Do you have a "must-have" prop?

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

Especially for the bride, do you have some kind of must-have seat/chair/thing for seating? I saw a shot with the bride surrounded by her bridesmaids in a circle and it looked like there was maybe some kind of round thing they were seated on, and it was an outdoor shot so it got me thinking if there was something many photogs chose to carry with them.

Other than seating, any kind of "couldn't live without my ____"?

[tim]

A take a nice wooden coat hanger as wedding dresses often seem to be hung on a 2c coat hanger, but nothing else in the way of props.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

A take a nice wooden coat hanger as wedding dresses often seem to be hung on a 2c coat hanger, but nothing else in the way of props.
YES. First on my list now. Thanks, Tim.

[PubUltraStar]

In addition to a nice hanger as Tim suggests, I also bring my own way of hang them. I have a brushed metal "over-the-door" hanger hook, and 3M removable brushed metal wall hook. This gives me options on where to capture images of the dress, and removing a plastic hanger out of the mix is cheap. Some people say they don't trust the 3M hangers, but I have had some pretty heavy dresses on that without issue.

[bigarchi]

wow, great ideas.
i don't usually bring anything as a prop. I typically just like to use what is available, though i am certainly bringing a hanger next time that I will be shooting a whole day..

closest thing to a prop i'll have are umbrellas if the weather is iffy.

[PubUltraStar]

I also took a quick look at your website. One suggestion would be to get rid of your charter.net email account, and get one that points to your domain. I'm not sure what others think of this, but if you already have a domain, and website, not having a custom e-mail address would put up a red flag to me. I know that has nothing to do with your photography skills, but can probably be a simple fix.

Oh, and I also thought of another prop that I used at my last wedding. The bride and groom wanted to take some pictures that they would use on their thank you cards, and they held up a "Thank you" sign. I think that I've seen on other posts that people use a picture frame with a blank image in it, and then use Photoshop to add a message later. Whether it's pre-printed, or a blank sheet of paper, or something framed, I thought it was a good idea.

[tim]

Not having an email address at your professional domain is a red flag for me, the flag says "doesn't understand computers".

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

I also took a quick look at your website. One suggestion would be to get rid of your charter.net email account, and get one that points to your domain. I'm not sure what others think of this, but if you already have a domain, and website, not having a custom e-mail address would put up a red flag to me. I know that has nothing to do with your photography skills, but can probably be a simple fix.

Oh, and I also thought of another prop that I used at my last wedding. The bride and groom wanted to take some pictures that they would use on their thank you cards, and they held up a "Thank you" sign. I think that I've seen on other posts that people use a picture frame with a blank image in it, and then use Photoshop to add a message later. Whether it's pre-printed, or a blank sheet of paper, or something framed, I thought it was a good idea.

I appreciate the suggestion; I'll have to check with Bludomain (whom I'm hosted with) and see how I or if I can make that change. I'm not the most savvy computer person!

Cool idea on the Thank You sign!

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

Not having an email address at your professional domain is a red flag for me, the flag says "doesn't understand computers".

I don't understand the words that are coming out of your keyboard :lol: I'm going to see if I can make that change.

[Valjoy]

I always take a piece of white lace curtaining .....Some brides are more likely to sit on the ground or lean on a rock or tree if the dress is protected. Then just tuck it under the dress....if any part is visible it just blends in .
I also carry a small plastic step ladder in the car ( only 2 steps) it is light and folds flat. I dont use it all the time , just for those weddings where there are no natural objects or benches etc for me to stand on to get a bit of height for a different angle......it has also been used as a seat for the bride/groom or both with ( the white curtaining thrown over )

cheers Val

[Peacefield]

In addition to a nice hanger as Tim suggests, I also bring my own way of hang them. I have a brushed metal "over-the-door" hanger hook, and 3M removable brushed metal wall hook.

I could've used this last night. I like to hang the dress from a rod over a window, but I've had a string of weddings in hotels and there was no way to hang from their rod. And even if I did, the views weren't pleasant and there's a vent underneath. A good idea.

[Peacefield]

the flag says "doesn't understand computers".

To me, the flag says you're not a real business; just a guy (or gal) with a camera.

[Big K]

Not really a prop, but this has come in handy many times for shots of the bride. Easily fits under her dress and lets her sit without trashing her dress. Also incredibly sturdy and actually very comfortable.

http://www.walkstool.com/uk/product/indexframe.html

BTW, great idea about a nice hanger. Thanks for the suggestion.

[PubUltraStar]

I appreciate the suggestion; I'll have to check with Bludomain (whom I'm hosted with) and see how I or if I can make that change. I'm not the most savvy computer person!


If you run into problems, I would be happy to help you on the email. Basically, if you purchased your domain from the same place you host your site, if should be in the admin settings. If you have your domain registrar somewhere besides bludomain, it's just a matter of changing the dns settings.

Mike.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

If you run into problems, I would be happy to help you on the email. Basically, if you purchased your domain from the same place you host your site, if should be in the admin settings. If you have your domain registrar somewhere besides bludomain, it's just a matter of changing the dns settings.

Mike.

Thanks, Mike! I did purchase my domain name through Bludomain, so what would I be looking for in my admin settings? I've sent Bludomain an email asking about this, but haven't heard back from them....they're probably too busy rolling their eyes to reply! :lol:

[form]

To me, the flag says you're not a real business; just a guy (or gal) with a camera.

I must be just a GWC then; you got me.

[PMCphotography]

I must be just a GWC then; you got me.

Lol, me too.

[Peacefield]

Why do you guys do that, though? Don't you have an e-mail account already provided by the host of your site, i.e., info@joeyallenphotography.com? I don't know much about websites, domains, and e-mail accounts and whether this is common, but my site essentially came with an e-mail account already connected to my domain name included in the price.

[PubUltraStar]

Thanks, Mike! I did purchase my domain name through Bludomain, so what would I be looking for in my admin settings? I've sent Bludomain an email asking about this, but haven't heard back from them....they're probably too busy rolling their eyes to reply! :lol:

Send me a private message, and I can help you with this off-thread.

[PubUltraStar]

I must be just a GWC then; you got me.

I think what Tim and I are trying to suggest, is that modifying your e-mail to point to a professional domain makes your photography business, well, more professional. If you use a generic domain, and that works for you, great. However, you need to realize that there are some consumers out there that are like me that would pass over any business, photography or whatever, if they didn't have a professional e-mail domain.

Like I said before, it probably doesn't have anything to do with your skill level behind the camera. But if you have the ability to add your photography domain, why not do it? Most e-mail servers have the ability to forward your messages to another account. So if you really liked your current e-mail client, you could still get your messages that way. I have Gmail go out and get all my messages from my various accounts using SMTP/POP3, and I never log into my accounts directly at the hosting company. Gmail has better search, and I don't have to delete anything. Good Luck.

[Michael_Lambert]

Why do you guys do that, though? Don't you have an e-mail account already provided by the host of your site, i.e., info@joeyallenphotography.com?

Not everyone pays for the email package of there hosting, which is crazy.. I mean a couple more bucks a month is nothing when it comes down to looking like a professional.

I mean most of us Act the part, buy the part... time to look the part.