1. You don’t look silly! “Realize that even though you feel stupid while you’re getting pictures taken, they’re turning out great. If you can just laugh and go with it, the images will reflect your personalities and show the connection between the two of you. You can be in a crappy location, but as long as you’re in a good mood, your pictures are going to rock.” —Genya Garrett, Vue Photography, Panama City, Florida

2. Clean up your room! “If you want your ‘getting ready’ pictures to look their best, keep the place clean. That room becomes the basis, the background, for all of your pictures. If you have ten girls dressing and undressing in the same room, it will show in your photos. The room should be clutter-less. I get the best pictures when I walk into a room that someone has intentionally kept neat.” —Brian Dorsey, Brian Dorsey Studios, New York, New York

3.  Hire a make-up artist! Although you may be tempted to do it yourself, hiring a professional will pay off in the long run.  “Do-it-yourself brides look fine for the first hour or so, but then the makeup wears off. Or they wear very subtle makeup that doesn’t photograph well: Nothing pops.” —Cathy Short, Devonshire Photography, Wilbraham, Massachusetts

4. Photos First! If you don’t care too much either way, it may be a good idea for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony. “It gets the jitters out of the way and gives me time to get some fun, unique images. When portraits are taken after the ceremony, it’s hard for the couple to focus. They don’t want to miss the party!” —Sarah Maren, Sarah Maren Photography, Sacramento, California

5. May I have this *entire* dance? “Don’t cut your first dance short or have your bridal party join you halfway through it. This decreases the amount of images I can get of just the two of you during your reception. If you dance for the entire song, you’ll end up with more sweet, intimate photos.” —Alison Conklin, Alison Conklin Photography, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6. Light up the dance floor! There are so many images you want captured during a reception, and the lighting will play an important part in how the pictures turn out.  “Ask the DJ or band to light themselves and the dance floor. Or, if it’s in your budget, look into a lighting designer, who can add uplighting to the room and give it extra pop. Lighting makes the space look cooler and preserves the ambiance.” —Anne Ruthman, Anne Ruthman Photography, Boston, Massachusetts

For more wedding photography & video tips, visit Brides.com!

A friend of mine got married last month and she just sent me some pictures from the wedding. The back lighting in some of them was so amazing I just had to share them with you. It creates a vibe that is super dramatic in some pictures, and lighthearted in others… but each one unique! Here are some of my favorites! (I will have to find out who the photographer was, to give credit where credit is due…)

I loved this style so much I looked around online to see what else I could find. Here is a gorgeous back-lighted photo from Bloglalicious: a philipene photo odyssey. I love the blue tone in this one…

This one uses natural outdoor lighting, which illuminates the sky, but leaves the bride’s features in shadow. (from Flickr user katbphotos)

Here’s another beautiful bride from photo.net, this time with the natural light coming in through a window. The fact that it’s in black & white creates such a peaceful feeling of sweetness and anticipation…

This one is from Flickr user DARK-O-krizmanic, and I LOVE how their silhouette is barely lighted around the edges. Magical!

And a really fun one from digital pro talk… I love the red glow and the pattern reflected on the bride’s dress:

If you are a photographer and want to learn more about using this technique, you can visit the digital pro talk blog for more info. David points out that the light can’t be too close to the subject: The “magic” distance is from 12 – 15 feet behind the subject about 4 feet off the ground. There’s a lot of techincal talk about flashes, lenses, and shutter speed, which I don’t understnad, but I DO understand this: Back-lighting is one of the fastest, coolest ways to add “Dramatics” to your wedding images. This image is a “money shot” every time. Our clients love it.

I can totally see why they do!

Gaping tourist in the background, toting an “I LOVE NY” bags, for one thing!

Kristin Simonetta, pictured below, was originally planning a golf-course-clubhouse wedding in Jacksonville, her fiance’s hometown. But a city-girl at heart, Kristin just wasn’t excited and ended up moving the wedding to NYC, tying the knot in Central Park, with a view of Manhattan’s skyline. Before the wedding, they shot engagement pictures in Soho, on the Brooklyn Bridge, in Times Square, and walking down Fifth Avenue:

That’s what gong me thinking about city brides and all the wonderful options for urban photography. Here’s a chic Paris bride… “I think I’ll just run across the street and grab a cup of coffee…”

The good thing about the city is, there’s always a nice high wall to climb…

Forgot your tennis shoes?? No worries, you can just comfy up in front of the wall…

Yup, any old wall will do!

Dingy downtown office buildings–and puddles–add a pair of lovebirds for instant romance:

For a really interesting, colorful backdrop, try graffiti!

More walls, and a traffic-stopping pose too, if you please….

And sometimes, it’s not about the view, it’s about the angle!

Go ahead, now you can really give those construction workers something to hoot at!

Don’t forget a night-time city, all lit up… gorgeous, glamorous, and all-grown-up!

I absolutely love this photo! Rainy days PLUS big cities make for AWESOME wedding pictures!

And if it’s a big city, how will you get there? For the bride on a budget, there’s always the bus…

…or the subway…

…or a taxi cab!

The two basic styles of wedding photography are photojournalism and traditional.

Photojournalism: The focus is on action and spontaneity. This style has become increasingly popular in the past 10 years, and gives weddings a visual authenticity by capturing activity as it happens.

Traditional: It’s exactly as it sounds-posed, formal portraits. Pre-defined moments during the wedding are photographed to ensure the essence of the day is captured.

Combinations: Many wedding photographers are now offering a mix of styles, including photojournalism, relaxed traditional, high fashion and fine art.

Here are a few ways to get started:

• Explore online photo galleries and wedding photographer sites. Save photos that you really love.
• Combine these pictures with ideas from wedding magazines to form a visual collage. Print out online pages and paste them together with pages you’ve ripped from magazines.
• You can even create a personal wedding site, blog, or public photo gallery to post your bookmarked images and get friends’ and family’s feedback.

Once you have a good sense of the way you want your photos to look, you’[ll be able to communicate that to potential photographers, and allow you to start establishing a relationship with the person you choose.

You should feel comfortable bringing informed opinions to your wedding photographer. It’s OK if you are not exactly sure what style you want or are unfamiliar with the technical terms. But if you can discuss these things with a photographer and feel like he understands your needs and vision, that is a good start.

More photography advice from Shutterfly:

Part 1: Choosing your wedding photographer

Part 2: Planning with your wedding photographer

Part 3: Creating your wedding shot list

Part 4: Creating your keepsakes