Below is the full transcript from the video which can be found here.
Hi! It’s Andrew Hellmich from Impact Images.
In today’s short video I’d like to give you a few options to consider, in case it’s raining on your wedding day. We are going to particularly focus on the photo-shoot part of the day.
In my last video I talked about options for wet wedding ceremony and the good thing about tonight’s options is very similar to what we discussed at the wet wedding ceremony. The only real difference is you need to love the space for the photo-shoot when you do for the ceremony, we don’t have to worry that has in or covering 90 to 100 guests.
One thing a lot of people don’t understand or brides don’t understand is we don’t need very much cover to get great photos and the main thing is that you are dry and happy and smiling and enjoying the day. If that’s the case, your photographer’s going to get great photos, no matter the weather conditions. Whether your indoors or out, it’s going to work, but for the actual photo-shoot if you want to be outdoors and it is raining, you don’t need a lot of cover. It’s just as long as you and your bridal party, are protected or partially protected then you will be fine.
As a photographer, I am happy to staying out in the rain. I can have someone hold an umbrella for me and I am happy to shoot. I am not worried about my gear, I am not worried that my clothes getting wet. If you enjoy your day, like I said, if you are enjoying it, I’ll get great photos no matter what.
So let’s have a look at some of these options.
Option 1 is umbrellas and they’re good for a light drizzle or small amount of rain, and with your umbrellas your photographers would have those for you and your bridal parties and that should be matching, that should look great in the photos and they would have given that some thoughts when they purchased those umbrellas for the weddings.
If your photographer doesn’t have umbrellas, you might find the car hire people do. They may not match, as well as if a photographer bought them for you. I would just check those things when you are booking a photographer or even once you have booked, check if they are prepared for rain. If not you can go ahead and make that purchase and have those umbrellas. I am sure they won’t go to waste and you are going to need something there to protect yourself if you really do want to be outdoors for your wedding photography and there’s a chance of rain.
Option 2 If you are having a coastal wedding, say Central Coast or Newcastle, there are so many surf clubs around, dotted along the coastline there. There’s so many news ones as well, lots of them are being renovated lately. There’s some brand new ones being put up as well and there are usually some photographic options around the surf clubs. All you need are some eaves to give you some protection. They normally have, the newer ones have some brightly coloured walls and stainless steel railings, which all look fantastic in photos.
The older surf clubs usually have a bit of charm and I think they look great too. Honestly, you don’t need a lot to get great photos, as long as you’ve got a little bit of cover and you are smiling, we are going to get great photos. The surf clubs are a good option.
Option 3 Hotel foyers – another great one. It’s actually more than foyers, you can use hotel hallways, they usually have beautiful lighting – window lighting coming in from the sides, which is great. There’s usually areas around the outside of hotels, which also work well.
Again, if you have a look at your area where you are getting married, just check out the local hotels. And when I say hotels, I am talking things like Crowne Plaza and the bigger hotels. You will find again, lots of glass, stainless steel, areas of large walls, coloured walls, which is going to work well without too much signage.
Just take a good look around for what could be a good option. If you are looking for somewhere to stay that night and if you have booked one of the nice hotels, you will definitely have access to that hotel. Some of the hotel, will not let you in for wedding photos unless you are staying there. But you can certainly use outside and around the hotels.
Option 4 Bridges. A lot of people will turn their noses up at this option but it does work well, particularly if you are going from one area to another, say from your ceremony to the reception. There can be road or rail bridges and one that springs to mind is the Brian McGowan Bridge at Gosford. It has a great, outlook over Brisbane Waters. There’s boats moored out there. You’ve got a fantastic outlook.
The lighting is very tricky for the photographer because you will be standing basically under the bridge out of the weather so you’ll be in quite dark light and with a brightly lit water view. So your photographer will have to know how to shoot with off-camera flash, possibility video light to balance the two different light intensity’s.
There’s also plenty of texturethere and there’s going to be some good options with any of the bridges. You are going to have lines, which look great in photos – diminishing horizontal and vertical lines which look great. So yeah, good option.
Option 5 Train stations – there are plenty on the Central Coast and Newcastle. Natalie from Impact Images Newcastle, did a fantastic bridal shoot at the Newcastle Train Station recently, which is featured on our blog, that you can check for ideas. Again, there’s train station dotted all over country, all over Newcastle and the Central Coast that will be perfect for your wedding photographer.
