drinking water

Yesterdays wedding was a bit warm. It hit 110 degress or so. For the newer photographers remember to drink about

2 glasses of water before you start shooting and another 2 at the time of the reception. Also, when it's this hot out try

to keep the wedding parties from hitting the spirits too soon. I've seen a few people, such as brides and

photographers faint. This may seem like a silly post, it's simply meant to remind the newer photographers how to

deal with the heat. I actually carry a small ice chest full of bottled water on really hot days for the actual wedding

party. Usually a 12 pack. The ice chest is always empty by the time the formals are over with.

<p>And EAT. Even if it's just an apple or something.<br>

I'm pregnant and I went 8 hours without food yesterday. BAD idea.</p>

OMG Betty, be careful. Your sugar balance is really important. Congrats on having a baby! I'm actually a diabetic so you are so right about eating, something as simple as a powerbar will work. Glad you brought that up. At the same time, don't eat a huge double cheese burger with chili or something crazy like that. You will be very uncomfortable.

<p>I couldnt go 4/5 hours without eating when pregnant. I agree, its definitely important to be hydrated... and fed! Keep your energy up especially when the temperature is extreme!</p>

<p>I was totally set up to have a vendor meal at the wedding (per the bride) but the caterer took a really long time to serve the guests and I ended up having to wait until 8:30 pm to eat. I was about to pass out, I was eating the candy from the kids table to stay afloat!</p>

<p>A pouch with a water bottle is a key part of my gear belt.</p>

<p>I wrestled with the idea of carrying water on my belt or something long ago, but never did. I do provide clients with suggestions for wedding day, one of which is to keep liquids around wherever we'll be preparing/shooting.</p>

<p>In addition, I keep Wint-O-Green Lifesavers in my pocket. When I get thirsty and can't get to water, I pop one in my mouth. It relieves the thirst and takes my mind off it, so I can concentrate. And, it keeps the mouth fresh, until I can get a drink. They're much lighter to carry too.</p>

<p>I always start the day with a caramel frappuccino from Starbucks. I should see if they'd sponsor me, actually... :oP</p>

<p>You need much more than 4 cups of water in a day. Especially if it's hot outside. You should be drinking more like 12-16 cups. ANd no I'm not kidding. :) Just remember your brain doesn't work as well when you're dehydrated - you could forget to check your settings. :)</p>

<p>Wow, congrats, Betty! :-) When are you due?</p>

<p>My wife had our first baby 2 days after we shot a wedding. She actually went into labor the day after. Ah, good times.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm kinda like David Eckmier; I'll have the tallest coffee I can get my hands on and often try to have something protein-heavy like an omlette...or, just a bunch of eggs and cheese. I'm not picky. If it's an early start, I'll go for a power bar. But, yeah, we keep a cooler in the back of the car and fill it every night before a wedding. Ice, water, snacks...a good one is beef jerky. String cheese, more power bars...</p>

<p>Last year, we had an outdoor wedding in July. LONG wedding. Had to be in the upper 90's. I didn't drink enough and that next day I felt like someone had sucked all the moisture outta me.</p>

<p>Good luck to ya, Betty! We have two babies (7 and 9) of our own and they're a blast!</p>

<p>Oh, and good thread, Bob. Good advice! These Summer weddings can be hot.</p>

<p>I'm due in March, so I'm still pretty early on. I'm just entering that part in the 1st Trimester where you are so tired you could sleep 16 hours and still feel exhausted. It's making wedidng season interesting.</p>

<p>You should always carry something in your car and a cooler as well. Water, granola bars, peanut butter, etc. and good things to have -always....-Aimee</p>

<p>I fel for you Betty! The first wedding I ever did was 3 months pregnant and aside form praying I wouldn't be sick all over someone's shoes it was a great experience. With baby number 4 I did weddings up until I was 8 months. People looked at me like I was crazy, but those were the only weddings that my back didn't hurt afterwards. It hink my huge belly balanced the weight of my backpack. :) I have a wedding this weekend and am 6 months pregnant with baby number 5. Thankfully I'll have access to plenty of water. It's supposed to be in the hundreds here also.<br>

And yes - always, always bring food - I keep some stashed in my shootsac and car. Running around for 8 hours burns a lot of calories...</p>

<p>I planned this pregnancy around wedding season. I'll be 32 weeks at my last wedding (in January). Then I'm taking a much needed 3 months off!!!</p>

<p>We include in our contracts that we get a hot meal with a table and chair within the immedite reception area AND, if the couple wants any photos at all during dinner service, like table shots or shots of toasts, etc. then our photographers must be fed at the same time as the wedding party so that they can be be finished and ready to shoot when the couple is. We don't take pictures of people eating their food, so if dinner takes an hour, we're just standing around doing nothing. And if we finally get served and some event starts, we're going to miss those shots because we have to take a break and eat. We stress that hungry, faintish photographers don't take good pictures. We've never had a couple disagree with us after explaining all this. We've had a few coordinators and one chef try to make us wait until the end of dinner to get fed, but we just refer them to the couple to back us up.</p>

<p>I don't understand this practice of feeding the photographer last. After being with the bride since 10AM or whatever, longer than any other vendor, we're S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G by the time dinner service starts. Making us wait another hour is just cruel and unusual punishment, lol! And we're a little more than just "the help". With all the pre-wedding meetings, the engagement session, and the cheerleading we do on the wedding day, we're sort of like team mates. At least that's how our clients tend to see us. We bust our butts trything to make sure things run smoothly and the couples trust us and look for us to guidance, and even turn to us for support when things start to get shakey... Just my two cents.</p>

<p>And, you may think that it sounds ridiculous that we have to specify in our contracts that we get a table and a chair, but prior to including this caluse, you would not believe how many times site coordinators had tried to make our photographers stand to eat because the couple didn't include them in the seating chart and there wasn't room or a table in the kitchen or anywhere else...</p>

<p>About the heat....<br />It was 109F here this weekend. Wow, it was hot! And in this weather, I suggest wearing light colored clothes (white shirts and khaki pants work fine) for any outdoor daytime wedding. If the reception is at night and indoors, you can always switch to your black ensemble before the Grand Entrance. (A change of clothes should be welcome if you were sweating badly earlier in the day.)</p>

<p>We made the mistake of wearing all black to a golf resort wedding a couple of months back and even with the pitchers of ice water that we drank, the three of us almost died of heat stroke. Plus, we just stood out like sore thumbs in black while everyone else was in country club gear. I think as long as you check with your couple to ensure it's not black tie formal, you should be fine wearing lighter color, dress-casual clothes for the summer weddings. Just please don't wear shorts!!! Or t-shirts and cargo pants. I've heard stories of guys showing up in logo tees!! So unprofessional.</p>

<p>Although I don't shoot weddings I spend most of my shooting days on my feet 10 to 16 hours a day mainly outside. I use a Blackhawk hydration system that allow me to carry over a gallon of water in one fill. Granted, the pack is a bit big and would probably not be the best at weddings etc but there are plenty of smaller, slimmer hydration packs that would be more suitable from Blackhawk, CamelBack etc.</p>

<p> Starbucks before all wedding shoots. Mandatory in my book. :-)</p>

<p>Russ</p>