Kelly Niemann Photography: wedding photographer

Look at all that food!

Rebecca and Huan cutting their cake

Cheers!

The Groom's family

All the sisters! And Mom!

Tiramusu cake... sooo good!

Goodness! There was so much good food!

Yes, that is a real pig. Roasted. Almost the whole thing.
I found out it is a Vietnameese traditon for the groom's family to bring the pig as a gift to the bride's family. The bride's family in return gives the head and the left hind shank (I think) back to the groom's family to show that they appreciate their gift, but they want to share since they will all soon be one giant family!

Homemade eggrolls!

The "guys" table in the game room. They were getting a little rowdy!

And that's not even the WHOLE family!

Some of my favorites photographs from Rebecca and Huan's engagement party... (you can tell I had trouble selecting my favorites) What am I saying? I loved all of them!

I must say, this had to be the most fun that Chad and I have had shooting! It started out crazy. The ceremony was held at Rebecca's parent's home and even though they have a big home, it wasn't meant to hold 70+ people!

There was so much food and so much of it was made from scratch! I must admit, I was a little timid to try some of it, but what I did try tasted fabulous. (I can highly recommend the bar-b-que quail and curry chicken with french bread at the Chateau de' Nguyen.)

I took a lot of photographs of so many people and their kids, their families, and their extended families. How often do you really get that big of an family together? Not until this December when Rebecca and Huan tie the knot! Congratulations guys!!!

Mark Parker, a fellow photographer wrote a wonderful article about Wedding Photography that I think every bride should read! I'll try to post helpful tips like this from time to time.

Thanks Mark!

Brides Guide to Better Wedding Photography
by: Marksbrides.com

I’m sure you already know that choosing the right wedding photographer is more important than choosing the right groom. (Just kidding). Getting the right photographer is important, but there are lots of things that YOU can do to ensure that your wedding photos are as good as they can be.

1.Pre-Wedding Photo shoot.
Having a pre-wedding photo shoot can improve your wedding pictures more than anything else you might do. Think about it, your photographer is VERY comfortable on his end of the camera. The time you spend with your photographer in front of the camera will help you become more comfortable being the subject. Try to get to know your photographer. Have fun. Be crazy. Let’s face it; those "magazine bride photos" that you have been looking at do not happen all by themselves. They are well planned, rehearsed, and the photo that you finally see in the magazine was probably picked from hundreds of photos. The more time you spend with your photographer, the more likely it is that he will capture that one special moment that only happens once.

2.The Pose.
"Chin up, a little to the left, shoulders back, stand on one foot, hold your breath…hang on…don’t move. " Any photographer worth his salt should be able to pose you in an elegant and attractive position. Do you know the reason for all these the contortions? By lifting your chin you banish the double chin. Holding your elbows away from your body reduces the apparent width of your torso and accentuates the bosom. Shifting your weight to your rear foot cocks your hips into a position that gives you a sexy curviness. There are many other little tricks your photographer may teach you. Just listen and he will not lead you astray.

3.Hair and Makeup.
Your wedding day is not the right time to experiment with makeup and hairstyles. Be sure to plan a separate day to have a hair and makeup "dress rehearsal". If you plan to wear a headpiece, use this time to make sure that it will fit with your hairstyle. If you plan it right, your photographer may be available to take some formals on this day too.

4.Props.
Give you photographer the tools he needs to be creative. When ordering flowers for the wedding, be sure to order an extra single rose, boutonniere, ribbon or other inexpensive items that the photographer can use in your photos. Don’t forget to have a copy of your wedding invitation that he can incorporate into the detail shots of your big day. Photos of wedding rings with flowers, invitation, maybe even your shoes and garter can really add to your album.

5. The Bouquet.
How should you hold a bouquet? In a single word.. DOWN!! Never hide your thousand dollar dress with a hundred dollar bouquet. If you’re a five foot bride, do not order a 3 foot cascading bouquet. It’s going to be a long day. By the end of the day, you will be wishing that your bouquet was smaller, lighter, more durable, and maybe even artificial. And if it’s too big you may even injure your guests during the bouquet toss.

6. Backgrounds and angles.
Remember, your wedding day is all about you. Many times complicated backgrounds in your photos distract the viewer’s attention away from the bride and will take away from your photographs. Keep backgrounds as simple as possible. Interesting angles are what keeps the images of a professional photographer from looking like the images of "Uncle Joe". Everyone knows what a wedding looks like from 5 feet 6. You may see your photographer lying on the ground or climbing trees. Don’t laugh at him. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.

7.Lighting
When choosing your venue and time of day, keep lighting in mind. If your wedding is outdoors, the best light happens 1-2 hours before sunset. If your wedding is indoors, try to avoid buildings with high dark ceilings and few windows. Since natural light will look much better in your photos, try to plan your wedding when the room will be the brightest. By the way, photographers hate fluorescent lights. They make you look green.

8.Single Use Cameras
Lots of people use them and they seldom work. You may get a few good photos here and there but don’t expect too much. You’ll probably get a whole camera full of photos of Cousin Skip’s girlfriend that you hardly know. Your three year old niece will probably take a lot of pictures of people’s belly buttons. And if anyone gets tipsy at the reception you may get a lot of photos of the ground, shoes, or eyeballs (from holding the camera backwards). Your photography is best left to professionals. Well that’s it for "The Brides Guide to Better Wedding Photos". Congratulations on your big day. Now let’s make those memories last!

Mark Parker is a Birmingham Alabama Wedding Photographer. His work can be seen at MarksBrides.com.