You may have to get permission to go into the main stations but with the smaller stations you can just walk on and shoot away. If it was me photographing your wedding, I would proceed straight on to the bigger stations and shoot until we got asked to leave just to make sure that we can get the photos that we want to get.
Option 6 Apartments are another wedding photography option around the Central Coast and Newcastle as well. You can generally use the rooms themselves if you have access. They are some really nice rooms. I am thinking of say, The Star of the Sea Apartments at Terrigal. You will find there may be a foyer area which will work well, and they also have some special areas or rooms.
Take ‘Star of the Sea Apartments’ for example, they have a pool room which is like an old styled library, very dark, moody, great lighting, and they have some outside areas with great outlooks – lots of trees, palm trees, you can still see Terrigal Haven and the beach in the background.
So as long as your photographer again can balance that lighting difference, you will get great shots no matter the weather. So have a look at around where you are getting married. See if there are any nice apartments, that may be an option if you are looking for somewhere for your guests to stay or for you to stay that night with your new husband.
Option 7 Town streets and shops – can work really well? You have to be a little bit careful about the shops that you feature in the background in your photos. Look for fashion type shops and streets and cafes, and they are going to look really nice in your wedding photos and they are going to work well.
Obviously you want to stay away from budget-style shops and takeaway’s and things like that because they are not going to add anything to you or to your photos. Unless your wedding photographer has the skills to crop those sort of thing out when they are shooting. They may have to get a little bit of hight to avoid those distracting background signs.
We always get some great shots through town and there’s usually plenty of awnings and cover there. You have to be a little prepared for people to be around you and watching you and watching the shoot if you stay in a bus place for your wedding photos. You will be the star for the day if you are somewhere in the middle of town.
Some brides love it; some hate it. Same with the grooms, so you have to discuss that with your bridal parties and see whether they are up for that. If they are, you will get some great wedding photos.
Option 8 Multi-storey buildings – have areas around the outside, particularly the entrances and the foyers. You don’t need a lot to get great photos. It’s just that little bit of cover. Some of them are done up really nicely.
They may have some great artwork, sculptures or really cool designs. You won’t usually need to get permission to get into these foyers and surrounding areas. You can walk straight in, as long as you’re not all being rowdy and taking alcohol into those foyers, you’ll be out to take photos – no problem at all. So have a look at for those.
Option 9 Private homes – If you know someone or you have friends or an acquaintance or someone that can get you access to a beautiful home, you are going to get great wedding photos. Look out for homes with fantastic, open plan interiors and landscaper or modern exteriors where you can get a little bit of cover.
I am thinking of beach homes. It could be country homes with stairs with the big bull-nose verandahs. There’s going to be lots of options there. If you pick somewhere nice, that looks nice to you, your photographer will get great shots. You are obviously going to have to have some contacts to use this option.
Option 10 Municipal buildings – like court houses, council buildings – anything with sandstone which looks particularly good, especially in wedding photos – a nice contrast to the wedding dress and suits.
There are plenty of buildings littered around the Central Coast and Newcastle and they will often have a little bit of cover, which is all that’s required.
Option 11 Hunter Valley Wineries – there are quite a few wineries that will offer you enough external cover to get some wedding photos outside, and they will also have barrel rooms, tasting and sales rooms. These will all look fantastic! Even the wine-tasting rooms and areas all look great.
One little issue with the wineries though is you will have to pay to use their facilities for photos. Sometimes you may have to buy a case or two of wine; other times they will have other charges above and beyond that, particularly if you are going somewhere else to have your wedding ceremony or reception. If you’ll be just turning up for photos, definitely expect to be paying something to use those facilities.
A little bit of research, a little bit of a drive around, if that’s where you are having your wedding and you will find something perfect for your Hunter Valley Vineyard wedding whether it’s raining or not.
A professional wedding photographer will be a huge asset if you have rain on your wedding day. That’s really the one day when you don’t want to have an amateur photographer or someone that’s learning the ropes. If you have a skilled photographer, they’ll just take it in their stride, and like I said a hundred times before, if you are smiling and having a great time then you are going to get great photos – as long as you have a good wedding photographer.
They will be dealing with the light. They will deal with the weather and they’ll concentrate on taking great images and keeping you happy. If you are happy, great shots every single time are simple.
I hope that’s been of help. If you are looking for more hints, tips or advice, drop over to our blog, it’s impact-images.com.au and I will be back with another video sometime in the next week or two.
Okay great! I’ll see you then. Thanks! Bye.
