Look your best on the most important day of your life, you want to make sure everything is perfect, including your makeup. Remember that while the guests will enjoy the entire occasion, you will be the one that has the spotlight. Therefore, you need to look magnificently beautiful. To accomplish this, you can do just a few things so you look natural and refreshed. Foundation There are many types of foundation available liquid, cream, dual finished compact formulas and tinted moisturizer. Foundation should always match your skin tone exactly. Yellow-based foundations work best on most skin types, because they neutralize any pink or red undertones and result in a clearer complexion. Avoid pink-based foundations, which often end up looking too, well, pink on the skin. – First if your skin is oily, clean it and use an oil free moisturizer. But if it’s too oily avoid the moisturizer and just dab a little eye lotion under your eye. If your skin is dry, moisturize it. – After applying the moisturizer use a foundation, which is an anti-shine product. – If your have any blemishes or spots on your skin use a spot concealer, which will stay longer. Use it under the eyes, around corners of your nose, and wherever you have blemishes. – If your skin is oily apply an oil-free foundation. – After you’ve applied your liquid foundation, use power with a small brush. Eye Makeup Eyes make up is very important to complete the look .For some women the eyes make up lasts for hours and some fades in minutes. – Using a concealed brush, apply concealed all over your lid, from lash line to brow. If your lids are extra oily apply a mortifying product first, then put your concealer on top. Finish it of with a dusting powder. – Since its summer time use neutral tones when it comes to eyeshadows. Stay away from creamy formulas. – As for liners, liquid liner stays longer. – Also you can take a cake liner and mix it with an eyeliner-sealing product. After applying the liner, just put some of the sealer on your liner brush, then re trace the line, which you have made earlier. – Since its your wedding day, and incase tears of joy flow use waterproof mascara to be on the safe side. Blush Since it’s summer blush will be the first thing to go off. So here are some tips that will help your blush stay longer. – Again stay away from creamy formulas, which tends to shine more. Instead, opt for a soft, powdery formula that will look fresh and absorb oil. – For more staying powder, apply cheek stain, then dust a matching powder blush on top of it. Lips You’ll be kissing your new husband, kissing your guests, sipping champagne… how in the world are you supposed to keep your lipstick on all day? Here’ a tip for the color to stay longer. 1. Start off by moisturizing your lips with balm so your pencil will glide along easily. Then take your lip pencil and color in your entire mouth — this will prevent your lipstick from bleeding and supply more holding power. 2.If you’re the type of person who can never keep her lipstick on, use a medium-toned concealed as a base before your lip pencil. 3. Once your pencil’s in place, apply your lipstick, and then blot with a tissue. While the tissue is still pressed to your lips, brush some loose powder on top, then remove the tissue and make up your lips again to seal the deal. 4. The final step is adding a touch of gloss and applying lipstick sealer. Just one coat on your upper and lower lips will hold your color in place all day, or at least most of it.

TIPS FOR THE BRIDE AND GROOM

~ Before you leave home ~

What kind of couple are you?

Do you enjoy quiet, romantic moments? Do you love humor or adventure? Are you homebodies or party animals? The best wedding photos will reflect the special essence of your relationship. Keep this in mind:

• Research – Use the web, magazines, your friends’ wedding photos. Clip or copy pictures that you like and send them to us.
• Practice posing – Pose individually and as a couple in front of a mirror. Be critical and creative. If you find one that you like, let your photographer know.

Do either of you have a physical characteristic that you would prefer not to show?

Sometimes it’s the groom’s nose, or the bride’s hips. If there is anything that you’re at all self-conscious about, let us know. Our photographers are great at the art of posing, an art which can maximize or minimize those areas that were not created perfect.

Are there any interpersonal dynamics that we should know about?

A long standing feud between Uncle Remus and Aunt Minnie? An acrimonious divorce? These are things that the photographer needs to know in order to avoid an unexpected uncomfortable situation on the Day.

Do you have specific photographic needs?

For example: A formal portrait of the wedding party to send to extended family abroad. Please think about this seriously and consult parents or any other intimately connected individuals on this point. After the pictures are taken, it will be too late to correct any misunderstandings.

~ On the way to Paradise ~

Carry On Bags

Please make sure that you carry on your wedding gown, shoes, tux, and anything else that you absolutely must have on your wedding day. Airlines do occasionally lose checked bags, so make sure that you keep the essentials with you.

~ In Paradise ~

The Tropical Sun

Please be careful about tan lines and sunburn. It will show in the photos and there’s nothing that we can do about it.

