If you're a wedding photographer, you probably already have a survival kit in your Kelly Moore.  This post is more for newbies, especially those shooting in the summer.  We all have a love/hate relationship with the summer wedding.  The good things?  Longer daylight hours for those romantic portraits, gorgeous outdoor locations, pops of luscious color, etc.  The bad things?  It's hot.  Sometimes the sunlight borders on garish.  Your bride and her attendants have sweated through their make up and their hair has fallen flat, making any shots after the initial ones less than stellar.  And worse-you stopped looking like the calm, cool professional you are well BEFORE the portraits...mainly because you've been running around for the last two hours shooting details.

I can't help you (or me!) with the weather.  But I do have a few tips for staying cool and a little more polished. :)

*Wear casual, summery clothes while shooting the details.  I wore a little sundress at my last wedding and no make up, which made it easier to get ready from scratch before people arrived and I had to look pretty.
*If you have long hair like me, invest in a stylist if you're not good at your own hair!  I would've killed for a French braid during my wedding shoot last weekend.  It's a way to look polished and sleek, and no matter how much you sweat, your hair will retain its shape, and you'll end up with charming little wispy tendrils instead of scraggly pieces.  I've already booked a hair appt for such a braid (a fishtail, if you're curious) for my next wedding. :)

*Carry some essentials in your gear bag.  You'll notice in the posted pics that I have all the emergency basics (which aren't just for me-I've had them on hand for the bride in case she forgets her own emergency kit!)...

The Basics:
Bandaids, a pair of scissors, tweezers, make up wipes, tissues, a hairbrush, those adorable mini Wisp toothbrushes, floss for when you've grabbed a snack (like my favorite peanut butter crackers which give the right amount of carbs, protein, and sugar to keep you going), Qtips, cotton balls, hand lotion, an extra pair of contact lenses and eye drops (God forbid you lose a lens!) and a small pharmacy which includes Benadryl for any allergic reactions (bugs, food), TUMS, and Tylenol for headaches.

The Hair:
A brush with a few ponytail holders (for a quick ponytail, braid, or bun)...a cute headband or a jeweled clip to add a sense of occasion to your hair if you've not had a change to put it in a special style befitting a wedding.

Makeup:
Mascara, blush (just in case your cheeks aren't rosy enough at this point!), eyeshadow for a day to night look, chapstick, and my favorite, the lavender undereye concealer in the likely event that you didn't sleep much the night before the wedding.

But wait-that's not all!  (I sound like an infomercial!)  :)

My Summer Essentials:
*L'Oreal HydraFresh Toner (put some in a small vial...refresh your skin with a dab of it on a cotton ball to keep you cool and prevent breakouts)
*L'Oreal PhotoReady Primer...it's a color correcting primer that you can use as a foundation.  It's light, and it neutralizes redness.
*Garnier Nutrisse Gel Roller...Why?  Because it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  It's a gel roller that is the size of a pen, stays cool and the roll on serum is a cold, caffeine filled anti puff beauty that not only prevents/helps the little eye wrinkles that come along all too soon, but that literally makes you feel cooler and more refreshed all over.  It's my staple for ALL big things, but it really comes in handy during the craziness that is a wedding.

I hope this has helped new photographers prep their own emergency kits.  Being prepared for anything (and not just camera emergencies) really makes a difference.

I'm heading back into my own little editing place, excited about next week's blog on _special day. :)  Have a wonderful Thursday!

Bethany & Dave's rehearsal dinner is tomorrow.  TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Which makes their wedding in 2 days.  TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ok, that's a lot of exclamation points.  But I'm excited.  It's funny, because most engagement shoots and then weddings happen over the course of about a year.  In this case, I met them in February and had a mini shoot, then did their formal engagement pics in May...and here we are in June, getting ready for the wedding.

But as excited as I am about their upcoming nuptials (and the fact that my fancy schmancy rental equipment will be here in a matter of hours), this post is about something different.  It's about post production, and the variety of options out there.

Since shooting professionally, all my photos have been edited with Adobe Photoshop Elements.  I'm self taught, and I've always been able to do everything I've wanted to do in Elements.  While I'm sure the full PS program is vastly superior, it's too rich for my blood.

It's funny that you never know what you're missing until you finally have it.  A trial of Lightroom 3 showed me glimpses of the Promised Land.  It was still a little pricey for me.  BUT...Lightroom 4, which just came out, was infinitely more affordable for me.  And I bought it, and it made editing Ashley & Hon's wedding a few weeks ago a dream.

The photo above is from Bethany & Dave's Harpers Ferry engagement session in May.  It was initially not included as it was similar to another photo which I'd chosen to edit and showcase.  But on a whim a few days ago, I decided to edit it in Lightroom.  What emerged was a soft, flowing, beautiful photo that I'm extremely proud of.  The light was so harsh and unforgiving on that day, but using program tweaks in Lightroom, I was able to edit it in a way that made me happy.  

I then grabbed another RAW image from that day, and edited the photo on the left using PSE, and the photo on the right using LR4.  Perhaps to the naked eye the differences are not overwhelming, but to me as a photographer and editor, they are worlds apart.  The light on the right side is caressing instead of sharp, the colors dreamy, and the overall effect a much better representation of the setting and the couple.

PSE is invaluable to me for the actual retouching of an image, like fixing a blemish or making something go away in any given photo.  LR4 also has those features, but they are still foreign to me at this point. :)

I am not a technical gal, so I won't say anything more.  For me, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words.  Next on my list is to get a set of Kutuba actions that I can use for various effects that I'd like to have in my bag of editing tricks (like the antique/vintage wash that done manually with layer upon layer takes ages for me in PSE)...and then a whole new world of fun will be opened up.

For me, I use PSE and LR4 in harmony with each other.  And they make perfect sense. :)

Please direct your warm and blissful thoughts to Bethany & Dave this week...I am so honored to be a part of their special day(s) and can't wait to post their images next week!  Have a great weekend! :)

I LOVE when I figure out how to do something technical.  I built my own website, and I was really happy with how it looked, but it drove me crazy to not have pull down menus.  Half my work had to go off to the side in a "more" drop down, which made it look sloppy.  Yesterday, I buckled down, did my research, and figured out how to make pull downs...woohoo!  I restructured some of the categories, and reloaded pics that had been stamped with my logo...and voila!  I have a much more user friendly website. :)

I haven't shot a photo or edited in two whole days, which feels like a lifetime to me.  Instead I've been catching up on really bad tv and eating ice cream. :)  And taking my usual pics of the laziest (but cutest) doggies in the world! 

This weekend I have a session of Natural Treasures by Deb's jewelry collection & headshots...this will be my third shoot for her.  

And then next Saturday...ASHLEY & HON'S WEDDING!!!  I am so excited...this will be a very modern wedding look in a beautiful traditional setting...outdoor patio with lovely gardens and trees, and the reception inside a two story barn strewn with twinkle lights.  And most importantly, a gorgeous young couple who love each other, laugh together, and compliment each other perfectly.  Can't wait!

Next week I will be featuring a wedding photographer based in Jacksonville FL AND the DC area...she's amazingly talented and I can't wait to introduce you to her! :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic and safe holiday weekend! :)