Special Photography Touches

Ever wonder why one wedding photo or video is completely unforgettable, while another just doesn't have the same impact? Often, the difference is in the details: how the picture is developed and presented or how the video is edited and packaged. Check out these great tricks and techniques you and your photographer can use to turn your wedding memories into rich and memorable works of art.

PHOTO DEVELOPMENT  

Sepia Tone: If you love rummaging through your grandmother's photo boxes, this is the style for you. Sepia-treated prints take on the rich, golden glow of antique photographs. Because the process occurs during printing, you can have the same black-and-white picture printed normally and in sepia.

Hand-Tinted: These photos are just plain pretty, and we'd love to see at least one in every wedding album. A photographer or colorist can hand-color black-and-white photographs for a striking effect. The entire picture may be hand-tinted in soft colors, creating a surreal appearance. However, often the photographer will only color portions of a photograph. For example, a black-and-white portrait of the bride may feature a hand-tinted bouquet -- beautiful.

Sloppy Borders: Perfect for the bride who wants to make her wedding albums just a bit more artsy. Also called full-frame, these super cool pictures have jagged black borders. Since this special treatment happens during printing, you can order your picks sloppy or neat.

Wide-Angle Lens: If you selected your ceremony or reception location for its beautiful architecture, be sure that your photographer can do the location justice. A wide-angle lens can help your photographer capture the room as a whole, not just portions of it.

PRESENTATION

Albums: Your wedding album has "Our Wedding" engraved in silver on the cover. Or not. Depending on your style and the aesthetics you appreciate, your wedding album can be a classic white leather album with silver embossing, or a hand-bound book of art paper, complete with pressed rose petals, river grasses and a custom monogram on the cover. However you see your wedding album, you should see it filled with all the most spectacular moments of your wedding.

Photo Boxes: An alternative to the traditional album, photo boxes are sturdy, decorative boxes used to store wedding prints, often mounted on thick, matte board. If you like to rotate your pictures in and out of frames, this is a fun, safe way to store them.

Frames: You were wondering why everybody was giving you so many beautiful frames, weren't you? It's because you'll have so many wonderful pictures to display. Show off your favorite shots all over your new home, or give framed photos as gifts to your parents, grandparents and attendants.

Your face, your smile, your wedding. Your pictures are already uniquely yours, capturing a moment that means more to you than you can express. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun trying to:

• Create special scrapbooks for friends and family. Choose books of beautiful archival art paper or luxurious card stock, and mount your favorite shots with photo corners for an old-fashioned feel. Add a special quote or poem for an even more personal touch.

• Enlarge especially great prints to give as gifts. For your ultra-hip bridesmaid, throw a few shots of her on the dance floor into a Lucite photo-cube. For mother's day, slip a picture of you and your mom into an engraved frame.

• Slip a wallet-sized engagement or wedding photo into each thank-you note. This is an especially delightful touch if you have used mini picture frames as place card holders at your reception. Now all those guests who wondered where on earth they would find a picture for that frame have got their answer!

• Bring an air of playfulness and history to your reception by using photos as part of your décor. Enlarged prints made from childhood photos or from family weddings are wonderful touches for your cake table or propped near your guest book. You can also scatter an assortment of pictures on reception tables to spark conversation between family and friends.

• Make a photo family tree to display at your reception. Be sure to have copies made of older, precious family shots, so that you don't risk damaging them at the reception. A professional film processor can make an internegative (a negative made from a print) and use that to print new copies for your display.

Is your mom still blue about you not wearing her wedding gown down the aisle? If so, why not surprise her by having your bridal portrait taken in her gown? Set the picture in a beautiful frame at your mother's place setting. Or show it off near the guest book, alongside a picture of your mom the last time she wore her bridal finery.

If you've got an eye-catching snapshot, consider having it duplicated as a postcard. Write a special note to each wedding guest thanking them for sharing in your celebration, and pop your shot in the mail.

This article is a combination of two articles that appeared here and here.

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