Group Wedding Photos

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Getting a really good looking group shot at a wedding can be a challenge.  First, you have to gather all the right people in a timely manner and you will also have to light it correctly.  Oh, and your family probably aren't trained models so they will want to bunch up behind each other awkwardly.  Fear not, my assistant and I will remedy this for you.  Modern wedding photography has enabled us to break the rules a little, but we still want to have images that look cool for the bride and groom as well as grandparents alike.

The large group above is from my latest wedding this past New Years Eve at Bethel Church in Crown Point.  Here is how I approached putting together this large group.

• We had a shot list for the bride and groom to fill out and were expecting a large family to gather for a formal photograph.
• We placed the bride and groom in the center and tried to make sure they did not leave this spot.
• Close family (parents, grandparents, etc.) were placed closest to the couple.
• Kids were placed on the stairs and told to sit as they can get restless otherwise.
• The more senior people were brought in last so they didn't have to stand too long.
• We carry studio lighting with a softbox and reflectors to make sure everyone is lit and can be seen.

If there is one thing I try to avoid for family photos or wedding party images is what I call "the bad office party" photo.  You always see these in newspaper of the company newsletter.  This is where everyone rushes up and people are bobbing behind one another and are often hidden.  I like to have people gather around something.  

In this photograph below from the choir loft at the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University, I clustered the groomsmen and bridesmaids around the piano as well as the bride and groom.  The maid of honor and the best man are sitting while everyone else stands to signify that they are of importance to the bride and groom.

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If I can't find anything to have the group gather around, sometimes I'll just get up high and have them look up to me.  I stood on a ledge for the above shot at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.  The sun was bright at this September wedding and putting the wedding party in this low spot also took them out of the blinding rays of the afternoon sun.  We were also able to capture the beautiful lake at the same time.

The scene below is from an outdoor wedding at Marquette Park Pavilion off of Lake Michigan in Gary, Indiana. The idea here was to capture the lagoon in the background and the wedding party leading up from the steps pointing to the stars of the show- the newlyweds.

As you plan your wedding or are filling out the shot list I provide to you, here are some tips to remember:

• Put a friend / family member in charge of gathering together the people you want in your group photos.
• Make sure the people who we will be taking pictures of know in advance that they are expected to be in your wedding photos.  You'd be surprised how many people wander off after the ceremony.
• We shoot very quickly.  However, group photos do take some time so let's schedule that in.  
• Let's plan on changing scenery after awhile.  Imagine a wedding album with the same background with different people.  After a few pages like this, it can get boring.  I want to give you a variety of backgrounds if possible.  Even if it just means walking a few feet away.
• Let's photograph your family first (the largest groups) and work our way back down to the to of you.
• Don't forget couple's shots!!  I like to whisk away the happy couple for some romantic shots alone with no distractions if possible.  It's also important for the two of you to have a chance to breathe and just be man and wife for a few minutes.

If you have access to some cool props such as this vintage convertible, let's include it in some shots.

Landmarks are also a great use for wedding group photos.  The image below has the replica of "the ruins" at Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.  I also stood on a step tool to give myself some height for a unique vantage point.

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New Years Eve Wedding Sneak Peek

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Allen and Jessica's New Years Eve wedding took place at Bethel Church in Crown Point, Indiana and the reception at Andorra Banquet Hall in Schererville, Indiana.  The above montage is the ceremony site inside Bethel with the New Years couple's first kiss superimposed onto the video screen above the archway.

Today we have a sneak peek of the wedding day with many more images to follow after the newlyweds return from their honeymoon.

The day began with Getting Ready sessions in another area of Bethel Church.  The girls had a room all to their own and is where I found these bride and groom teddy bears...

The flower girls were a happy bunch even if mom overruled them on choice of hairstyles!!

Allen and Jessica's elegant wedding program highlighted the special New Years Eve occasion...

The happy couple as they exchange weddings rings during the the final wedding ceremony of 2011 at Bethel.

We braved the cold on the way to the reception for some wintery wedding photos in front of the Christmas tree in downtown Crown Point.

The couple's family did a great job of decorating the entrance to Andorra Banquet Hall in Schererville.  We borrowed some of their Christmas ornaments for the ring shots...

