What is a First Look & Should You Do One

What is a First Look & Should You Do One

by | Feb 22, 2023 | Wedding Planning

What is a “First Look” & Should you do one?

The short answer to this is: YES!  Yes you should do a first look. There are many reasons why and lots of ways to do a First Look. In this post I will go over all of them and give you tips on how to execute an amazing First Look!

What is a First Look? This is the first time you are seen in your dress on your Wedding day. Traditionally it is you and your Groom seeing each other for the the first time, as he also will be the snazziest he’s gonna be for a long while! It is such a beautiful moment and can be one of the most emotional, fun, and photographable moments of the day!

While a first look is usually between a Bride and her Groom, anybody can join in on the fun. It’s ALMOST always the Bride, But who is seeing her for the first time can vary. I’ve shot first looks with her Dad, Her Grandfather, her Family and her Bridesmaids! 

Here is how it typically works. When you hire Joe Curry Photography, I have One Simple Package, this package includes a 2nd shooter. During Prep I am always with the Bride and her girls, and my 2nd shooter is always with the guys. My shooter and I are in constant communication. We usually have already scouted a location. If you have a spot in mind, please let your photographer know. The venue or planner may also know some good spots. I will always do my best to do as my Bride wants and ultimately will abide. That being said, as a photographer I’m looking at LIGHT. So we want to find a beautiful location, with a good background and awesome light. Next we have our 2nd shooter bring our Groom out to our location, positioned so that his back will be to his Bride. I will usually ask the bride who she wants me to focus on, her or her groom (or whoever the first look is with), my 2nd will focus on the opposite. Then we signal the bride to come. We always want the bride to take her time, smile, good posture etc, but mostly BE IN THE MOMENT! We will have discussed this ahead of time but when she has reached her Groom, she can tap him on the shoulder, wrap her arms around him, call his name, flick his hear or smack his butt, whatever she wants…and then the moment!! We snap away as these two see each for the first time on one of the biggest days of their lives. Maybe a Dad is seeing his little girl all grown up in a wedding dress, a grandpa seeing his first grandchild, who he used to hold and change, getting married! Maybe childhood girlfriends seeing that little fourth grader marrying the man she loves. No matter what, it is alway a genuine beautiful moment.

There are a number of other ways, other than walking up behind. You can be back to back, start with a first touch, and then turn around at the same time and face each other. You can be on two sides of a corner, on a wall, holding hands at the corner and then come around to face each other. Really anything works. We can be as creative as we want.

Now for some technical reasons why, as photographers, or planners, or venue managers, we LOVE a First Look. TIMELINE!! Bottom line is, if we do a first look directly after prep, that means we can go right into Wedding Formals (Family, Wedding Party and Couples Portraits), and we don’t have to squeeze ALL of these photos during cocktail hour, which in turn means you get to enjoy your cocktail hour!

Doing a first look opens up and completely relaxes your Wedding Day Timeline. It allows you to build in time for all the portrait combos you want. It takes away the stress and rush of having an hour or less to do all of these formal photos. It allows you to enjoy cocktail hour and maybe sneak away for 15 minutes just the two of you, you may even be able to have a Reception Room Reveal with an awesome Bride and Groom ballroom shot, because you aren’t somewhere else cramming in a million photos in one hour! One of the ultimate goals at Joe Curry Photography, is for the Bride and Groom to ENJOY the entire day as much as possible. We want to take away as much stress as possible. We want you, your groom and your friends and family to have an amazing day, staying present and savoring each moment, while getting fantastic photographs along the way. A First Look is an easy way to achieve this.

 

 

Here’s How New York Can Spice Up Your Wedding Photos

Here’s How New York Can Spice Up Your Wedding Photos

by | Nov 9, 2022 | Uncategorized

New York is a unique place with various opportunities for incredible photos. Here are a few ideas of how to best utilize the city for your wedding memories.

My ultimate goal is creating wedding photos that you’ll be proud to look back on. Luckily, taking those photos in New York City makes capturing those incredible moments almost too easy. There aren’t many places like New York that can give you amazing views and backgrounds to set up a photo with. Here are just a few ways that New York can spice up your wedding photos and create something that will bring those happy feelings back in an instant.

