Wedding Photography for Bride: Tip #2

                                                      Getting Assistance

  I know it's hard planning a wedding alone. It's very difficult and the new Bridezilla is released like none other and I'll be honest, it's not a pretty site. So I'm sharing tips from a photographers perspective that would help your stressful planning more stress-free and making your day a very eventful and special day. Wedding photos can be a stressful event itself.

Lately it's been hard to get my family together and when we do of course it calls for photos! Lets just say not the whole family feels up for photos. It actually takes more energy just to get the group together for photos then it is to just snap a photo. It's not as easy as it seems. That goes the same for wedding photos. Not only do you have your family to worry about but also a new side of family in-laws to have portraits done as well.

 Once you found the amazing fantastic photographer you want for your special day, I highly recommend getting assistance. Specially someone who knows the family. It can be an extended family member or family friend or close long time friend. Have this person be in charge keeping tabs of everyone in the wedding party, family and the in-laws. If Uncle Fred slept in past his alarm how does he know you already met up with the photographer at the church and started taking photos? Who will keep up with the crazy brother-in-law who is late for EVERYTHING! And not to mention Aunt Julie is directionally challenged and completely lost 30 minutes out of the way.

 The photographer won't keep up whose family and whose not. It does help tremendously to have someone there by the photographer making sure everyone whose up for portraits is altogether and keep tabs whose not there and when and where everyone is. Also is nice to have an extra assistant with the photographer.

 Having that extra hand will help a lot! And it will make the whole event go smoother.


Email me if you have any comments, complaints, stories, insults or questions!

Until my Next blog,
Lauren Smith owner of Cirolay Photography

My Siblings

Here's a few portraits taken May 2011

This was taken at my grandpa's lake house at Lake Palestine

In the portrait are me and all my siblings together

Wedding Photography for Bride: Tip #1

                                                            The List

  I have been through enough weddings to understand it can be a stressful and very chaotic process for planning a wedding, esp. for large weddings. I understand there's a lot on a bride's mind throughout the wedding day. Here's a tip blog for those brides looking for a photographer for their special day. I called this "The List". Yes, very important...

 Firstly, brainstorm and look through ideas you like for your wedding portraits. Think about what photos you would add to your wall, albums, gifts for family, etc. and look though photos to get ideas. Some of my best work comes from awesome photos I've seen online. I've tried to get creative on my own of course but looking at another great photographer's work brings good fresh ideas in my own work. Think through what you would like your photographer to capture. 

 Then write out your list. What I'd do is start with a 'Top 20' list of things that are a higher priority to keep as a forever memory. Of course the family portraits and the wedding party should be on that Top 20 list. There's also the first kiss as a married couple and that is a MUST photo! So as you're thinking and brainstorming what photos you would keep forever, write it all out from most important to least important. You will find yourself coming up with more then 20 things you want. That's why it's a good idea to start with 20 and you can always add on to it. Write down the most important first. 

Here's one example of a list: Wedding Shots check list

 Once you finish your list and carry your great ideas, communicate to the photographer about the list. If you don't want 50 photos of just cake and flowers I highly recommend that you make a point to show exactly what you want to the photographer. Give the list to the photographer and show where your priorities are. This will help the photographer do his/her part and the picture planning will go more smoothly. 

 I also highly recommend working a good schedule for the photographer, family members and the in-laws. If it was me, I would like to do all portraits the day before the wedding, sure it may be a bigger hassle to dress up and look as good 2 days in a row but it is a big stress relief to not do it all on the same day as the wedding. Organize a good time for everyone in your wedding party and in your family and the in-laws (esp. if you have a big family) to get ready for pictures. Plan ahead which side of the family goes first and in which order family portraits are taken.  Also alot of times there tends to be that one family member who shows up late, make extra time for that expectation.  It's never a mistake to make extra time for everything. 

 So with all that said and done, not only will you be prepared with a good list and planned schedule but also your photographer understands what needs to be done and will work to meet those needs. So sit back, let your photographer get to work and please do embrace and enjoy every moment of it! The greatest photos come from the greatest moments! It's always that great moment you want to remember!

If you have any comments, insults, questions or compliments please email me

I love to hear from you! 

Until Next blog, 

Lauren Smith owner of Cirolay Photography 

Value of a photographer

 To be an awesomely-amazing photographer it takes a lot in a person to be one. You have to have the right gifts and values to be THE awesomely-amazing photographer. It can also take a lot of gut at times. I've been asked before, "Why do photographer's charge so much?" or "It seems so easy to just 'snap a photo' and get a lot of profit out of it." Being a photographer isn't as easy as it sounds. There's a lot more to being a photographer because not only do photographers have to survive running a business, it's also using a lot of time, effort, patience, pace-making, cost and energy just to make the perfect shot!

