Destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular, ever since Tom cruise and Katie Holmes famously got married in a 15th century castle in Bracciano. It’s a great way to make a day even more memorable, but adds great opportunity to wedding photography too.
Getting married at a destination adds an element to an already big day. It also allows the wedding party to relax more than they would in a traditional setting. It could be the holiday atmosphere, the intimate wedding party or just not being at home, but these are more relaxed affairs. Many couples choose destination weddings because they don’t want to contend with 200 people for a day, most of whom they hardly know.
The wedding day is really for the bride, groom and immediate family. Having a destination wedding is a polite way of saying “family only.” It also adds that element to a day too. A wedding on a beach, in a castle, ruins, historical site or wherever. It can be a great setting for a ceremony, and there’s no reception or traveling to contend with afterwards.
Despite living in an idyllic location here in Naples, there are still quite a few couples who prefer to travel for a wedding. A quick hop across the Gulf to Mexico or the Caribbean is a favorite. For more ambitious families, Europe makes a great contrast to their daily life. The mountains or chateaus of France, lakes of Italy or beaches of the Mediterranean all make for great locations.
Destination wedding photography not only needs good composition skills and a decent eye, but also the ability to shoot landscapes. For many, the setting is as important as the action so you need to capture that in the pictures. Using the different times of the day for light and atmosphere, using landmarks and subjects in the foreground of landscape shots and all the other tricks of the trade to take great pictures.
This kind of photography takes a little more work than standard wedding photography. If the climate is different from what we are used to, we generally need a day or two to acclimatize. There are sometimes obscure laws and regulations with regards photography, and sometimes bureaucracy to endure during the event. Most resort destinations will have wedding packages where they sort out all the administrations and stuff for you, so they are ideal. Naturally I would still suggest taking your own photographer with you so you can be sure of the quality of the album afterwards.
While it might seem like a holiday for a wedding photographer, it’s far from that. There is more work to do than on a traditional wedding, it’s just in a different location. Not only do you have the standard preparation to do, you need to learn the local laws and customs, have good insurance, make sure your kit can travel and have a plan B for if it gets lost. Despite this, it’s a great way to earn a living and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Naples Wedding Photography
Photography
02/10/2010