Getting Started in Wedding Photography Many people may not consider wedding photography as one of many categories to explore when getting into the field of photography. Shooting weddings should not be considered to be anything less than a serious form. In fact it is one of the most demanding disciplines of professional photography. If you are an aspiring wedding photographer, then there are certain areas you will have to develop to be successful. One of the key areas is strategy. Before you can think about mastering the camera, the lighting and the background, you need to work on a strategy. The word, strategy, is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. As a wedding photographer you will have to not only look at the technical side but, also take a look into the business side. In this article I will focus on getting you pointed into the right direction. Then in future articles, I will discuss the business side. The first place to start is working on your technical skills. When I first began photography, I started with a basic manual 35mm camera, a Pentax K2000 and a few fixed lenses, a 28mm, 50mm and 135mm. I took pictures everyday and practically ran my parents bank account dry developing all the film. In this digital age, you can see the results right after taking a photo and you can easily delete bad results. What your going to need as far as basic equipment is a decent Digital 35mm SLR and a few good lenses. I would recommend a 28-105mm, but 70-200 mm might be a good range to start with. You will also need a good computer and editing software. Most photographers use Mac based computers. However, a good PC will work just fine. As far as computer software, if you are just starting off and on a limited budget, I might suggest beginning with Adobe Lightroom as an editing software. It’s fairly affordable and easy to learn. Presently, I begin the editing process in Lightroom and then finalize in Adobe Photoshop. The photography profession is not a cheap investment. The tools of the trade are very expensive, so my advice is to purchase a decent camera body and invest in great lenses. I recall one of my first internships was with an Orange County Newspaper and I had the privilege of working with the paper’s lead photographer at the time. One of the things he taught me is that it’s not the camera but, it’s the lens you need to invest in. You can have an inexpensive camera body to begin with and then later upgrade. Now days, you can purchase a decent 35mm Digital Slr for about $600. and then your lens are going to be about double that depending on the size lens you purchase. I buy most of my equipment on–line through B&H Photo located in New York and various other pieces from my local camera shop on Maui. To get started I would recommend you start shooting to work on your technical side. I would begin shooting friends, family, candids of people on the street and use natural lighting. The time to shoot is early morning hours just after sun rise and then just before sunsets. A photo editor from the Orange County Register once told me when I was beginning to shoot everyday for at least two hours. His advice to me was to shoot ten rolls of film a week. So, my advice to you is to fill a 4 gig card a week and spend at least six hours a week practicing your editing techniques. Once you begin to get a collection of good images, the next step is to work on your portfolio. Building your photography portfolio. As a photographer there is no greater joy than being recognized for what you love doing. One way to ensure you get that recognition is to create a photography portfolio, which is second to none. Step 1) Choosing your theme You may already have the pictures to create a themed portfolio or you may be planning on capturing them over a period of time. Either way, your portfolio, like a well written book, should have some unifying themes. This theme can be conceptual or it can be technical. For example, your theme could be about courage, love, urban life, fear or something else you create. Alternatively you can create a theme based on photographic technicalities. For example, you could create a portfolio showcasing all of your best wide angle work or one which displays your best black and white work. The themes for creating a portfolio are only limited by your own imagination. So take your time and create a themed portfolio which means something to you. Step 2) Choosing the photos Choosing the right photographs to put in your portfolio will be a time consuming process. By the nature of the portfolio itself, only your best pieces should be placed within the portfolio. If you don’t’ have too many top picks spend some more time photographing until you get those desired results. Your portfolio is something you should be proud of and not something thrown together out of impatience and haste. Your portfolio should be manageable for the viewer to get through. Too often photographers fill pages and pages with photographs that the viewer will skim through to get to the end. The key is not to take it personally when someone reviews it. Everyone’s eye is different and the key to a good portfolio is choosing your best work, which includes classic as well as avant-garde work. The one thing I recall when working with the photo editors in my past is they would say the picture must tell the story without words. When your images can say something or tell a story, without your having to share a story about it, you’ve done something right. Narrow your portfolio down to 20-50 photographs. There is no hard set number you need to follow, but this seems to be the range that most audiences would prefer. Step 3) Showing your work Now that you have put together your portfolio, it’s time to show it off. Begin by sharing it with your friends and family. Next, display your work on-line, there is many on-line photo sharing sites, where other photographers can share their comments with you about your work. Take your time putting it together, but make sure you complete your project. Too many photographers shoot all day long and fail to present their work properly. If you have one of your friends that is getting married, ask if they mind if you take some photos for them. Once your feeling comfortable with your work, the next step is to get out there and work under a professional photographer. If you are going to school, ask your school counselor about internship programs. If they don’t have any presently maybe it’s time they did. Most schools are happy to give you school credit for internships and will even let you out of school early to do it. Contact local photographers in your area and ask them if they are open to internships. You’ll be surprised at what can happen and what you will learn just by asking. I will discuss internships more in a later article. However; I have to tell you persistence also goes along long way. If I had not bugged a photo editor at a major Orange County Newspaper when I was in college, I never would have gotten to work as an intern there. Because of my persistence, I was chosen first over 2,300 other people wanting an internship, due to my continuous calls and showing up with rolls of film to be critiqued.