Allen kisses the love of his life while dipping her during the first dance...

The dance floor at Andorra was packed with family and friends as they surround the newlyweds....

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Many more photos to come forth from this New Years Eve 2011 wedding.  Stay tuned here or visit the SBV Photography Facebook page.  

Happy New Year!!

Northwest Indiana | Chicago Weddings: Year in Review

A big thank you to all of my clients for another great year of wedding photography!!  This past year saw my assistants and I photograph weddings in Crown Point, Merrillville, Valparaiso, Schererville, Griffith, Highland, Munster as well as Chicago, Illinois and Sawyer Michigan too.  Whew!! Add in some engagement sessions and it was a busy year.  So let's take a look back at the year in wedding photography...

The year started off with a winter wedding in Crown Point, Indiana of Anthony and Elizabeth.  The ceremony was at Saint Matthias Church with some snow filled formal photographs around the downtwon Square.

The church was still decorated in Christmas decorations and looked warm and beautiful.

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The wedding party was up for some playful and cute shots after the ceremony inside and then braved the cold for some outdoor formals on the steps of the old courthouse...

Angela and Mike had a wonderful Spring day for their ceremony at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso.  We took formal photos in downtown Hobart with some nice dramatic clouds and a vintage automobile courtesy of the groom's grandfather.

One of the couple's favorite photographs was taken in the back alley of a downtown store facing Lake George. This colorful graffiti wall made for a terrific contrasting backdrop of the newlyweds...

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April showers brought May flowers showers for Jaime and Andrew's outdoor wedding at Deep River Park in Valparaiso.  I told the bride not to worry as she will have some unique wedding photos courtesy of Mother Nature.  

The couple's daughters were the bridesmaids with the groom's son as best man.  They bravely strutted their Converse All Stars in the rain.  Here's a photo of the girls during the Getting Ready sessions at The Radisson hotel in Merrillville...

The mini storm soon passed and we achieved some really saturated greenery for the bride and groom's portraits as we walked along Deep River...

One of my favorite images is the kids blowing bubbles off of the porch at the Deep River Park gift shop...

Taking a black and white shot with the bride's bouquet of flowers in color is certainly a classic wedding photography special effect.  for this one, I wanted to add some edge to it by posing the couple up high and framed by the old industirial machinery...

It may not look it in this beach kiss wedding photo, but the wind was swirling a very cold temperature over Lake Michigan with fog surrounding the area.  It was a very stormy Spring in Northwest Indiana.  Let's hope for a calmer season in 2012.

The difficult weather pattern continued and got so bad that Kristal and Steve had to cut short wedding formals at Deep River Park.  This old timey looking image occured as another couple was having their bride and groom photos taken and just before a major storm flooded down upon us.

Before the downpour, I took detail shots as the bride got into her dress at the Hilton Hotel in Merrillville...

This love note was left on the bed for the groom to find after the party later that night...

The ceremony was to have taken place outside at the Avalon Manor gazebo in Merrillville, Indiana, but the storm got dangerous.  The couple instead had a lovely ceremony inside the hall with family and friends looking on and staying warm and dry.

The bride backstage at Avalon Manor, looking in the mirror just before getting married...

June began the family wedding of Brandi and Gary.  They are the couple in the opening photo of this post in the convertible classic car.  It was taken as they arrived for their reception in downtown Crown Point at the banquet center of the old courthouse.

This candid wedding photo of the laughing bride and groom is from their outdoor ceremony at Deep River Park.

The happy couple wanted to thank their friends for all of their love and support so we arranged this "thank you" photo which was eventually printed and sent out with the wedding thank you cards.

I call this one 'shadow dance', taken from the first dance at the Halls of Justice reception hall.

Stephanie and Jordan were up next with a ceremony at Griffith Lutheran Church and formal photos taken at a park near their home in Villa Park, Illinois.

These Chicago Bears football fans combined their team's jersey along with a wedding veil at their outdoor wedding reception.  It was a fun wedding with a great family!!

Olivia and Zach picked the gorgeous Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana for their summer outdoor wedding...