 To put in perspective what a value is in a photographer, I have to few pointers. I know weddings can be very costly. You have to think about the dress, the shoes, the outfits, the photos, family flying in town, rehearsals, tux's, honeymoon, etc. It can add up to being a very expensive wedding. As a photographer I understand the pain of spending a lot of money for photos. Let me just explain what a process a photographer goes through in the wedding.

 To be the awesomely-amazing photographer that everyone loves, it requires a few specs:

~Personality
It is a MUST that the photographer has a great personality (a bonus with a great sense of humor!). Not only the awesomely-amazing photographers are taking fantastic photos, they are also the center of entertainment. It is our job to make you smile and by that it might require a bit of humor. It can take a lot of energy out of us to keep everyone happy while focusing to make that shot fantastically-spectacular! It's also fun at the same time. You can't beat having a laugh while you're getting photos taken! ;)

~Patience
YES!! Patience is what wedding photography is all about and it is THE most important value! It is the photographer's duty to be the peace-maker. When things get out of whack and out of hand, we got to make things right before we capture the perfect shot! While doing so the #1 goal is to ALWAYS KEEP THE BRIDE HAPPY! Disasters are bound to happen from time to time, but for a photographer, there's no time for panic!!
Here's something that might be going through a photographer's mind during a shoot:
"Stupid glasses catching glare!!" "What are these weird shadows on their faces?!?" "UGH!" "Great! Just great! There's a spec on my lens!" "Uh I think I just made Uncle Fred look like a mole..." "I'm a terrible photographer!!" "NONE of these photos are coming out right!!" "ARGHHHHH!!!" "I SUCK!"

No matter what goes on in a photographer's mind, we have to stay positive, happy, energetic, and excited! Never show any negative at any time!! NEVER!!

~Equipment
This is also very important because without the right equipment, how could our job get done and done so well? There are a lot to keep with equipment. Not only is there just a basic camera and flash but you have to have a back up camera and a back up flash. One motto to remember when you're a photographer: ALWAYS BACKING UP!! Got to have back-up batteries for the camera, back-up batteries for the flash, back-up memory cards, back-up cords, back-up storage, Back-up, Back-up, Back-up, etc, etc, etc. It can be a lot to keep up! On top of that the cost of each can be pricey! Let's just say photography is NOT a cheap hobby! And when you are self-employed owner of your photography business, it all comes out of your own pocket!

~Time
It's takes a lot of time and planning doing a wedding. It also takes a lot of time and planning just photographing a wedding! You may think it's just a 'point and shot' kind of job, it's really not! Think about the time is takes to do the hair, the nails, getting dressed, make-up, etc it can take up a whole morning! The little details do matter because it is what makes that perfectly-awesomely-amazing photo! Those little details to make sure your photos are OUTSTANDING will take a little time of perfection. Most photographers are perfectionist! They make sure they take time to make it perfect and if not perfect the first shot, it will be the next shot!

You may see photographers taking pictures but actually a lot of the time and effort goes into editing. ALL those photos they spent the whole day shooting, is being uploaded, corrected, edited, imported, exported, backed-up, etc. Yes, about 95% of our time is spent on editing! Let's do a little math for a moment, let's just say I took 300 photos on your wedding. If I spent 10 minutes on each photo in photoshop, I will get it done in 50 hours. That's 3,000 minutes of editing!! Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to be an awesomely-fantasically-amazing photographer.

~Costs
Finally! We can go on topic about where the cost comes in for all those efforts! Nothing is free, I mean literally NOTHING! I can relate to those photographers who know it's nearly impossible to get anywhere without a car. I really don't know how I could run a business without a car. SO, if you have to have a car, that usually involves car payments. Of course you have to have the insurance and to drive anywhere gas is very important. These days gas is very high and to make it convenient for our clients, we are willing to drive where ever the event may be. Also, as-human-as-we-are, we gotta fit food in our lives... otherwise we wouldn't  have a life at all! Not to mention most photographers have rent cost, phone bills, and other personal expenses to make a living. We also have the business expenses such as equipment maintenance, business registrations, promotional material, equipment replacement, etc. On top of all that we have to pay our 15% tax of self-employment. So for a not-so-cheap-hobby for a not-so-cheap business, it is why our rates are what they are.


So, to end this blog to my final note, I have a very strong passion in my photography. I love it, I live it and I carry it everywhere! It's a huge part of my life. It may seem that most photographers don't have a life or they just seem like those 'point and shoot' peeps but there's a whole world to being a photographer then just a camera. Looking at the world through the lens is only the start.


I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you have any comments, stories, or insults(:P) you're more then welcome to email me: mslauren730@gmail.com

Until then,
Lauren Smith owner of
Cirolay Photography

My First Blog!

The creation of Cirolay Photography is in full affect! I am currently working on getting my very own website started but until then, here's is my blog and I will try to keep this updated ;)

Here's some of my latest photos. These were taken over my Christmas holiday. These twins are so adorable! enjoy!