Maui Wedding Photo Tips

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Here are some wedding photo tips by Hawaii Photography to prepare you for the best Maui wedding photography.

#1 – Tan Lines

If your dress is strapless or shows your chest at all, think about what style of bathing suit you will be wearing the week before your wedding. If you are planning on tanning at all, wear a strapless bathing suit top to prevent stark tan lines. It will be VERY evident in your wedding photos if you have bright tan lines.

#2 – Invitation

Bring your wedding invitation so the photographer can get some pretty shots of it with the rings or flowers. Make sure you or a bridesmaid lets the photographer know you have it for photos.

#3 – Ring Exchange

During the ring exchange in the ceremony, slip on your partner’s ring from underneath. Keep in mind that your photographer will be trying to capture this great moment. To capture this, it is good to hold the ring from underneath and slightly open it up to the camera. Not too much like you are posing for it, but just a bit so you’ll get a good memory of it for your wedding album.

#4 – Smile!

Keep in mind that your photographer will be taking candid-style photos throughout our time together. Keeping a smile on your face will give you many more happy pictures of your special day.

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#5 – Attractive Angles

By lifting your chin a little bit you banish the double chin. Holding your elbows away from your body reduces the apparent width of your torso and helps with any upper arm width. 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 or she may have some good ideas.

#6 – Makeup & Hair

Your wedding day is not the day to experiment with new makeup or hairstyles. Be sure to plan a day prior to the wedding 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 hire a professional for makeup and hair, try to do a test run. If that is not possible supply an example photo. Be very descriptive in what you want, or else you might end up with a look you don’t like at all.

#7 – Wind!

Maui is a very windy place. Be sure to test out your hairstyle in the wind. If you can’t do that, use extra hairspray. Some brides end up having their hair in their face for all the photos. That’s not very good for the wedding album. A good rule is to opt for an updo instead of having your hair fly around all day. Usually, updos are set in place by pins and hairspray so you won’t have to worry about it. You might end up with a calm beautiful day, but I wouldn’t count on it.

#8 – Aisle-Way

If you will not be having chairs on the beach and having your guests stand around you for the ceremony, it is a good idea to keep an “aisle-way” between the group. It makes for much better photos of the ceremony, of both the two of you and the entire group.

#9 – Time of Day

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 or at about 8:30 or 9 AM in the morning. Sunset time will give you the hopefully nice sunset colors in your photos. Morning time gives you the blue water and blue sky in your photos. If you hold your wedding too late in the morning or in the early afternoon, you will probably get photos of you squinting and sweating. If your wedding is indoors, which is uncommon in Maui, try to avoid buildings with high dark ceilings and few windows.

#10 – Designate Organizer

Your photographer will be ushering people to take photos with you two, but if you’d like certain photos with certain friends and family, it is a good idea to have someone, who knows who is who, let people know when it is their turn. Since your photographer does not know who is who, they cannot easily do this. I suggest making a basic list of variations you’d like and designating the duty to a groomsman or bridesmaid who knows everyone. It goes much smoother if someone other than the bride and groom can take charge so you two don’t have to worry about it.

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#11 – The Kiss

This is the moment of all moments at a wedding. Many couples talk about what kind of kiss they will do for their “First Kiss”. Many couples agree that it should be classic and clean. With that in mind, they usually cut it short, making it very hard for the photographer to capture the quick kiss. Most photographers prepare for this moment in the right position, but sometimes a guest might stand upright in front of them to get their own shot, or the couple might turn to a weird angle suddenly. To help your photographer capture this shot no matter what, try to linger for at least a few seconds. Not to make your grandparents uncomfortable or anything, but just enough to make sure you’ve got a great romantic image for your kids to see in the future.

#12 – Your Photographer

(Written by Maui Information Guide)

You want to choose a photographer that’s right for you. Some only do traditional posing, others focus too much on candids. Your best bet is to go with someone that does it all. After all, you probably want a variety of photos to choose from. Call around and ask questions. Ask if the featured photographer will actually be your photographer at your wedding. Sometimes they send another photographer trained by the main photographer. Ask what kind of camera they use, and their experience in photography. Anyone can throw a website together and call themselves a photographer. Really look at the variety in their sample photos and choose a photographer that you like.

#13 – Photographer’s Personality

(Written by Maui Information Guide)

Get an idea of the photographer’s personality. We’ve all heard stories of the rude wedding photographer. Try to go with someone who doesn’t turn your wedding into their own personal photoshoot. The photographer needs to be everywhere at once but stays as unobtrusive as possible.

Our favorite Maui wedding photographer is Natalie Brown. “But she advertises on this website,” you may say. True, but the reason we recommend her is because of all the positive feedback we’ve gotten from her brides (she is not paying for this.) From personal experience, we know that her work is some of the best quality photography on the island. She also manages to remain a pleasure to have at your wedding, even under pressure. Natalie Brown has an eye for detail. She seems to capture all of the often-overlooked things which you spent so much time working on. That’s her gift: taking photos that a bride wants and making them gorgeous.

Your Maui wedding photography is something you don’t want to take a chance with. Make sure that the memories captured for your wedding are taken by a professional like Natalie. Call her for more information at 808-344-3843.