Picture perfect - top tips on creating your wedding album
On your wedding day it’s important to be totally in the moment, savouring every single second. Looking back, it will all seem a bit of a blur. Later, when the excitement has passed and your feet land back on the ground, you’ll have a jumble of memories, along with a giant file of shots from your photographer. These need sorting into some kind of order to create a story you can share with everyone now and save for posterity. The best way to do that is by creating a wedding album. This is not quite as simple as it sounds - so in this post we give you some invaluable tips that’ll make the process, and the finished album, a joy!
Isn’t the wedding album idea a bit old fashioned?
It’s certainly something that was popular in your grandma’s day, and a few generations before that too. Film was expensive, every shot had to be developed by hand and the only way to display them was in an album. Now everything has gone digital wedding photographers can take as many shots as they like without the costs mounting up – there’s no film, no negatives, no developing. What’s more, hundreds of images will fit onto a tiny data stick and you can display them on your phone, your tablet or a digital photo frame. Sharing them is easy too – it just takes a click or a tap.
So why go to the bother of creating a book? Partly because you’ll want to assemble a smaller “best of” collection. You’ll almost certainly have too many to share with ease, some will be duplicates of the same moment and some will not be as good as others (someone blinked!). Furthermore, you’ll want to weave them into some kind of narrative, a story that shows how the day progressed and which includes all the main characters and events – this works much better than a random selection of shots with no apparent order. Last, but by no means least, you can’t beat having a physical book to display on a coffee table, something tangible you can go through with family and friends, a beautifully presented keepsake to bring out on your anniversaries. Clicking through images on a screen is not nearly as satisfying and an album is so much easier to pass around in social situations.
Let’s start sorting…
As you take your first look at the images just enjoy the memories they recall. Then, a little later, go through them with a more critical eye. Any you don’t particularly like (it’s not very flattering, the composition is poor…) and which are very similar, can be put in an archive folder. Next, review those that made the cut, placing your favourites in another file.
The next stage of the process involves group the images into categories: for instance, morning preparations, the ceremony, signing the register, group portraits, cocktail hour, reception, special moments (like cake cutting, speeches, portraits, dancing and the getaway). You decide the categories you want and how many shots you include in each. Just bear in mind that your finished album will probably only have room 50 to 100 photos.
Make sure you don’t leave out anyone important – people are easily offended! Also include images that capture the emotion of the occasion – the album should not just be a factual record for posterity but a story full of laughter and tears, hugs and kisses.
Once upon a time to happily ever after…
You are telling a story and the easiest way to do this is chronologically. Also try to mix formal and posed shots with candid journalistic style images that capture fleeting moments and expressions – this makes the narrative more visually interesting. Juxtaposing black-and-white or sepia with colour shots also works well. Another great idea is to include a few close-up shots of a flower arrangement, of a mouth-watering dessert or of a glass of bubbly.
Ideally you want to achieve a smooth narrative flow so that one part of the story leads seamlessly into the next. With this in mind include a few transition shots. For instance, a picture of you both walking away from the ceremony, hand in hand, links nicely to the cocktail reception.
Less is more
Resist the temptation to cram too many shots onto a single page. Some particularly meaningful or beautiful images should have a whole page to themselves. Others may look cluttered if you put more than a couple together. Then again there may be three or four that sit comfortably side by side.
Selecting the album itself
This may be your hardest decision – there are so many different styles to choose from. You’ll just have to go online and do some research. Our only advice is to consult your own taste!
Any other questions?
Hopefully this answers most of your wedding album related queries. But maybe there are some other aspects of wedding planning where you could a little help? The team at Clevedon Hall have a wealth of experience and knowledge that they are only too happy to share…so get in touch!