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When we got to the Croation Center in Crown Point, Indiana for the reception, we had to take a few more outdoor photos of the bride and groom smooching.  This banquet hall on Taft Street has a lovely gazebo and walk way in the back.

I photographed Janine and Mike's wedding ceremony at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan and reception at Dewey Cannon Winery.  It was a blistering hot sunny day, but a beautiful one...

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The hot weather continued for Tara and Ken's outdoor wedding at Deep River Park.  It seemed as though we had the entire scenic landmark to ourselves as the bride groom strolled along the stone path.

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Later that night they danced away at Our Lady of Consolation Banquet Hall in Crown Point, Indiana...

Tim and Terra, or TnT as I affectionately call them, were married in Sawyer, Michigan.  Terra's father (and her new husband) are military men and were in full uniform for the wedding ceremony.

This bouquet toss happened on the other side of the border in Indiana.  The banquet hall was filled with family and friends as the couple took their first dance with their initials screened upon the floor.

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September kicked off the Fall wedding season with their ceremony at Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana.

One of my favorite wedding party shots is this one overlooking Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana...

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This group knew how to party and I think this dance floor shot taken at the Centennial Park Clubhouse captures the joy in the air that night.

Nothing says celebration like a young wedding party jumping shot!!  Jackie and Brandon had a beautiful Fall day for their wedding.  Taken a week later from Ali and John's wedding at Centennial Park.

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Earlier that day I took the bridesmaid's group photo in this Schererville neighborhood...

Jackie and Brandon were married at St. Michael's Church with a large congregation of friends and family...

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From the tradional church shot above we then went to this casual group photo of the wedding party piled into golf carts...

More contrasting images with the bride and groom in front of the gorgeous water fountain and then an edgier image against a wood wall - all taken at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

To showcase Linda and Tom's Autumn wedding at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana, I give you these images taken on the bridge that resides deep in the golf course there...

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Mike and Kelly's Fall wedding took place at Saint Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana.  It's a very striking church with a balcony overlooking the ceremony.

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After the ceremony we walked across Broad St. to Griffith Park for some fun wedding party shots with the leaves in full Autumn glory.  

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The newlyweds take a stroll through Oak Ridge Prairie...

Brittany and Shaun had an epic wedding in the city of Chicago.  I rode with the girls in the limousine from Schererville all the way to Grant Park where I captured the bride's arrival...

One of my favorite photojournalistic wedding photos of the year is this one of the bride jumping for joy at her ceremony at the Cancer Survivors Garden.

The first kiss with the entire windy city looking on (okay, slight exaggeration) and cars of Lake Shore Drive in the distance.

Guests help celebrate as bubbles descend upon the newly married Brittany and Shaun.

We photographed throughout downtown Chicago starting with a walk through Millennium Park as the skyline of the city looms in the background.

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The tourist got a kick out of the bride and groom casually walking through the park.  They were gazed at like celebrities as my cameras captured them from all angles.

Molly and Steve's winter wedding in Barrington, Illinois produced this iconic wedding photo of a little girl with piercing eyes looking toward my camera lens during their ceremony.

The balcony at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church was the perfect spot to frame these newly married soul mates for wedding photo couple's shots.

Wedding Season 2011 had many more images that you will find in previous entires here on the Wedding Photographer Journal.  I will be shooting my final wedding of this year on New Years Eve with Jessica and Allen.  I think we are going to get some really unique images this night.  Definitely subscribe here or visit the SBV Photography Facebook Page to keep up with all of the 2012 weddings.  

Have a Happy New Year!!

Christmas Eve for A Wedding Photographer

It's early afternoon on Christmas Eve and I'm about to leave to go visit family and have dinner.  I checked up on some last minute email and confirmed some orders for clients.  The thought occured to me that not only will I be with my family this holiday season, in a sense I'm going to be with many others as well.

I feel honored that the images I made for my wedding and engagement couples are going to be shown around a lot this holiday season.  The thought of folks laughing, smiling and maybe even crying a little as they look through the wedding albums or view the images in a video slideshow is very heartwarming.  It just sort of hit me right now that that is exactly what is going to be happening this holiday weekend.

So, thank you for letting me into your family circle for a little while.  I truly appreciate it.  Enjoy those photographs!!

Happy Holdiays,

Steve