Top 5 Tips for a Family Photography Session

1. Choose the Right Location

My "go to" when booking a family photography session is to see if there is a location that holds sentimental value. This could be a park, a beach or even the forest in your backyard.

In this case, the Andersons chose a family cottage as their location.

This encouraged us to have fun with the photography time, even capturing them taking one last paddle board together.

2. Activities, Props & Animals

Whenever the family asks if they can incorporate animals in their session, I get so excited!

The more personal touches we can add to the photos, the better. This includes props, animals and favourite toys to keep the younger kids happy.

Incorporating a fun activity into the session is also a great idea as it encourages you to let loose, and smile while I capture those natural, candid smiles.

---

3. Coaxing Smiles

When there are kids or family members who might not be too comfortable in front of the camera or are smile resistant, I try to loosen and relax the atmosphere by giving directions like "stick out your tongues" or "tickle your sister".

4. Prepare the Kids

If you have young children, something that can help make the session fun for them is to allow them to bring their favourite toy. Most of the time, your photographer will be able to photoshop this out, but it can also add more of a personal touch and create an even more special memory!

5. Remember to Have Fun

While the posed, smiling photos are great, my favourite photos to capture are the candids and silly stuff.

I will usually give a direction like "make a silly face" or "stick out your tongue", especially when there are certain family members or young kids that are restless or not wanting to smile.

Directions like this will allow me to either capture natural smiles as they laugh at themselves afterwards, or at least create a better expression than a frown!

FUN FACT

Something in this photo was missing on the day.

Can you guess what it was?

Hint: If someone in your family can't make it, I will do my best to photoshop a photo you have of them into your session photos!

Harmonic Alchemy: How we use Music to Unlock Emotion

In the world of filmmaking, music is an invaluable tool that, when used correctly, can transport an audience on an emotional journey. It can make you laugh, cry and even inspire you.

Whether it's a wedding film, brand video or an event highlight reel, the strategic use of music can weave your story together and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

So how do we use music to create emotional connections?

Finding the Story

Before we choose what music to use, we do a deep dive into the story we're telling.

In creating wedding films, we either match the song to the couple's personality, to their story, or to the energy of the day. For brand videos, it's essential to grasp the core message and values of the company; And for events, we first determine the purpose and emotions we want the video to evoke.

Understanding the heart of the story allows us to select music that resonates with the intended audience

Designing the Sound

While music is powerful on its own, combining it with sound design can elevate those emotional connections even further.

In wedding films, we incorporate the atmospheric sounds like the sound of a creek in a forest, songs of the birds and the wind in the trees. We also love including the natural sounds of your day like laughter and cheers to amplify the emotional impact.

Appreciating the Artist

The world of filmmaking is only possible due to the artists involved.

Since our song choices have played a vital role in inspiring each of our films, paying tribute to the artists that create these harmonic masterpieces through music licensing is very important to us.

While royalty-free songs are an option, we use sites like Musicbed and Soundstripe to find and license all the music you hear in our films.

To sum up, the significance of music in any project, whether a wedding film, small business video or event highlight reel, cannot be emphasized enough. It has the power to forge emotional connections, enhance storytelling and inspire action.

The melodic symphony of visuals and music creates a compelling and unforgettable cinematic experience, leaving the audience moved, inspired and connected to the essence of the story.

---

How to Save Big on Your Wedding Day

In a world where all prices have skyrocketed, saving where you can is everything.

So how do you minimize the damage to your budget

while still having your dream wedding?

Here is a list of tips, tricks and advice to help you save.

Location

While there are certainly venues with pricing tiers, a great way to save is to choose a non-traditional location such as a park, beach or botanical garden. Locations like this not only offer more unique and idyllic backdrops, but also cost a fraction of the price.

Another great way to save both money and time is to have your entire day at one location. Since hosting your entire day at one location is easier not only on you but your guests and the environment, these weddings receive our eco-friendly incentive.

Which brings me to my second tip...

Incentives

Some vendors include incentivized pricing for things such as booking your wedding on a weekday because they're less in-demand.

We offer incentivized pricing for off-season weddings, and eco-friendly choices!

Check out the link below to find out what other incentives we offer.

https://www.seaglassfilms-photography.com/incentives

Digital Invitations

Unless you've been dreaming about your wedding invitations since you were a kid,

go the digital route! Traditional invitations can hike up your bill, especially when

considering printing and mailing costs.

DIY As Much As You Can While Involving Loved Ones

Making centrepieces or wedding favours? Make a party out of it!

Get togethers to make crafts to decorate your special day will create a sense of togetherness and shared excitement. Not to mention, it will make you feel much more supported through the process which can sometimes get stressful.

Involving your friends and family in you wedding planning process is such a good way to get excited about the day while also dispersing the workload. While some couples feel they don't want to burden others, chances are the people you care about enough to include in your wedding will be more than happy and even excited to help!

From having someone bake the wedding cake to asking a friend to put together a playlist, things like this will likely make your friends and family happy that you want them to be more involved.

Facebook Groups

So many more brides are paying forward today, which is not only much easier on your budget, but also much less stressful! I've been seeing it more and more on Facebook groups where brides are offering the most beautiful decorations that they didn't completely use on their day, and only asking the next bride to pay it forward!

If you can't find a pay it forward situation, this route will definitely be more cost-efficient than buying the decorations new!

Focus on the Important Things

While the smaller details can add a bit more beauty to your day,

keep in mind, that's all you need them for.

One day.

If there is one piece of advice I would give to my closest friends and family planning their wedding, it would be to prioritize your memories. Even if you're not getting it from me, please, please, please make sure you include photography and video in your day.

While the pricing for these services can be on the higher price tag side, they will capture and preserve the memory of every other one of the details - that will only last one day -FOREVER!