture. When you straighten your spine your entire carriage lifts and stretches (stretching your stomach as well).

Broad Shoulders:

To broaden your shoulders, first square yourself with your wedding photographer. You are facing each other head on. Next, straighten your posture and (like in the arm section above) make sure your elbows are not touching anything. This pose also helps to slim your tummy situation.

Remember, be vigilant in maintaining your posture during your wedding portraits, or for any portrait really, and be confident! You look amazing, so feel it and show it.

Engagement season is upon us. I love getting to travel around Houston finding new and exciting locations for portraits.

We have traveled throughout the Greater Houston area to seek out some great locations to take engagement portraits.

After several years of photographing engagements and portraits in the area, we have come up with a list of our favorite:

For an edgie/grunge/hip feel: The Graffiti park off of 59 and Leeland, on the East side of Downtown. The location is always hopping with people taking video and photos. I have taken a few couples here for their engagement portraits. Another location is in Richmond, just over the Brazos river there is a location that butts up against the train tracks that I love shooting at. This location is great because it has so much. You can take pictures by the tracks, the buildings in the area are all different colors and textures.

For a green/garden feel: Herman Park has a lot to offer. There are a few locations in the area that are gorgeous (especially when the azaleas are blooming). Some of the parks in the area require a permit to take professional photos at, however.

If you are looking for a more forest like look: by me is Jones Creek Ranch Park, but also one of my favorite locations to take engagement portraits is at Memorial Park (which is where my parents were married).

For a country/rustic feel: The Fullbrook neighborhood entrance (in Fulshear) has some rustic structures, however I am always looking for rustic locations. If anyone know’s of a barn with wooden fence and maybe some animals, I’m always game.

Hey Y’all! Let’s talk about types of wedding photographers.

No, I’m not talking about journalistic vs posed. I’m talking about the monetary types. There are 3 different types of wedding photography payment plans out there. Make sure to do your research and ask as many questions as you can from your potential wedding photographer before booking them.

1. There is the type of wedding photographer who charges everything up front. They tend to look like the more expensive photographer, because they do not charge anything on the back end. Sort of like flying Spirit Airlines vs Southwest. These are the Southwest airlines of photographers. They offer prints and digital copies, and usually their package information is spelled out very clearly. I am a believer & practice this method.
2. There is the Spirit Airlines version of wedding photographer. This photographer looks cheaper from far away, but as you start adding amenities the price starts adding up. You may be charged for the photographer to be there and a small number of digital images from your wedding, then you can add digital images and print images for a price. This is a perfect photographer for someone who just wants a few cherished moments from their wedding and are on a tight budget. Be careful, make sure to ask up front before signing any contracts how many images you get with their package, and exactly what comes with it.
3. The last type of wedding photographer is a hybrid of #1 and #2. This photographer offers a standard package with most of the amenities you get from the #1 type of photographer, however they also offer reproductions and wedding albums on the back-end with an additional cost. They may tell you they will give you all of your edited images, however you may have to pay to download them or have them printed.

The most important thing is to consider what is most important to you, and make sure to ask all the right questions. Would you like to know what to ask photographers? click on the link below to go to a previous blog post about it.

What questions should you ask your potential wedding photographer?