Incredible Views From On High

The verticality of New York City is one of its biggest draws for taking wedding photos that you’ll end up loving. Rooftop pictures give your wedding photos a gorgeous background that you just can’t get anywhere else. Whether looking up to the buildings around you or down on the city below, New York City’s height is one of its best features.

Nature and Civilization Combined

There’s a fascinating balance in New York City between the natural world and feats of human engineering. As strange as it may seem, that contrast between gorgeous natural vistas and sleek human-made ones offers up a ton of opportunities for unique photos. Central Park alone has enough different viewpoints to create an entire album of beautiful wedding photos.

Old School and New School

Another great way in which I use New York itself to punch up your wedding photos is by incorporating its old school charm with its modern beauty. While we usually think of massive skyscrapers and crisscrossing roads, New York is also one of the oldest cities in our country. This means it has plenty of historical sites that you can use to have the best of both worlds, both the old and new, in your photographs.

Big City Lights

Getting married around New York City and not taking advantage of the incredible lights that you’re afforded is practically a crime. Whether you’re already using the heights of the city or the more natural places, the lights of the city can create truly eye-catching photos that you can’t replicate in other places. I utilize the city lights to set up intricately detailed photos or create the best backdrop possible for a silhouetted masterpiece.

If you need a New York wedding photographer who can use the city’s charms to make your wedding photos better than you can imagine, allow me to introduce myself! Whatever vision you have for your wedding photos, I can make it come to life with memories that will last forever.

5 Fun Things To Do the Morning of Your Wedding

by | Nov 9, 2022 | Uncategorized

The morning of your wedding should be a time to start celebrating early! Here are a few ideas to make the most out of the morning before your ceremony.

Your special day has finally come, but the main event won’t take place until later. How are you supposed to deal with that kind of excitement for so long? Your brain might tell you that the morning of your wedding is a time of stress as you ensure everything is ready to go, but it doesn’t have to be that way! To make your big day even more enjoyable, here are a few fun things to do the morning of your wedding that will make the entire day memorable.

Meditate and Relax

When you wake up, you might begin to freak out a bit. Nerves and stress are almost inevitable after spending so much time planning your wedding. However, you don’t want your wedding day to be full of anxiety and worries when it should be about enjoying the occasion. Use meditation to help center yourself and stay in the moment during the rest of your wedding, rather than worrying about possible future issues.

Visit a Spa With Your Wedding Party

If meditating doesn’t work, it’s time to go all out on relaxation. A calming spa session for you and your wedding party is one of the most fun things to do the morning of your wedding. It’s also a great opportunity to spend quality time with the people closest to you on this important day. After a morning trip to the spa, you’ll feel so much more relaxed and ready to enjoy your entire wedding day.

Enjoy Your Favorite Breakfast

Many couples don’t realize that finding time to eat, even at the reception, can be difficult; everyone wants to offer their congratulations and catch up on other life events. Enjoy at least one meal on your wedding day by setting up a delicious breakfast spread for yourself and your wedding party. You’ll have more energy throughout the day, and it won’t be quite as vexing if you can’t sit down to eat dinner right away.

Have an Impromptu Photoshoot

Professional photos are what really make the memories last, but we all have the ability to capture moments that aren’t perfectly staged as the day progresses. Take plenty of photos of your wedding party as everyone gets ready for the day. Even if you’re not fully dressed up yet, you’ll want those candid photos just as much as the professional ones.

Start the Toasts Early

You obviously want to remember your wedding, but that doesn’t mean you have to restrain yourself all day. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two with breakfast to calm any lingering nerves. Also, this might give your wedding party the opportunity to warm up with a preliminary toast before they have to speak in front of everyone you know.

If you’re looking for a fantastic New York wedding photographer, Joe Curry Photography is ready to make your vision come to life and help you create memories to cherish forever.

The Dos & Don’ts of Preserving Your Wedding Dress

by | Nov 9, 2022 | Uncategorized

Your wedding dress is a huge part of your special day. Use these tips to ensure that it stays looking its best even after you finish the ceremony.

Most wedding dresses are gorgeous, expensive, and impeccably crafted, so there’s no secret about why you would want to preserve yours. There are so many memories tied up in that dress, and it would be such a waste to toss it after the big day ends! We’ll go over some of the dos and don’ts of preserving your wedding dress so that it retains its beauty for you or whoever you may want to pass it down to.

