How to Choose the Best Venue (and get the best pictures)

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST VENUE (AND GET THE BEST PICTURES):



In this section, I will detail some things for couples to keep in mind, from a photographer's perspective, when planning weddings.

One of the first questions couples ask me during a meeting is if I've been to the location they're getting married at. Having shot well over a hundred weddings and hundreds of episodes of television on location, if your chosen spot is in the Los Angeles or OrangeCounty area, the answer is most likely yes! I have shot at golf courses, beaches, California missions, every style of church, public gardens, restaurants, hotels, even Duke's in Malibu!

Weddings take place at all times of the day- mornings, afternoons, sunset, when it's raining, when it's 111 degrees in Woodland Hills, in the sun, in the shade. People get married all the time. My favorite weddings are the ones where the couple finds the right spot that is perfect for them!

I was putting together a set of images for a 2011 brochure this week and found a common theme in the images that had the most impact- they were all day exterior weddings in the shade in some sort of garden. One couple, Emily and Derek got married at the Kyoto Grand downtown which has a beautiful rooftop garden, a few others were from a ranch in San Juan Capistrano, one was from Descanso Gardens (one of my favorite choices) and various others- all outside. As a general rule, portraits outside are going to be the nicest. Portraits inside can often look sterile and staged.

What makes Descanso Gardens my favorite? I've been there a few times at different times of the year and the pictures always turn out beautiful, with the exception of the rose garden, believe it or not. Why? The pavilion faces west and the sun barrels right down into the lens (not a good thing!). It is incredibly difficult to shoot a wedding there at sunset because there's nothing you can do to get around the angles of the sun. It's worse than the beach at sunset!

Oh, yes, the beach. Nothing is more romantic than a walk on the beach, holding hands. Couples always want to go to the beach for engagement pictures or sometimes for wedding pictures. The problem is that unless it is overcast, the pictures are will have a great background, but the stars of the shot (the couple) won't match up. With too much sunlight, pictures look washed out, even with a great photographer. There's no protection from the sun and everybody is going to sweat! To sum all that up; when planning ceremony or portrait shots, keep in mind whether or not you will be in full sun. Pictures with filtered light always make for more flattering pictures.

So what else do I, as a photographer, want in a venue? Variety. My goal in a wedding is to keep it moving, shooting a little here, a little there, groups in different places, families in another. That way there's lots of choices and the colors are saturated. The great thing about a public garden is that the depth of plants and trees blow out really well on a long lens- you can get a nice blurred effect in the background that couples often like. Golf courses are usually fantastic places to get married because of the scenery.

Again, there are lots of trees and everything pops against the green grass. Another beautiful place to get married is somewhere like California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles where there is lots of texture in the buildings and everyone is in the shade. So when you look at potential venues, keep in mind whether or not there are multiple places to shoot. You want a great mix in your pictures, not every portrait in front of the same backdrop. Despite the popular magic hour people aim for, only rarely do brides and families get together to shoot portraits precisely at dusk when the sun is long in the sky. No matter what, I'm always going to photograph people in the shade so that way the light is filtered and soft on the skin. Using a camera flash is also pivotal in getting excellent portraits during the day.

Another nightmare for your photographer is a busy venue that backs couples up one after another with precious time at the site. There are a handful of locations in LA that do this because they are beautiful and popular to get married at. I won't name them, but I would tell any couple to find out the venue's photograph policy ahead of booking. Some chapels won't allow your photographer to shoot you coming down the aisle or to move around to get the best coverage of your ceremony.

Some venues give you a very short amount of time to take portraits before you are ushered out the door to make room for the next Happy Couple. Think about your priorities when booking- what pictures are important for you to have as keepsakes? Are you okay with a shorter length of time at an historic venue? You've spent a lot of time planning and it seems a shame to be rushed out the door.

Daytime receptions or a dusk cocktail hour are great! After a ceremony, I like to fade back a bit and shoot on my long lens for candid portraits. These close-up shots of faces, expressions, movements and gestures are so telling of the personalities of the guests. I love to shoot these shots. They always look fantastic and genuine! But again, there's got to be some light to shoot freely and not have to worry about a flash distracting your guests.

For your reception, the photos will more journalistic in nature. The most important thing for your reception is that you enjoy yourself. Your happiness will come through in the pictures, and that will make every one of them memorable.

So, that's my advice on choosing a venue. Choose a place that's pretty and with lots of natural light so that you will have a variety of shots.