Wedding Photographer's Kit: What unusual items do you bring?

[timberwolf1]

But what items do you

bring to make the Bride more comfortable or, to help

you or the bride/groom in a unusual problem?

[maury_cohen]

Safety pins are a must. You are such a hero if and when these are needed for emergency clothing repairs.

Towels come in handy if you want to do any posing on grass. Just be sure to hide all traces under the dress.

[staticlag]

Also bring some contact lens drops, sometimes the bridesmaids get red-itchy contact eyes and can't stop blinking for the picture.

[david_boily]

My item isn't so unususal, but is a life saver. I bring a little combo stool/toolbox. It has 4 legs and opens up into a toolbox. I use it for formals with the bride so she doesn't have to sit on the ground (cleaner and makes for nicer poses). Later, I use it at the reception to stand on to get a good view of the dance floor (don't stand on chairs if you want the hall to like you!). Then finally, you can put all the other useful things that people suggest inside it.

 

Cheers!

 

Dave

[wedding-photography-denver]

Needle and thread (white-ish), spot cleaning cloths, hair ties for the windy days, short step ladder/seat, advil and of course whoopee cushion. :)

[christiaan_phleger___honol]

I carry a small swiss army knife, to cut off tags on tuxes, as well as spare eyepieces for my camera, helps prevent scratches, and one eyepiece is the correct diopter in case I lose my glasses, as well as one spare contact lens. My wife carries a small bottle of Tea Tree Oil, for mosquito bites. I always carry asprin, as well as breathmints, sometimes I take both at once!

[fotografz]

Small sewing kit with safety pins included; Super Glue to fix broken heals on shoes; Small,

German made, camera repair kit; paper towels on hot days.

 

But to make the Bride more comfortable my secret weapon is my wife Susan. She is a

master at helping the Bride relax, gets her drinks, fixes stuff, fusses over how the Bride

looks, and knows what to do when something goes wrong. She pours over fashion mags

and always has a suggestion for the posed shots. She brings a feminine eye to such

images and talks "girl talk" which the Bride appreciates it a lot. At the reception, Susan

hunts down relatives and herds them to a good location for group shots (which she is

good at having won photo competitions in her own right). Not to mention how she looks

after me, gets me to drink water, alerts me to opportunities when I'm busy else where,

etc., etc., etc., not to mention my shooting a million shots of her to test out ideas.

 

She gets as many glowing thank-you notes as I do.<div></div>

[asimh]

marc, can you give the tech details of the shot of your wife? any PS effects?

[shaun westlake]

Breathmints for the Groom after him and the best man have downed a few shots of whiskey in the vestibule of the church. One whiff of Mr Walker or Daniels on the groom's breath and good luck getting the bride to smile.

 

Toothpaste, some new toothbrushes, bottled water, Hairspray, gel, sewing kit. first aid kit, Hairpins, Non Grease Sun tan lotion (clinique spf 30), lip protecter, Tissues, stain remover, Hydrogen peroxide (does wonders on blood , red wine stains on wedding dress). A really big Golf Umbrella, disposable rain coats. A couple barbie dolls/some hot wheels for flower girl and ring bearer to play with while taking pictures of the grownups.

[steve_levine]

I always duct tape a hand cuff key into the inside rear band of my trousers.

[fotografz]

Asim, a touch of softening on the skin, which I do on all shots of women over the age of

16. The background blur is from shooting with a Zeiss 85/1.4 @ 1.4.

 

Here's a trick a friend taught me for quickly softening the skin in a natural looking

manner:

 

Go to > Select > Color Range > Eye Dropper the skin and use the Slider to get just the

skin selected. > Hit OK. Now go to > select > feather > set about 12 Pixels > OK. Now

key in > Command J to make a layer ( Go to > Window and scroll to > Layers & click to see

the working layers in a separate box.) Now go to > Filters > Noise > Dust and Scratches

and set BOTH the sliders to about 5 or so (watch the effect until it looks right). If the

effect is hitting a part you don't want softened, go to the Eraser tool (left side tool pallet)

set it for about 20% and select a size, then erase over the area you don't want softened.

Also in the Layer window there is an Opacity window with a slider to cut the opacity of the

layer any % you wish. It allows some of the original image below to show through, making

it more natural looking.

[t._duane_jones]

I second the super glue. At a wedding last month, the bride had selected a porcelain cake topper with a humorous effect. It was a bride chasing the groom as he was attempting to make a getaway. As the figurine was being removed from the box, it literally fell apart in her hands; broken leg, arm, and head! She was almost in tears, until I opened my "emergency kit" and pulled out the super glue. In minutes, she was back in business. I also keep the normal stuff: safety pins, needle and thread, fold up scissors, band-aids, stain removal pads, duct tape, clear tape, floral wire (in case the bouquet needs repair), Tylenol, and alot of others I can't think of.

 

Duane

[t._duane_jones]

By the way, Shaun, great idea about the hot wheel cars and dolls! Thank you for that. Good thread, Timber.

 

Duane

[shaun westlake]

Duane:

 

Tell the kids that if they behave, they can choose one to keep after you are finished taking pictures. They will stand still and smile like cherubic lawn ornaments on your command.

 

Shaun

[picturesque]

Besides the usual things mentioned above, I bring a cheap lighter. More than several times have the fancy lighters purchased for the candle lighting failed. The cheap BIC lighters work every time.

[think27]

Super Glue, Freeze and Shine (Paul Mitchel) hairspray, needle and assortment of threads like you get in hotel rooms/Gonzo stain removal spray/halls cough drops/breath mints/shine removal sheets for the face/saftey pins/bobby pins/crackers/smelling salts (joking on that one ;-) Sissors, nail clippers, nail polish remover.