Union Bluff and Nubble Light Wedding Photographer :: York, ME :: Diana + Jeff (Part III)

Quick recap:
- Jeff & Diana got ready for their wedding at the Union Bluff Meeting House in York, ME, had a lovely first look and Diana found out they would be honeymooning in Bora Bora **here**
- You can meet their wedding party **here**
- Jeff and Diana had their wedding ceremony at St Christopher's Church in York, ME **here**

You know I like to impart useful information about weddings with each blog post so here are my thoughts on choosing a location/time for family pictures.

The ideal location is quiet, nicely shaded (consistent light, not dappled through the trees), has a darker background so that your focus is drawn to the people and if we can shoot in late afternoon then it's just perfect.

So as a general rule if a couple tell me that they want to take pictures on/around NOON on a beach then I will strongly advise them against this for the following reasons:
1. The light is terribly strong and harsh at midday with NO shade. This means everyone will be squinting like crazy and have dark racoon shadows under their eyes unless we bring lighting equipment (which will likely blow away)
2. Family pictures are about the family! Not the beach. For family portraits you usually want to be able to see the people, the faces, the expressions. If the people are little tiny subjects in a wide beach shot this doesn't really work.
3. The beach can be crowded and you'll have people in the background.
4. Your family and friends may not want to get sand all over their shoes
5. It can be windy and hair will be flying everywhere.

Having said all of that I am now about to show you family pictures taken at Nubble Light on the rocky beach overlooking the ocean. And it was just after noon. BUT...
1. It was mostly overcast and cloudy
2. It was April so the tourists weren't fully out in force
3. Jeff and Diana were super cool and trusted my advice on locations. Much as they wanted pictures at Nubble Light if it had been crazy-sunny out then they would have been more than happy to head to the alternate location.
4. We were on rocks so no harm was done to shoes and it wasn't particularly windy
5. I've shot at Nubble Light before (click **here** and **here** to see a beautiful elopement from last year at the Maine Lighthouse) and I knew that if I shot down on the groups not only would everyone look great but I'd be able to use the darker rocks as my background.

And that's the lecture over ;) so you can make lovely wedding images at the beach at noon but you need a number of stars to align...and here's the proof:

Whilst Diana's dress was being bustled, I took some pictures of the guys:


The guys also had studier shoes than the girls so I thought I'd make them run around a bit to keep warm ;)


And of course if I'm showing you Jeff and the groomsmen you'll want to see Diana and the bridesmaids. We took these pictures earlier in the day at the Union Bluff meeting house. I am loving the nude color shoes:


And one more:


And back to Nubble Lighthouse for some family wedding pictures. Here's the newlyweds with Jeff's parents Rick & Yvette:


And some more, adding in Jeff's sister Catherine and her soon to be husband Rob:


And here's the newlyweds with Diana's dad Al and Kathy:


I love love love this picture of Al with Diana and her sister Andrea:


And of course if we're at the location of the most photographer lighthouse in Maine I thought it only appropriate to include it in some of the pictures:


Calm:


If I were to name my wedding photographs this one would be called "Close-up on Happy"


And therefore this one might be named "Far away on happy"


Time to head back to the Union Bluff Meeting House for cocktail hour:


With one more stop by York Beach where the sun had come out to play:


Guess what's next....yes! wedding reception photos at Union Bluff Hotel and Meeting House...the first dance! the toasts! the electric slide! the twilight pictures of Jeff & Diana on the beach! You don't want to miss it! OK Leah, that's enough with the !!! key.

If you'd like to read more about shot lists and family pictures you can check out this post **here**
You can also call me at 603 571 LEAH or email me at leah@leahhaydock.com if you'd like to chat about your own wedding plans. 2012 is already starting to book up....

2 comments

  1. You are an amazing photographer! Your pictures are stunning and capture each moment so well! I enjoy checking up and seeing what's new, and I'm always amazed!

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  2. LOOOOVE these so much! I adore the far away on happy SO much!!!!

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