DO: Use a Reputable Cleaning Service

Not every cleaning service knows how to handle something as delicate as a wedding dress. Your regular dry cleaner likely won’t cut it. Taking your dress to a reliable cleaning service as soon as possible is the first step toward preserving it for the long haul. A cleaning service with experience in cleaning wedding dresses will be your best bet.

DO: Store Away From Light, Heat, and Moisture

While you should put your dress in a garment bag, that alone won’t be enough to protect it. Light, heat, and moisture will be your worst enemies, so consider where you plan to store the dress. Your attic is far too prone to these things, so don’t rely on it to keep your dress safe.

DO: Use pH-Neutral Materials for Storage

You’ll also want to cover your dress in acid-free tissue and find a place that is neutral in terms of pH balance. Even an environment that is slightly acidic can erode the delicate fabrics of a wedding dress over time.

DON’T: Hang Up Your Gown Long-Term

Hanging your dress up is a bad idea. Normal clothes aren’t left alone for years at a time, but a wedding dress that you keep on a hanger will lose its shape and put pressure on the seams. If you want to keep your dress the same shape, leave it off the clothes hanger.

DON’T: Rely on Plastic Dress Covers

In the dos and don’ts of preserving your wedding dress, this one tip is arguably the most important. Many people believe that plastic dress covers are safe to use, but that’s a myth. They don’t allow for changes in humidity, which can lead to mold growth, and they can fade over time, dropping particles onto the dress and exposing it to harmful light that can discolor it.

DON’T: Leave Your Dress Near Other Clothes or Fabrics

Dyes and fabrics from other pieces of clothing can have an effect on your dress if left near one another for too long. This is because of the extremely delicate materials that make up most wedding dresses. Keep it separate from other clothes and fabrics using acid-free mediums, and it will be fine.

On top of preserving your wedding dress, you’ll want to have beautiful pictures of your special day. Joe Curry is a professional wedding photographer in New York who understands the trials ahead of you. He can take your special day and turn it into everlasting memories that you’ll cherish forever.

Tips for Finding the Perfect New York Wedding Photographer

by | Nov 9, 2022 | Uncategorized

Looking to make your New York wedding absolutely unforgettable? You need the right wedding photographer to make those moments really come alive.

The only real downside that anyone should have to worry about on their wedding day is that the day will only happen once! Thankfully, you don’t have to let your big day simply be a memory to think back on. That’s where your wedding photographer can help. However, finding a New York wedding photographer that you can trust can feel like a “needle in a haystack” kind of search. To make it easier for you, here are a few tips for finding the perfect New York wedding photographer.

Search Through Their Work

When it comes to one of the most important days of your life, don’t rely on hearsay and recommendations from others. You need to see what a photographer is capable of for yourself before you can really make the call. Any photographer worth their salt will have an easy-to-find portfolio or website where you can look through their past work. Go with your gut and only choose a photographer whose work you feel a connection to.

Consider Their City Experience

There is a plethora of places to get married in New York, and you don’t want a photographer who doesn’t know how to make any of them look incredible. New York City, in particular, offers some unique challenges in terms of photography that not everyone can handle. Handling passers-by and working with the city’s unique lighting setup are skills that you’ll be glad your New York wedding photographer has honed in order to keep everything on track.

Match Up Personalities

Taking wedding photos shouldn’t be a stressful part of the procedure; they’re supposed to be fun! One of the best tips for finding your perfect wedding photographer in New York is to meet them beforehand and see how your personalities match up to one another. If they don’t seem like someone you can get along with, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere so that you don’t have even more stress on the day of your wedding.

Share and Connect Your Visions

At the end of the day, photographers are artists, and every artist has a unique perspective on each piece of work they produce. You likely also have a strong vision in your mind of the way you want your wedding to look and be remembered. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you make sure you and your wedding photographer’s artistic visions coincide well with each other. A wedding photographer who insists on their vision rather than your own for your special day is one you want to avoid.

If you need a skilled wedding photographer in New York, Joe Curry Photography is at your service. We want to make your vision of your wedding come to life and give you plenty of photos that will bring those elated emotions back to mind every time you look at them.